SEO/AEO Strategist

Job Overview

As a SEO/AEO Strategist at Pepperland Marketing, you’ll serve as the primary client‑facing advisor for education‑sector clients—higher education and  K–12 schools—on all things organic search. You will meet with clients weekly to translate enrollment and brand‑awareness objectives into data‑driven search strategies that grow qualified traffic and conversions. You’ll be expected to stay ahead of industry trends and help clients position themselves for what’s next—especially as traditional search gives way to AI-generated, conversational experiences like Google’s AI Mode and ChatGPT browsing responses.

Blending a developer’s toolbox with a content marketer’s storytelling instincts, you’ll dig into fresh performance and crawl data each day to surface content opportunity gaps, indexation challenges, performance bottlenecks, and accessibility issues—then roll up your sleeves to implement both content-level and code‑level fixes in HubSpot CMS, WordPress, or other popular website platforms. You will lead large‑scale technical audits, orchestrate site migrations, rewrite and optimize content, and steer analyses that pinpoint decay and uncover new growth opportunities.

With traditional SEO skills as your foundation, you’ll go beyond search to identify ways clients can improve their visibility in AI-powered conversations—designing Answer-Engine Optimization (AEO) experiments, strategies and plans that actually boost citations and visibility.

Beyond technical solutions, you’ll collaborate closely with Content Marketing Strategists to pitch content ideas, shape topic clusters, internal‑linking architectures, and entity‑based optimizations that cement topical authority. 

You’ll package your findings into repeatable playbooks, mentor specialists, and position yourself—and Pepperland—as a thought leader in search, sharing insights through blogs, webinars, podcasts, and conference talks.

The right candidate is an energetic, enthusiastic, driven senior-level professional who is excited to learn new skills every day, experiment, and share their findings with our staff, partners, and prospects. You’re someone who wants to become a leader in the industry and make a big impact. 

Key Responsibilities

• Technical SEO audits & implementation — Run deep crawl analyses (Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, etc.), surface indexation, performance, and accessibility issues, and implement or coordinate code-level fixes (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, schema, robots, XML sitemaps) with the assistance of our on-staff developers.
• Answer-Engine/AI search optimization — Track and test emerging AI‑first search experiences (Google AI Mode, Bing Copilot, ChatGPT answers, Perplexity, etc.), optimize content for generative answer engines, and develop playbooks that secure brand visibility in conversational search results.
• Continuous performance analysis — Monitor GA4, Google Search Console, and rank-tracking platforms to spot decay, cannibalization, and emerging opportunities; convert insights into ranked action plans.
• Content collaboration & advisory — Partner with Content Marketing Strategists to shape topic clusters, on-page optimization, internal linking, and entity-based enhancements that strengthen topical authority and UX.
• Large-scale site audits & migrations — Lead due diligence and redirect mapping for site launches, CMS migrations, and consolidation projects, ensuring minimal traffic loss and improved technical foundations.
• Web coding & CMS integration — Modify templates, components, and structured-data snippets in HubSpot CMS, WordPress, or static frameworks to deploy SEO and AEO improvements directly.
• AI & automation innovation — Leverage and develop AI-powered solutions that enhance or tasks such as query clustering, log-file analysis, and internal-linking recommendations. Document wins and roll into repeatable playbooks.
• Client advisory & communication — Run weekly/bi-weekly performance calls, present findings, gather feedback, and align next steps; create training collateral that evangelizes SEO best practices across enrollment, advancement, and marketing teams.
• Process & standards leadership — Document SOPs, QA checklists, and technical standards to ensure consistent, high-quality delivery; progressively delegate execution work to specialists while focusing on strategy and client growth.
• Sales enablement & new business — Join sales calls with prospects, contribute to proposal development, and help close deals by showcasing Pepperland’s SEO expertise.
• Thought leadership & content — Contribute to Pepperland’s blog, webinars, and podcasts; speak at industry conferences and virtual events to share best practices and generate interest in our work.
• Cross-functional collaboration — Partner closely with Enrollment Marketing, Content Marketing, Digital Advertising, and CRM & Integration Strategists—as well as designers and developers—to tightly integrate SEO/AEO with all campaigns and initiatives.
  

Qualifications

• 4+ years of hands-on technical and content SEO execution with verifiable results in competitive verticals; education experience preferred.
• Proficiency in front-end web technologies (HTML, CSS, native JavaScript). Experience with IDEs, CLI, Github, etc. a major plus but not required.
• Deep experience with common  SEO and analytics stacks (GA4, GSC, Ahrefs, Semrush, Screaming Frog, Looker Studio, BigQuery).
• Demonstrated success developing repeatable frameworks, playbooks, or productized services.
• Proven ability to own client relationships and advise senior stakeholders.
• Stellar project-management and communication skills.
• Familiarity with HubSpot CMS, Content Hub, and Marketing Hub strongly preferred.
  

Location Considerations

This is a part in-office/part remote, hybrid position. You will be expected to work within our Cheshire, CT office at least 3 days a week, and be open to work-related travel 2-3 times annually. To be considered, you must live within a reasonable commuting distance of our Cheshire, CT office and be able to work on-site at least 3 days per week.

Why Pepperland Marketing?

• Join a collaborative, creative team dedicated to transforming higher education marketing.
• Hybrid work environment, flexibility, autonomy, and opportunities for growth.
• Contribute to meaningful projects with renowned schools, colleges and universities.
• Competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and professional development opportunities.

Pepperland Marketing is an equal-opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.