Taking up a new position within our Owned and Earned Media team, our newest SEO Strategist will be a key driver in our team, delivering the organic strategy for our sister sites and managing the organic growth of our brands. With strong knowledge in SEO, this is the ideal opportunity for those with a proven track record of delivering organic growth, account management and in the creation of content and fundamentals of technical SEO. Salary: Up to £35,000 per annum Work Days & Hours : Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week Working Policy : Flexible hybrid-working policy, with a minimum of two days a week from our Chester head office Team : SEO Team Reports to : SEO Manager About Us The Forge Holiday Group encompasses Sykes Holiday Cottages, Forest Holidays, UKcaravans4hire and Bachcare in New Zealand. We unite under four core company values that serve as the foundation of everything we do: Being One Team, Owning It, Communicating Honestly. Learning, Growing, and Innovating. These values ensure we remain true to our original ethos and ensure we stay true to our Customers, Owners and Colleagues alike. About the Role As our newest SEO Strategist, you will showcase your expert knowledge of SEO to conduct competitor audits and develop strategies to grow performance. You will be an advocate for our portfolio of sister sites across the group, reporting on core KPI's and becoming a key stakeholder in the team, making key decisions relating to our brands whilst also managing a team of SEO Executives, providing support and coaching and pushing a culture of curiosity and ambition. Your Responsibilities: The SEO Strategist must have experience in using industry tools and using content management systems which they will utilise, alongside a variety of techniques, to discover and analyse potential keywords that written website content should be optimised towards, ensuring we achieve the best possible rankings in organic search results, whilst meeting our customers’ expectations. Furthermore, the role will involve an analytical approach to ensure our sites are also measured against conversion rates to drive efficiency at the point of sale. The role of SEO Strategist will also be responsible for passionately managing a team of SEO Executives, responsible for delivering the strategies for the brands, requiring tasks related to supporting managing workloads, training and development, performing regular personal reviews and setting and managing KPI’s across your team. They will be accountable for delivery in the following areas: Create, update and enhance landing page content upon the websites Undertake keyword research to ensure written content is optimised & new pages are created Work with Property Management teams to help populate poorly optimised pages Use Google Analytics to monitor session and conversion rate performance Work closely with the product/conversion rate optimisation team to ensure improved efficiency and performance Be an advocate for our sister sites and be able to communicate its importance to the wider business Management of SEO executives and regular performance reviews Regular reporting and feedback on website performance Skills and Qualifications: We are looking for those who can share in our company goals, values and ethos, who can grow alongside us and whose skills can aid our ongoing success By Being One Team, Owning it, Communicating Honestl y and showcasing a devotion to Learning, Growing and Innovating, we remain true to our original ethos and ensure we stay true to our Customers, Owners and Colleagues alike. First and foremost we are interested in those who have the potential to hold these values, as for this position, we ask you to have the following key skills: Previous SEO experience in an agency or client side Stakeholder and people management experience Experience in developing SEO strategies & reports Experience in performing competitor analysis Experience using SEO tools including Google Analytics, SEMRush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, Google Search Console Previous experience managing multiple campaigns and managing accounts Strong knowledge of SEO best practices Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines Although standouts will also have: Educated to degree level in a relevant subject (e.g. Creative Writing, English, and Journalism) Portfolio of creative work Understanding of HTML,CSS & JS Experience of working effectively as part of a team History of working within the Travel industry Forge Holiday Groups Company Benefits Access to our annual STIP (annual company-wide bonus) scheme with an additional 10% of your salary 33 days annual leave including bank holidays Plus an additional day off for your Birthday Plus an additional two volunteering days per year An enhanced maternity and paternity policy Employee discounts and benefits with your wellbeing at the centre Comprehensive training and development programs to set you up for success Study support for additional qualifications, courses and accreditations Numerous dedicated wellbeing initiatives and access to 24/7 mental health support On-site gym at our Chester HQ Diversity and Inclusion: We encourage and welcome our people to bring their authentic and best selves to work every day. We know the power that comes from different ideas, backgrounds and perspectives. We recognise the role diversity plays in achieving our goals as a business. We actively welcome applications from as wide a range of backgrounds as possible. If you need any particular support or accommodations as part of your application process, please get in touch - our recruitment team are happy to help. Apply now to be a part of our inclusive and supportive work environment, where you'll find excellent opportunities for career progression and personal development