Digital SEO Specialist

University of Utah; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 68,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Utah is seeking a Digital SEO Specialist to drive organic search visibility across our university web ecosystem. You will collaborate with the Digital Research team to optimize content, architecture, and metadata, while leading technical site health audits.

You will analyze performance with GA4, Search Console, and enterprise tools, and build branded dashboards in Looker Studio/Tableau to guide strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) with 6 years or Master’s with 4 years of related experience.
• Experience in technical and on-page SEO, managing multi-domain or enterprise environments.
• Higher education or agency experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate daily with the Associate Director of Digital Research and Operations to set SEO benchmarks and align with university goals.
• Analyze organic search results, landing page performance, and traffic impact from campaigns.
• Conduct regular technical site audits for crawlability, indexability, speed, mobile usability, canonicalization, structure, and data.
• Perform keyword research and optimize metadata, headings, and internal linking for visibility.
• Track and report on SEO performance, rankings, backlinks, and conversion funnels (GA4, Search Console).
• Design and run SEO experiments to test title tags, descriptions, and layout changes to improve CTR.
• Develop branded dashboards in Looker Studio and Tableau for researchers and campus partners.
• Ensure SEO strategies align with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility and core web vitals.

Skills

SEO

Web analytics

Content optimization

Technical SEO

Dashboard reporting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Computer Science, Information Design, Information Systems

Tools

Ahrefs

SEMrush

Google Search Console

Google Trends

WordPress/Yoast

HTML/CSS

Looker Studio

Tableau

Job description

Digital SEO Specialist

Job Summary

As an SEO Specialist, you will play a pivotal role on theUniversity of Utah Marketing and Communication's Digital Team,serving as the subject matter expert driving organic searchvisibility, technical site performance, and content discoverabilityacross our university's web ecosystem. Reporting directly to theAssociate Director of Digital Research and Operations, you willwork in direct, daily partnership on strategic searchinitiatives—aligning search engine optimization with broadermarketing, web accessibility, and digital governance goals.

This role requires a balance of technical execution, SEO strategyand analytical insight. We are looking for a collaborative,proactive professional with strong hands-on SEO experience whothrives on solving technical web challenges and elevatinguniversity digital experiences.

Learn more about the great benefits of working forUniversity of Utah: benefits.utah.edu

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Collaboration: Work in close, daily partnership withthe Associate Director of Digital Research and Operations and thedigital research team across all core SEO initiatives, establishingsearch performance benchmarks and aligning optimization effortswith university digital goals.
• Digital Campaign & SEO Synergy Reporting: Partner withcontent strategy and research teams to analyze and report onorganic search results, landing page performance, and organictraffic impact driven by high-traffic digital advertisingcampaigns.
• Technical SEO & Site Hygiene: Conduct regular technicalsite audits across large-scale university web properties toidentify and resolve issues related to crawlability, indexability,site speed, mobile usability, canonicalization, site architecture,and structured data.
• Keyword & Content Optimization: Perform comprehensivekeyword research and intent analysis to guide content creators, webmanagers, and research teams. Optimize metadata, headings, on-pagecopy, and internal linking structures to maximize organicvisibility.
• Search Analytics & Optimization: Track, analyze, and reporton organic search performance, keyword rankings, backlink profiles,and conversion funnels using Google Analytics (GA4), SearchConsole, and enterprise SEO software.
• A/B Testing & Search Experimentation: Design and executeSEO experiments, testing title tags, meta descriptions, andstructural layout changes to improve click-through rates (CTR) anduser engagement.
• Branded Dashboard Development: Collaborate directly with theresearch team to design, build, and maintain branded,campus-partner-facing dashboards in Looker Studio and Tableau,ensuring data visualizations follow university brand standards andUI/UX best practices.
• SEO & Accessibility Integration: Collaborate with web andcontent teams to ensure on-page SEO strategies align seamlesslywith digital accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 Level AA) and coreweb vitals.

Minimum Qualifications

EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT: 1 year of higher educationcan be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience(Example: bachelor's degree = 4 years of directly related workexperience).

Search Engine Optimization Specialist, III: Requires a bachelor's (or equivalency) + 6 years or a master's (orequivalency) + 4 years of directly related work experience.

Preferences

Qualifications & Experience:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications,Computer Science, Information Design, Information Systems, or arelated field
• SEO Experience: Experience in technical and on-page searchengine optimization, with a proven track record of managingenterprise or multi-domain web environments. Higher education oragency experience is strongly preferred.

Technical Stack

Technical Stack:

• SEO Tools: Expertise in SEO and GEO tools such as Ahrefs,SEMrush, Google Search Console, and Google Trends.
• Analytics, BI & Campaign Tracking: Hands-on experience withGoogle Analytics (GA4), Webmaster Tools, and tracking SEO impactfor high-traffic paid digital media campaigns.
• Dashboard Design & Branding: Experience creating brandeddata visualizations and dashboards (Looker Studio, Tableau) withstrong design principles and brand alignment.
• CMS & Web Standards: Proficiency with WordPress (includingSEO plugins like Yoast), HTML/CSS, basic JavaScript understanding,and structured data implementation.
• Accessibility & Operations: Working knowledge of digitalaccessibility guidelines (WCAG) and project managementplatforms.

Key Traits We're Looking For

Key Traits We're Looking For:

• Fast & Careful: You pay close attention to details whileresponding quickly to user needs.
• Curious: You love to learn and are always looking for ways torefine your craft.
• Proactive: You take charge. You don't wait for problems tohappen; you actively hunt for solutions.
• Resilient: You keep your cool and handle high-pressuresituations with patience and a calm attitude.
• Collaborative: You are a true team player who understands thatwe're stronger when we work together.
• Humble: You're open to listening, receiving constructivefeedback, and changing course with ease.

Special Instructions

Requisition Number: PRN46138B

Full Time or Part Time? Full Time

Work Schedule Summary: Monday through Friday, 9:00 – 5:00pm

Department: 00339 - Marketing & Communications

Location: Campus

Pay Rate Range: $68,000 - $78,000

Close Date: 11/26/2026

Open Until Filled: