Search Engine Optimization Analyst

Full-Time | United States | $50,000–$65,000

Why This Role Exists (Read This First)

Pesty Marketing is in a period of real, measurable growth.

• We did $2M in revenue last year
• We are projected to do $5M this year
• We started last year with 13 employees
• We are starting this year with 27
• We plan to finish the year with 47

This is not speculative growth. It is happening now. Growth at this pace creates two options: hire people to plug holes, or invest in people who can grow with the company and eventually become force multipliers.

This role exists because we are choosing the second option. We are intentionally building an SEO bench from the ground up by hiring smart, capable people early, training them deeply, and giving them room to grow as the company grows.

You will be trained directly by our SEO Director and senior team. The goal is not to keep you junior. The goal is to develop someone who can take on more responsibility as the organization scales.

If this role succeeds, your scope and trajectory will expand alongside the company.

The Mission

Learn SEO end to end, develop elite problem-solving instincts, and grow into a high-impact SEO operator who can:

• Think holistically about growth, not just rankings
• Tie SEO decisions to traffic, leads, and business outcomes
• Diagnose problems, design solutions, and improve systems
• Create leverage through better thinking, better execution, and better tooling

This role is for big-picture thinkers who get things done.

What Success Looks Like (12–24 Months)

You are winning if:

• You understand SEO at a systems level, not a tactics level
• You can independently identify problems before being asked
• You move from execution → analysis → ownership
• Senior team members trust your judgment and your writing
• You take on increasingly complex work without hand-holding
• You create leverage (process, automation, reusable thinking), not just output
• Your growth rate outpaces your job title

This role is measured by learning velocity and impact, not tenure.

How You’ll Be Trained

You will work closely with senior SEOs who will:

• Teach you how to think about SEO, not just how to do tasks
• Expose you to real client problems and real constraints
• Push you to reason through tradeoffs instead of following playbooks
• Encourage you to form opinions and defend them with evidence
• Gradually increase scope, responsibility, and autonomy

What You’ll Work On (Over Time)

Your responsibilities will grow as your capability grows.

Early on, that includes:

• SEO audits, QA, and diagnostics
• Keyword research and site analysis
• Technical SEO fundamentals
• Content and on-page optimization
• Semantic SEO (search intent, topical structure, entities)
• Data analysis and performance review
• Supporting senior SEOs on complex initiatives

Over time, you will:

• Own parts of client strategies
• Help diagnose why traffic or leads are underperforming
• Tie SEO strategy directly to business outcomes
• Contribute to tooling, automation, and internal systems
• Work with product and engineering teams on leverage-building software
• Act as a problem solver and strategic partner, not a task executor

Who We’re Looking For

We are not optimizing for years of experience. We are optimizing for raw material, intellectual range, and trajectory.

This Role Is a Fit If You Are:

• Intellectually curious and learn fast
• A big-picture thinker who can still execute
• Creative and analytical
• A strong writer who can explain complex ideas clearly
• Comfortable with ambiguity and problem-solving
• Detail-oriented without being rigid
• Motivated by ownership, not just stability
• Opinionated in a constructive way — you want your ideas heard and tested
• Excited to be early at a fast-growing company

You might be:

• A recent graduate
• Early in your career
• Switching into SEO from another analytical or strategic field

Experience helps, but it is not the gate.

Skills That Help (Not Required)

• Exposure to SEO, analytics, or digital marketing
• Strong writing and synthesis ability
• Comfort with spreadsheets, data, or logic
• Working knowledge of HTML / CSS
• Experience or interest in Python or R for analysis or automation
• Interest in algorithmic thinking, systems design, or modeling
• Experience in demanding or high-expectation environments

We care more about trajectory than credentials.

Backgrounds That Succeed Here

We care far more about excellence and independent thinking than credentials. Strong candidates often come from:

• Business, marketing strategy, or entrepreneurship, especially if you want to learn how companies actually scale
• Analytical and creative disciplines such as physics, philosophy, history, economics, mathematics, cognitive science, linguistics, social theory, or operations research
• Non-traditional high-performance environments (high performers with experience in the military, public service, athletics, startups, self-directed projects)

What matters most:

• Evidence you can think deeply and independently
• A track record of excelling at something you care about
• High performance in demanding environments
• Independent research, writing, or self-directed learning
• Passion for ideas and the discipline to execute on them

We want future leaders who create leverage and follow through.

Who This Role Is Not For

• People who want rigid instructions
• Those looking for a slow or static role
• Candidates who avoid ownership
• People who expect growth without effort
• Anyone who wants comfort before competence

Why This Role Is Different

Most junior SEO roles teach tactics. This role teaches judgment.

You will learn:

• How senior SEOs think
• How real decisions get made
• How to operate under constraints
• How to grow into responsibility

If you perform, your career ceiling here is high.

Compensation & Logistics

• Salary: $50,000–$65,000
• Health benefits after 30 days with the company
• 401(k)
• Full-time
• Fully remote

Final Note

We are not looking for someone who already has all the answers. We are looking for people who are intellectual, creative, analytical, and hungry for ownership. Big-picture thinkers who can write, create leverage, and get things done. If you want to learn fast, take responsibility, and build a real career in SEO at a high-growth company, this role is for you.