SEO Specialist - Wordpress / Freelance To Join Team

We’re looking for an experienced SEO specialist to join our team on an hourly or project-by-project basis. This role is for an individual freelancer or independent contractor, not an agency. You should understand the entire SEO ecosystem and be able to take a website from initial audit through strategy, implementation, authority building and ongoing optimization. We need someone who understands how all the pieces work together to improve rankings, organic traffic and qualified conversions. Responsibilities: * Conduct comprehensive technical, on-page and off-page SEO audits * Identify ranking issues, technical problems and growth opportunities * Develop practical SEO strategies and implementation roadmaps * Perform keyword, competitor, content-gap and search-intent research * Build keyword maps and recommend site architecture * Optimize page titles, meta descriptions, headings, content and internal linking * Develop content briefs and SEO-focused content strategies * Improve crawlability, indexation, site speed and Core Web Vitals * Identify and resolve duplicate content, redirects, canonical and sitemap issues * Implement and validate structured data and schema markup * Develop ethical backlink acquisition and digital PR strategies * Have reliable methods and relationships for securing high-quality, relevant backlinks * Evaluate backlink quality and identify potentially harmful links * Support local SEO, including Google Business Profile and local citation optimization * Configure and work with Google Search Console, GA4 and SEO reporting platforms * Monitor rankings, traffic, conversions and overall search performance * Translate SEO findings into clear priorities for developers, writers and clients * Stay current with Google updates, evolving search behaviour and AI-driven search Requirements: * Proven experience improving organic rankings and search traffic * Strong understanding of technical, on-page, off-page and local SEO * Ability to independently audit websites and develop prioritized action plans * Experience working with WordPress and Elementor is strongly preferred * Strong knowledge of tools such as Ahrefs, Semrush, Screaming Frog, Google Search Console and GA4 * Experience developing and executing legitimate link-building campaigns * Ability to distinguish meaningful SEO work from low-quality or outdated tactics * Strong English communication and attention to detail * Comfortable working independently and collaborating with designers, developers, writers and strategists * Able to explain technical SEO issues clearly to non-technical team members * Focused on business outcomes, not simply rankings or vanity metrics To apply, please send: * A brief overview of your SEO experience * Examples of websites or campaigns you have worked on * Specific results you helped achieve * An example of an SEO audit or strategy document * The tools you regularly use * An explanation of how you approach backlink acquisition * Your hourly and project-based rates * Your current availability We are looking for an individual specialist who can become a trusted extension of our team. When you respond, please include the password 'bananas' so I know you actually read this. No password = no reply. Details matter.