SEO Director
 

 
LeadQual, a fast-growing search engine marketing company, is seeking a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Director to join our Emeryville, CA based team of search marketing professionals. As the SEO Director, you will lead our SEO team to assist LeadQual clients with optimizing their websites and Social Media to gain the highest possible rankings and traffic for search phrases that most drive their business or organizational goals. This will include doing actual SEO analysis, recommendations, documentation, presentations and other "hands on" work needed for a portion of our SEO workload. You will also take responsibility for managing customer accounts related to SEO, and help with shaping and growing our SEO line of business. We use only "white" hat techniques, and seek to gain long term positioning and advantage for our clients. We work with large and small clients in a variety of verticals.
 

 
Job Responsibilities:
 

 
• Lead the SEO team at LeadQual.
 
• Drive implementation of SEO projects for all customers.
 
• Manage SEO customer accounts and direct the delivery of SEO services, providing the primary point of contact for customers.
 
• Understand each client’s business model, culture, organization and objectives.
 
• Monitor and assure quality of SEO services and deliverables provided to customers.
 
• Work with LeadQual management to improve and expand our SEO services, and help grow our SEO customer base and services we offer.
 
• Keep current with SEO and Social Media techniques and trends, and provide authoritative knowledge and advice to our clients.
 
• Research and track SEO and Social Media programs offered by other search marketing agencies to ensure LeadQual services are state-of-the-art and competitive.
 
• Provide mentorship and training for customers and for other LeadQual personnel.
 

 
Tasks that will be directed and/or conducted will include:
 
• Evaluate new and potential clients to determine size and scope of SEO effort.
 
• Develop business proposals for new customers, and help LeadQual sales and management staff acquire new customers.
 
• Conduct competitive research on clients’ competitors with regards to SEO and Social Media.
 
• Conduct keyword research and develop target keyword lists.
 
• Analyze client website architecture, content, linking and other factors to identify issues and opportunities for SEO.
 
• Provide detailed, written recommendations to clients to improve website architecture, content, linking and other factors to improve SEO positions for target keywords.
 
• Analyze client Social Media practices and provide recommendations to attract and engage more audience, in line with customer SEO strategy and business objectives.
 
• Work flexibly with clients based on their needs, which may involve team-oriented, agile development approaches as well as traditional document deliverables.
 
• Assist clients with link building, including planning and implementation of social networking, viral marketing and publicity initiatives.
 
• Provide benchmark and tracking reports to customers on SEO positions, traffic, conversions and other metrics. Assist customers with defining and setting up reporting tools within their environments.
 
• Assist clients with implementation of recommended changes, answer questions, develop SEO strategies, review planned projects for SEO factors, run and analyze reports, and other tasks that will drive ongoing improvement in client SEO positions.
 
• Assist customers with developing or sourcing content, and ensuring that content is optimized for SEO. This may include managing outside resources and monitoring quality, or helping clients with UGC strategies.
 
• Monitor and research industry trends related to SEO to continually improve knowledge and skills, and communicate new ideas and trends to clients and co-workers. Develop strategies to address new paradigms such as personalization and alternative search engines.
 
• Work with our team of SEM and lead qualification specialists as needed to assist customers with overall search marketing programs.
 

 
Qualifications:
 

 
The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:
 
• Proven track record of taking ownership and driving results.
 
• 4+ years of SEO experience, ideally helping clients across multiple verticals.
 
• 2+ years of Social Media Optimization experience.
 
• 2+ years of management or team leadership experience.
 
• Strong project management and customer relationship skills.
 
• Technologically savvy, and up to date on Internet and search marketing trends such as "Web 2.0", personalization, social networking, UGC, etc.
 
• Track record of analyzing SEO issues and opportunities, and providing and implementing recommendations to improve SEO positions.
 
• Knowledge of SEO techniques and factors that drive long term success, and awareness of "black hat" or other techniques that might damage customer success.
 
• Knowledge of technical aspects of SEO, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Flash, JavaScript, HTTP, URL structures, keyword analysis, content optimization, search engine spiders, indexes and algorithms, website session management, and other factors that can impact SEO.
 
• Familiarity with website systems, architectures, languages and platforms, including LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP), .NET, ASP, Java, JSP, Cold Fusion, etc.
 
• Experience with web analytics tools and their use with measuring SEO success.
 
• Familiarity optimization of international and country-specific websites, as well as optimization to foreign languages.
 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, and experience working with cross functional teams both within and between organizations.
 
• Ability to be self directed, highly motivated and have fun while working hard in a startup environment.
 
• Knowledge of paid search (PPC) search marketing programs and techniques a plus.
 
• Development skills in languages such as PHP, MySQL or .Net, as well as experience working with Apache or IIS a plus.
 
• Fluency in a foreign language a plus.
 

 
About LeadQual:
 

 
LeadQual has been helping our clients grow for over four years. During 2009, we doubled our business – bucking the economic environment. We continue to grow and we are looking for a passionate person to join our growing team. This position is based in our Emeryville office, located just above the Emeryville Public Market.