Search Engine Optimization Specialist

Here’s your no-emoji version of the SEO freelancer job post — clean and professional for platforms like Upwork, LinkedIn, or email referrals.

Senior SEO Freelancer (Remote, Contract – $30/hr)

Start: ASAP

Rate: $30/hour

Hours: Approximately 5–10 hours/week

Commitment: Long-term, flexible schedule

Location: Remote (must be responsive during Eastern Time business hours)

Industries: Hospitality, Restaurant, Events

About Us

Chef 21 Hospitality Group is a growing portfolio of globally inspired restaurant and lifestyle brands based in South Carolina. Our current concepts include Chef 21 Sushi Burger, Tea-quila Social, 21 Raw Bar & Taphouse, and Chef 21 Tea Republic. Our mission is to bring international culinary and cultural experiences to our local community.

We are seeking a senior-level SEO freelancer to manage all SEO strategy, implementation, and website updates across three active websites. This is a high-impact freelance role for someone who is proactive, results-driven, and deeply experienced in all areas of SEO.

Role Overview

You will take ownership of SEO across all sites, including technical audits, local SEO, meta optimization, backlink strategy, and monthly reporting. You must also be able to directly make website edits and content updates. This is not an entry-level or AI-dependent role. We are looking for a skilled professional who delivers hands-on, human-led SEO solutions.

Responsibilities

Technical SEO

• Optimize site speed, mobile responsiveness, and Core Web Vitals
• Submit and manage sitemaps, robots.txt files, and canonical tags
• Fix 404 errors and redirects
• Implement structured data and schema markup (restaurant, event, FAQ)
• Audit and optimize plugin usage and overall site health

On-Page SEO

• Write and optimize meta titles, descriptions, header tags, and image alt text
• Optimize keyword targeting per page based on intent and trends
• Maintain internal linking structure and crawlability
• Improve existing content performance and relevance

Local SEO

• Manage and optimize Google Business Profiles for all locations
• Submit business listings to Yelp, TripAdvisor, Bing Places, and others
• Maintain NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency across platforms
• Upload geo-tagged content and local service landing pages

Off-Page SEO

• Recommend high-quality backlink strategies
• Monitor and maintain existing backlink profiles
• Reclaim or repair broken inbound links

Content Strategy (Human-led only)

• Provide content calendar and topic suggestions based on keyword research
• Optimize restaurant pages, events, menus, and press posts
• Collaborate with our internal team to support written content that aligns with brand voice
• AI-generated content is not permitted

Website Maintenance

• Make direct content and structural edits to WordPress/Squarespace sites
• Update menus, operating hours, banners, event listings, and imagery
• Add and optimize new landing pages for campaigns or services

Analytics & Reporting

• Monitor Google Analytics and Google Search Console
• Provide monthly SEO performance reports, keyword rankings, and improvement plans
• Advise on SEO priorities and long-term growth opportunities

Requirements

• Minimum 3 years of hands-on SEO experience
• Expert knowledge of technical, on-page, off-page, and local SEO
• Proficient with WordPress (Squarespace and Shopify a bonus)
• Proficient in GA4, Google Search Console, Ahrefs or SEMrush, schema markup tools
• Experience working with small businesses, hospitality, or restaurant brands is preferred
• Strong communication skills and ability to present data clearly
• Must not use AI-generated content or automated tools for SEO strategy or content development

How to Apply

Please submit:

• A brief introduction about your experience
• Case studies or examples of past SEO work
• List of SEO tools you use regularly
• Explanation of how you stay up to date with SEO trends and algorithm changes
• Confirmation that you do not use AI-generated content in your SEO work

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: From $30.00 per hour

Expected hours: 2 – 20 per week

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Greenville, SC 29601