SEO Specialist

BBC Studios

Bold. British. Creative: that’s BBC Studios. Combining the strengths of the UK’s most-awarded production company with a world-class distributor, we fund, create, distribute and commercialize world-class content for the BBC and other UK and international companies. Our aim is to inspire audiences around the globe with quality content that informs, educates and entertains and to strengthen the BBC, our partners and wider industry both creatively and financially. We seek to be the best British content company in the world; a first-choice partner and employer, where everyone can flourish and do their best work.

At BBC Global Digital News & Streaming, (a team situated within BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC) we aim to help people understand the world around them, make informed choices, and take an active part in society and democracy. As we expand our footprint to meet increasing demand for our style of quality and impartial journalism and unscripted content in North America, we are seeking motivated, passionate, high performing individuals across a variety of skillsets to join our global team. Our primary locations are New York, Washington DC, and London, though as a distributed workforce we are open to applicants in any location where the BBC has a commercial presence. Join us and be an essential part of one of the world’s most recognized brands and trusted news organizations.

Job Purpose

BBC Studios is hiring 2 SEO Specialists within our award-winning News division. As part of our Audience Engagement team, you will apply SEO and audience insights to elevate our daily report and leverage search to reach new and existing audiences in North America. Reporting to the Audience Development Editor, these are full-time positions which can be based out of either our Washington DC or NYC offices. Together, these two specialists will staff an SEO desk from 6am to 10pm (EST) weekdays, supporting fast-paced News and trending teams, as well as specialist teams working on topics such as business, tech, science, culture, and travel.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

In this role, you will be the daily go-to person for SEO. You will:

• Attending daily news meetings to report on top keywords and articles, suggest stories we should be writing, and identify those which should be closely updated and monitored.
• Track changes in rankings and suggest improvements to optimize pages.
• Make recommendations to journalists throughout the day around trending search terms and relevant keywords, ensuring relevant cross-linking and tags in articles.
• Analyze historical search data and predict future trends so that we can better plan future output.
• Contribute to an SEO calendar with topics, content ideas, and other strategic notes.
• Provide competitive analysis on search performance to newsroom stakeholders, to spot opportunities in the market.
• Help develop and provide regular reporting on our search performance.
• Deliver impactful training sessions to newsroom editors and journalists.
• Monitor and react to changes to search engine algorithms and keep across the latest developments in SEO best practices.
• Early morning and/or evening shift work is required.

Knowledge, Skills, Training, and Experience

Required 

• 3+ years’ experience working in SEO content strategy or audience development, preferably in a news publishing environment.
• An understanding of SEO strategies and SEO content best practices
• Demonstrated ability to do keyword and trend research to provide actionable recommendations, as well as make this accessible for editorial teams.
• Experience working on enterprise-level sites.
• Experience using Google Trends, Google Search Console, and third-party enterprise SEO tools (e.g., SEMrush, Similar web, Screaming Frog, etc.)

Desired

• Clear and effective written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to effectively prioritize tasks with initiative and pivot as news demands.
• Collaborative and able to work with colleagues across editorial, audience development, analytics, and product.
• Desire to understand, in detail, the consumer experience on BBC News digital products.
• Enthusiasm for the BBC’s unique position as a global trusted news brand, and an understanding of the importance of impartiality – and what it means in practice.

Compensation

The anticipated annual base salary for this position is $73k – $ 85k dependent on experience & market conditions. This range is not inclusive of flexible, hybrid working schedule and comprehensive benefits package including but not limited to: 100% BBCS covered medical and dental insurance for employees and their dependents, vision, competitive 401(k) match, mental health, gym reimbursement, pet insurance, commuter benefits.

Benefits and Perks

• 100% Employer-Paid Medical and Dental Insurance (PPO plans)
• Generous Paid Time Off
• Flexible, Hybrid Working Arrangements
• Work/life balance
• Free Retirement Consulting to All Employees
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits
• Gym Reimbursement
• Bagel Mondays, Thirsty Thursdays, and more!

About the BBC

We don’t focus simply on what we do – we also care how we do it. Our values and the way we behave are important to us.

Diversity matters at the BBC. We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual’s unique contribution, enabling all of our employees to thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to be part of the BBC – whether that’s to contribute to our programming or our wide range of non-production roles. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles, unless operational requirements prevent otherwise.