Scientific Website Redesign, SEO & AI Search Optimisation Specialist

Project: PHIRA-Science Website: www.phira-science.org](http://www.phira-science.org Location: Remote Engagement: Freelance / project-based, with potential for ongoing work Budget: To be discussed based on experience and proposed approach About PHIRA-Science: PHIRA-Science is an independent, non-profit scientific research organisation focused on improving pollinator health and resilience through robust, applied research. Our work sits at the intersection of pollinator health, environmental science, entomology, emerging pests and diseases, biodiversity, climate change and practical solutions for people working with pollinators. Our research currently includes areas such as: * Honey bee and pollinator health * Emerging pests and diseases, particularly Tropilaelaps mites * Varroa and other honey bee parasites * Pest and disease detection and surveillance * Pollinator nutrition and environmental resources * Environmental contamination and monitoring using pollinators * Development and evaluation of practical pest-management approaches * International research collaborations and capacity building We work internationally with universities, government organisations, research institutes, beekeeping organisations and practitioners. The project: We are looking for an experienced freelancer to help us substantially improve the PHIRA-Science website, both visually and strategically. The current website contains a significant amount of original scientific content and research, but we want to make much better use of it. The objectives are to: 1. Improve the overall design, appearance and usability of the website. 2. Make the structure of the website clearer and more intuitive. 3. Present our research and projects in a much more professional and engaging way. 4. Improve organic search visibility through high-quality technical and on-page SEO. 5. Improve our visibility in modern AI-assisted search and generative search environments (GEO/AEO), using evidence-based approaches rather than gimmicks. 6. Make it easier for researchers, funders, policymakers, beekeepers, environmental organisations and the general public to find and understand our work. 7. Create a website structure that can grow as PHIRA-Science develops new research projects and publications. 8. Improve the way our scientific expertise, publications, projects and resources are connected throughout the site. What we are looking for: This is not simply a web-design or generic SEO project. The ideal person will have a good understanding of scientific or environmental research and be able to work with technical scientific information without reducing it to generic marketing language. You should be comfortable understanding concepts such as: * Environmental research * Ecology and biodiversity * Entomology or pollinator science * Scientific research projects * Research publications and citations * Evidence-based communication * Research organisations and academic partnerships Experience with pollinator research, entomology, ecology, agriculture, environmental science, conservation or related fields would be particularly valuable. You do not need to be a scientist, but you must be comfortable working with scientific material and communicating it accurately. Skills required: We are looking for someone with strong experience in several of the following: Website design & UX * Modern, professional website design * Information architecture and navigation * Improving user journeys * Mobile-responsive design * Improving page layouts and visual hierarchy * Presenting research projects in an engaging way * Improving accessibility and usability * Experience working with the existing website platform/CMS SEO Strong practical knowledge of technical and on-page SEO, including: * Keyword and search-intent research * Site architecture * Internal linking * Page titles and meta descriptions * Heading structures * Image optimisation and alt text * Structured data/schema where appropriate * XML sitemaps * Indexing and crawlability * Canonicalisation and duplicate content * Core Web Vitals/page performance * Google Search Console * Google Analytics * Identifying and fixing technical SEO problems AI / Generative Search / GEO We are particularly interested in improving the visibility of PHIRA-Science content in AI-assisted search and generative search environments. You should understand the current relationship between traditional SEO and AI search, including Google AI Overviews/AI Mode and other AI search systems. We are not looking for someone promising a secret “GEO formula” or guaranteed AI rankings. Instead, we want someone who understands how to make authoritative scientific content: * Easy for search engines and AI systems to discover and interpret * Clearly structured * Authoritative and trustworthy * Well connected through internal and external links * Rich in original information and research * Properly attributed to researchers and the organisation * Useful for people asking real-world scientific questions Content and scientific communication: A major part of the project will involve restructuring and improving existing content rather than simply creating large amounts of new text. You should be able to: * Review existing scientific content * Identify gaps and opportunities * Recommend new pages/topics * Improve page structures * Create clear page titles and headings * Turn complex research into accessible web content * Preserve scientific accuracy * Understand the importance of citations, publications and primary research * Identify opportunities to link research findings to practical applications Scientific accuracy is extremely important to us. We will provide the scientific information and will review/approve scientific content, but we need someone who can understand the material sufficiently to structure and present it appropriately. Likely initial work: The successful freelancer would initially be expected to undertake a full website audit, covering: * Current website structure * UX and navigation * Visual design * Technical SEO * On-page SEO * Search visibility * Content structure * Internal linking * Research/project organisation * Mobile experience * Page speed/performance * Accessibility * Google Search Console/Analytics data where available * Opportunities for improving visibility in AI-assisted search Following the audit, we would agree a prioritised improvement plan. This may include: Website restructuring For example, developing clearer sections for: * About PHIRA-Science * Research * Current projects * Completed projects * Publications * Resources * News/research updates * Collaborations * Training and knowledge exchange * Support/funding opportunities The exact structure should be proposed by the successful applicant following the audit. Research project pages We want to develop much stronger individual pages for research projects, explaining: The problem → research question → methodology → findings → practical implications → publications/resources → current status. This should make the website useful both to scientists and to non-specialist audiences. Ongoing research/news We want a sustainable system for adding new research developments, publications, fieldwork, conferences, collaborations and project updates without the website becoming difficult to manage. Deliverables: The initial project is likely to include: 1. Full website audit and recommendations 2. Proposed new website structure/information architecture 3. SEO and search-intent strategy 4. Technical SEO improvements 5. UX/design improvements 6. Restructuring and optimisation of priority pages 7. Improved research/project presentation 8. Improved internal linking structure 9. Implementation of appropriate metadata and structured data 10. Google Search Console/Analytics review and setup where required 11. Recommendations for ongoing content development 12. Guidance on improving visibility in AI-assisted search 13. Documentation/training so that PHIRA-Science can maintain the website ourselves. We are open to recommendations from the successful applicant regarding additional improvements that would have a significant impact. What would make you a strong candidate? You would ideally have: * A demonstrable portfolio of website redesign/SEO projects * Experience working with scientific, environmental, academic, conservation or technical organisations * Strong SEO knowledge * Experience with Google Search Console and Analytics * Experience improving content-heavy websites * Excellent English * Strong written communication skills * The ability to understand technical information quickly * Good visual/design judgement * Experience with AI search/GEO is desirable * Experience working with research organisations is highly desirable Particularly valuable Please highlight if you have worked on websites for: * Universities * Research institutes * NGOs * Environmental organisations * Conservation organisations * Scientific consultancies * Agricultural organisations * Government-funded research projects * Environmental or sustainability programmes Important: please don't apply if... * Your approach is primarily buying backlinks or mass-producing AI-generated articles. * You rely on generic “SEO hacks”. * You promise guaranteed Google rankings. * You have little experience with technical/scientific content. * Your portfolio consists primarily of e-commerce websites. * You expect to rewrite scientific material without consultation with the researcher. * You cannot explain clearly what you would actually do and why. We are particularly interested in quality, credibility and long-term organic visibility, rather than short-term SEO tactics. To apply Please include: 1. A short introduction explaining your relevant experience. 2. 2–4 examples of websites you have worked on, preferably scientific, environmental, academic or technically complex websites. 3. Examples of measurable SEO improvements you have achieved, where available. 4. Your experience with AI search/GEO/AEO. 5. The website platforms/CMS systems you are experienced with. 6. The SEO tools you normally use (e.g. Search Console, GA4, Semrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog etc.). 7. Your proposed approach to auditing and improving (http://www.phira-science.org). 8. Your estimated time required for the initial audit. 9. Your hourly rate and/or estimated project cost. 10. Please identify one thing you would improve on the PHIRA-Science website after looking at it, and explain why. We are more interested in finding the right person with the right combination of scientific understanding, web design and SEO expertise than simply choosing the lowest-cost proposal. There is potential for further work maintaining and developing the website as PHIRA-Science's research portfolio expands.