As an SEO Strategist, we expect you to serve as a mid-level role in our Search & Content Department. You work directly under our Search & Content Director, collaborating with the other members of your department while further developing your abilities to handle larger accounts. We expect the job to be around:

• 50% SEO management, including keyword research, on-site optimizations, off-site link building, technical SEO, and other duties that relate to improving a website’s presence on search engines.
• 30% Content marketing, including content creation (especially blogging), editing, publishing, and other duties that relate to producing online content.
• 15% Client communication duties, supporting our Account Executives in communicating about your work with clients.
• 5% Always optimizing, to improve the department.

Where you'll work:

Online Optimism is an award winning, best place to work, recognized for our commitment to our staff and our culture.

We offer a hybrid work environment where you can choose to work in-office (at our offices in New Orleans and Washington, DC) or at home every day.

Our benefits include insurance, retirement plans, plentiful PTO + unlimited time off for physical or mental health, dog-friendly offices, an annual retreat, and exceptional work-life balance.

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

If you’re looking for a place to grow where your work (and you) will be appreciated and rewarded, you’ll find a home at Online Optimism.

You must have at least:

• 2+ years of SEO experience
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling and persuasive content.
• Knowledge of SEO best-practices.
• An excitement to adapt your job role as AI, Google, and the Internet continue to change.

In addition, the strongest candidates will have:

• Experience handling SEO campaigns across industries, particularly B2B, higher education, manufacturing, home services, and hospitality.
• Proficient with SEMrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, or similar tools
• Previous work communicating SEO progress with clients.
• Digital marketing certifications or a degree in marketing.
• Portfolio showcasing previous digital marketing campaigns and content creation work.

What’s It Like to Be an Optimist?

As a full-time employee, you’ll receive all the benefits that a career at Online Optimism gets you. They’re fully detailed on our Careers page, but an overview is below:

Job Compensation

We strive to offer extremely competitive compensation packages, in addition to an amazing benefits package. This includes:

• $50,000 base annual salary paid weekly. While you should always try to negotiate a job offer, we want to let you know from the start what to expect to help avoid inequitable compensation among peers.
• Additional technology stipend of $1,000 / year (also paid weekly).
• SIMPLE IRA plan with 3% matching.
• Potential additional $1,200 in earned bonuses depending on achieving your KPIs (discussed three times a year).

Insurance and Wellness

• Health insurance for you and any dependents at three different levels so you can choose what’s perfect for you. Online Optimism covers 50% (between $1,859.16 / year in our lowest plan of 1 person to $8,182.44 for a family plan)
• Dental insurance for you and any dependents – we cover 50%, so it can be worth anywhere from $208.32 / year (one person, no dependents) to $626.52 at the highest plan.
• Vision Insurance: We cover 100% (we look at a lot of screens, y’all) which is $75.12 at the lowest (one person, no dependents) to $221.64 at the highest (family plan). Our plan (at most stores) covers new glasses & frames up to $200 / year.
• Short term disability for 16 weeks
• Life Insurance ($10,000 policy)
• EAP (Employee Assistance Program) through ComPsych. While this offers a few benefits, the most common one is its allowance of up to three therapy sessions per life event.

Raises & Additional Compensation

• All employees receive raises at least annually, and our high-performers have earned raises two to three times a year in the past.
• All employees receive holiday bonuses. The amount depends on our company’s success throughout the year.

PTO & Holidays

While financial compensation and insurance is important, we believe that your time spent outside of work is often just as important to maintaining a health balance – one of our values is Work is work, not life. This position will receive:

• PTO (in additional to unlimited sick time):
• • You’ll begin accruing PTO on your first day at our normal rate which equals 15 days of PTO per year.
  • While you’ll be accruing PTO, we don’t allow PTO to be used your first 60 days. (You will receive our standard holidays.)
  • Any vacation time will roll over to the next year (with a cap of 15 days).
• Summer Fridays, which are four Friday half days throughout June to August. You’ll get all your first year.
• Half day for your birthday (available anytime your birthday week).
• Unlimited sick time for physical or mental wellbeing. This includes unlimited time for things including bereavement, mental health days, miscarriages, or any reason our Optimists believe they won’t be working at 100%.
• If for some reason a medical procedure isn’t available near you, we will also fly you to our DC offices and pay for a night’s hotel stay, no questions asked – you can read more about our out-of-state medical leave policy here, rolled out in June, 2022.
• 14 holidays per year, including: New Year’s Day, Mardi Gras Tuesday (+ the previous Monday and Friday)*, Good Friday*, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, *Christmas Eve, *Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve.
• • The 6 religious holidays, marked with an *asterisk*, may be shifted around per employee’s wishes.
• Holidays which fall on weekends are moved to the business day before or after.

An Optimistic Work Environment

We work hard to create a supportive, optimistic environment. This includes:

• Our office hours are 9-5, Monday – Friday. You will be able to have flexible work hours including 8-4, and 10 – 6.
• We have an in-place policy that we don’t require employees to check their email while outside the office. We believe strongly in maintaining a work/life balance.
• Our “You Do You” remote work rule means that you get to choose whether you come into our beautiful offices, or work from home each day.

We also like to think we have a pretty great office culture. We have the usual fun stuff, and then go far above and beyond what you might be expecting:

• Casual dress code
• Top of the line computers to work on.
• We offer free web hosting to any Optimist.
• We have a 200% employee donation match program called Donate, Elevate.
• We provide quarterly volunteer opportunities, and allow staff paid time out of their day for opportunities of their own (or as a poll worker).
• Gifts for everyone on a new client account, or website launch.
• We cover the cost of any networking groups or events related to your career or skills that you want to work on.
• We enjoy an annual retreat together.

Additional Long Term Benefits

• After your first 12 months of employment, you’re eligible for paid maternity or parental (adoptive) leave every twelve months, rolling. Paid is 100% your base salary. It is sixteen weeks paid maternity leave, and eight weeks of paid leave for adoptions/paternity.
• In your third year of employment, we’ll send you to a conference related to your field of study within the U.S., all expenses paid.
• After 5 years of employment at Online Optimism, we extend your PTO from 15 days to 20.
• After 10 years of employment at Online Optimism, we’ll provide you with an additional 3 week sabbatical.

We have no non-compete. You should only be at Online Optimism if you believe it’s the best opportunity for your career at this time.

Lastly, we’re very confident that everyone who receives one of our offers is going to be a great fit at Online Optimism. If, however, you don’t think it is after 60 days, no problem, we’ll offer you a buyout package. This means that we’ll offboard you over the next week (with insurance til the end of the current month), pay you a $2,000 severance package (after receiving our equipment back,) and wish you the best in your career somewhere else.