Senior Manager, SEO

As a Senior Manager, SEO at Underdog, you'll be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive SEO strategy, overseeing technical SEO aspects such as site architecture and crawlability, and ensuring integration of SEO best practices across teams. You'll conduct technical audits, provide insights, and continually optimize strategies to enhance visibility and performance.

Underdog looks for candidates with 8+ years of experience in technical SEO, a strong understanding of search engine algorithms and ranking factors, and proficiency with SEO tools like Google Search Console and SEMrush. Additionally, a solid grasp of web technologies and excellent communication skills for collaboration with cross-functional teams are essential.

The role of Senior Manager, SEO is crucial to Underdog's success as it directly influences organic search visibility, user engagement, and conversion rates. By implementing effective SEO strategies and optimizing content, you'll help drive traffic to our platform, attract new users, and enhance the overall competitive edge of our innovative gaming products.

As the Senior Manager, SEO at Underdog, you'll utilize various tools such as Google Search Console, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Screaming Frog for monitoring performance, conducting audits, and analyzing data. These tools will help you gain insights into keyword rankings, site health, and traffic trends, which are critical for optimizing our SEO strategies.

At Underdog, the culture is connected and flexible, promoting a virtual-first environment with a highly engaged workforce. We value innovation, collaboration, and fun, and offer competitive benefits like unlimited PTO, parental leave, and a home office allowance, all aimed at fostering a positive work-life balance for our Senior Manager, SEO.

When developing an SEO strategy, I first conduct a thorough assessment of the current digital landscape, including keyword research, competitor analysis, and technical audits. I then set clear, measurable goals, like improving organic traffic or keyword rankings, and outline actionable steps. Collaboration with cross-functional teams is critical to ensure that the strategy aligns with user experience and content goals.

Prioritizing SEO tasks involves analyzing impact versus effort. I use data from SEO tools to evaluate potential SEO initiatives based on their expected benefit, such as traffic increases or ranking improvements. Additionally, I consider alignment with business objectives and work closely with stakeholders to determine which initiatives will deliver the most significant results.

Recent trends that are crucial for SEO include the importance of user experience signals, such as Core Web Vitals, and the increasing focus on E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness) in content. Additionally, optimizing for voice search and understanding mobile-first indexing strategies are also becoming essential in today's SEO landscape.

Absolutely! In a previous role, I identified a significant drop in organic traffic by analyzing data from Google Analytics and SEMrush. I dug deeper into specific pages and realized there were issues with page speed and mobile optimization. By implementing technical adjustments and improving content structure, I was able to boost traffic by 30% within a few months.

To handle duplicate content issues, I first conduct a comprehensive site audit to identify duplicates. I then employ canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of the content, modify internal linking structures, and, if necessary, create unique content. Communicating with the team about the importance of content uniqueness is also vital to prevent future occurrences.

Collaboration is key in an effective SEO strategy. It helps to ensure that everyone from product teams to content creators understands the implications of SEO on their work. I regularly organize cross-functional meetings to educate teams about SEO best practices and align our efforts on product launches and site updates, making sure SEO is integrated throughout the process.

I measure the success of SEO strategies through various metrics, such as organic traffic growth, keyword ranking improvements, and engagement metrics like bounce rates and time on page. Additionally, tracking conversion rates associated with organic visits is vital to gauge the true impact of SEO efforts on business goals.

I prefer tools like SEMrush for competitive analysis, Google Search Console for performance tracking, and Ahrefs for backlink analysis. Each tool has unique strengths, and together they provide a comprehensive view of our SEO landscape, helping to devise effective strategies and identify growth opportunities.

Staying updated with SEO changes involves regularly following credible SEO blogs, attending webinars, and participating in industry forums. Engaging with thought leaders on social media and joining SEO-related groups also helps me remain informed about algorithm updates and emerging best practices.

Mobile-first indexing means that Google predominantly uses the mobile version of a site for indexing and ranking. This change is important because it reflects the shift towards mobile usage for internet browsing. Ensuring our site is optimized for mobile not only helps with search rankings but also improves user experience, which can lead to higher engagement and conversions.