SEO Specialist

Location: Cheshire, CT Employment Type: Full-time Salary Range: $50,000-$70,000 annually About Pepperland Marketing Pepperland Marketing is an education-focused digital marketing agency serving colleges, universities, and independent schools. We help institutions attract and engage prospective students and families through enrollment strategy, content, search, paid media, websites, HubSpot, marketing automation, and analytics. Role Overview The SEO Specialist turns clear search recommendations into accurate, timely improvements across client websites. Working closely with our Strategy and Client Success teams, you'll implement scoped work in content management systems, investigate and resolve routine issues using established processes, and verify that each change works as intended. You'll support several education clients whose websites, goals, and publishing workflows differ. This is a hands-on execution role with room to grow. You should be comfortable owning a defined task from briefing through quality check with little supervision, while recognizing when a change needs more context or approval. Over time, you'll build the analytical and advisory skills needed to contribute more to strategy. Key Responsibilities Implement approved on-page updates, including title tags, meta descriptions, headings, internal links, page copy, image alt text, and other page-level improvements in client CMS platforms. Use established templates and standards to draft routine optimizations; check accuracy, search intent, page fit, and client voice before publishing or submitting for review. Find and fix broken links, configure and test redirects, and address other technical issues. Escalate changes that may affect indexing, site architecture, templates, or large numbers of pages. Run recurring crawls and checks, investigate assigned findings in tools such as Sitebulb, Google Search Console, GA4, and Ahrefs, and document what you found, changed, and verified. Support SEO audits, content inventories, keyword research, structured data updates, migration checklists, and AI search visibility work under a strategist's direction. Coordinate with content, web, and client success teammates when a task depends on copy, development, access, or client approval. Keep task status and blockers current in our project management system. Check work before and after publication, including destination URLs, page rendering, metadata, redirects, and relevant crawl or indexing signals; correct errors promptly. Contribute improvements to checklists and documentation as you learn. Qualifications At least two years of hands-on SEO experience, with examples of on-page and technical improvements you personally implemented and checked. Experience publishing and editing pages in WordPress, HubSpot Content Hub, or comparable CMS platforms; confidence navigating unfamiliar client sites without making unapproved changes. Working knowledge of how search engines crawl, index, and present pages, and practical experience with metadata, internal links, redirects, canonicals, and common crawl issues. Ability to use SEO and analytics tools to investigate a specific question, distinguish a real issue from a tool warning, and clearly document the result. Comfort reading HTML and inspecting a page in browser developer tools. Basic familiarity with CSS, JavaScript, and structured data is helpful; front-end development is not required. Strong writing, attention to detail, organization, and follow-through across multiple client projects. Willingness to ask for context or approval when the right action is unclear. Interest in learning how organic search, AI-driven discovery, content, and enrollment goals fit together. Experience with education clients is a plus. Location and Work Environment This is a full-time, in-office position based in our Cheshire, Connecticut office. Once established in the role, team members may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement based on the needs of the role and team. Occasional travel to client locations may also be required. Compensation Salary range: $50,000-$70,000 annually, based on experience and qualifications. The role offers opportunities for professional development and growth in SEO responsibility over time. Benefits Work/Life Balance: Flexible scheduling options that support employees in balancing work and personal responsibilities. Healthcare: Medical, dental, and vision insurance. Time Off: Paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, bereavement leave, and company holidays. Family Focus: Parental leave and schedule flexibility for new parents and families. Peppergear: Equipment you need to get the job done. Swag, too. SIMPLE IRA: Contribution option with company matching after one year. Team Fun: Regularly scheduled events, meetups, and retreats throughout the year. Keep Learning: We invest in continued learning and development to help you expand your skills and grow your career. Pepperland Marketing is an equal-opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Pepperland Marketing