SEO VA Job Description Template and Hiring Guide

SEO stalls when nobody owns weekly execution. Google says the environment changes often: “Several times a year, Google makes significant, broad changes to our search algorithms and systems.” 

That volatility forces a simple hiring decision.

• A strategist draws the map.
• An execution operator drives the car every week.

Job Description Template

Role: SEO Virtual Assistant (Execution-Focused)

Type: Remote (contract or full-time)
Hours: [20 hours/week or 40 hours/week]
Timezone overlap: [2 to 4 hours overlap with GMT/EST/etc.]

Role summary

We hire an SEO Virtual Assistant to execute recurring SEO work that protects and grows organic visibility. You will work inside our SOPs and ship weekly actions across on-page updates, internal linking, technical hygiene checks, and reporting.

You will not sell strategy. You will execute the plan, document the work, and flag issues early.

What success looks like

• You ship weekly work with URLs and proof.
• You keep a clean execution log that anyone can audit.
• You surface problems early with clear next steps.
• You improve performance on priority pages through steady iteration.

Responsibilities

1) On-page SEO and content execution

• Optimize titles, meta descriptions, headings, and on-page structure for priority pages.
• Publish and format content in our CMS (clean URL, correct taxonomy, correct template use).
• Implement internal links using our link maps and anchor rules.
• Run Search Intent Optimization refresh cycles:
  • Pull high-impression queries from Search Console.
  • Compare the page to the current top results.
  • Align headings, sections, and snippet copy to match what the SERP rewards now.
  • Add missing subsections, examples, FAQs, or definitions that competitors cover.
  • Improve click appeal without changing the core promise.
• Detect content overlap (cannibalization) and flag it with examples, affected queries, and a recommended fix.

2) Technical SEO hygiene and monitoring

• Check Search Console weekly for indexing issues, coverage changes, and anomalies.
• Run crawls (Screaming Frog or equivalent) and log issues with affected URLs and a fix path.
• Maintain redirect hygiene (broken links, chains, loops) and coordinate fixes.
• Validate structured data where we use it and report errors for correction.
• Support Core Web Vitals workflow:
  • Use the Search Console Core Web Vitals report to bucket URL groups into Poor and Need improvement.
  • Build a prioritized developer hit list with affected templates, example URLs, and impact notes.
  • Recheck the report after changes and confirm movement over time. 

3) Reporting and documentation

• Maintain a weekly “SEO shipped” log with URLs, screenshots, and change notes.
• Track organic trends in GA4, Search Console, and our SEO suite.
• Produce a monthly summary with wins, issues, and the next execution queue.

Optional: outreach support (only if assigned)

• Run outreach sequences from templates and track replies and placements.
• Monitor backlink changes and flag unusual or risky patterns.

Download the checklist below

Tools and skills

Required

• Google Search Console
• GA4
• One SEO suite (Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz)
• A crawler (Screaming Frog or equivalent)
• Google Sheets or Excel
• WordPress or Shopify publishing experience
• Clear written English for metadata, logs, and reports
• Comfort working from SOPs and checklists

Preferred

• Experience with content refresh programs and internal link systems
• Familiarity with site audit outputs (duplicates, canonicals, indexability signals)
• Comfort supporting dev tickets with clear reproduction steps and URL examples
• Light outreach operations experience

How to apply (built-in filter)

Send:

1. Your resume
2. A 200 to 300 word note answering: “What SEO tasks did you personally execute each week?”
3. Proof of work (sanitized screenshots, reports, or before/after examples)
4. Answers to these five questions (copy/paste your answers):

Q1: In Search Console, a page has 5,000 impressions and 50 clicks. What do you investigate first?
Q2: Explain crawling vs indexing, and how you verify indexability.
Q3: Describe your weekly SEO cadence.
Q4: Explain Core Web Vitals and how you use the Search Console report in a team workflow.
Q5: A blog post ranks on page 2. Show your step-by-step refresh plan.

We will not review applications that miss any item.

II. Hiring Manager’s Guide

Why tools matter

Tool fluency predicts execution speed. Search Console gives you query-level performance and indexing diagnostics that no third-party suite replaces. 

GA4 connects organic traffic to behavior and conversions, so you can prioritize what drives outcomes.

Your SEO suite supports execution when you use it for specific jobs, such as:

• run keyword gap checks to find missing subtopics
• review backlink profiles for sudden spikes or weird anchors
• track rankings for priority pages
• run site audits for duplicates, broken links, and thin templates

Why CMS experience matters

Your assistant ships inside your website. CMS fluency reduces rework and prevents basic publishing mistakes.

W3Techs reports that WordPress powers about 42.7% of all websites and about 59.9% of sites with a known CMS, so WordPress experience often signals solid baseline publishing competence. 
If you run Shopify, you should prioritize Shopify experience because the workflow differs.

How to use Core Web Vitals without turning it into a theory lesson

Developers fix performance issues in code. Your assistant keeps the workflow moving.

They should:

• pull the “Poor” and “Need improvement” groups from the Search Console report
• identify patterns by template and device
• send developers a prioritized hit list with example URLs and impact notes
• verify progress after fixes in the same report 

III. Screening Questions and What to Look For

Q1: 5,000 impressions and 50 clicks

Strong answer: checks CTR and average position, reviews queries that drive impressions, and tests snippet alignment to intent.
Weak answer: jumps to backlinks or random “more content” fixes.

Q2: Crawling vs indexing

Strong answer: separates discovery from inclusion and explains a concrete verification flow inside Search Console.
Weak answer: mixes the concepts or speaks in generic definitions.

Q3: Weekly cadence

Strong answer: describes a repeatable routine that ends in shipped work and proof logging.
Weak answer: describes “doing SEO tasks” without a system.

Q4: Core Web Vitals

Strong answer: explains how they use the Search Console report to create a prioritized dev hit list and track improvement. 
Weak answer: treats it as optional or gives vague definitions without workflow.

Q5: Refreshing a page 2 blog post

Strong answer: runs Search Intent Optimization from query data, aligns headings to the SERP landscape, improves snippet copy, adds internal links, and requests indexing when appropriate.
Weak answer: rewrites everything without query evidence or prioritization.

IV. Paid Practical Tests That Predict Performance

Test A: On-page refresh plan (2 hours)

Give one URL and a target query set. Require:

• revised title and meta
• improved H2 structure
• internal links to add and suggested anchors
• a short reason for each change

Test B: Search Console triage (90 minutes)

Provide an export of pages losing clicks. Require:

• three hypotheses
• what they check first and why
• the exact next actions they would queue

Test C: Internal linking map (2 hours)

Provide one pillar page plus eight supporting URLs. Require:

• link placements
• anchor suggestions
• simple rules that keep the system consistent

Score each test on clarity, correctness, prioritization, and proof.

V. Compensation and Market Reality

Ahrefs’ pricing research found the most common hourly rate for SEO agencies and freelancers sits in the $75 to $100 per hour range. 

Use that benchmark to separate strategy-heavy work from execution-heavy work. You should not pay for strategy when you need weekly shipping, and you should not ask an execution role to invent the roadmap.

Upwork’s Freelance Forward report says 64 million Americans freelanced in 2023, and freelancers contributed $1.27 trillion in annual earnings to the U.S. economy. MBO Partners reports that 63% of independents in 2023 chose independent work entirely by choice. 

You can hire serious operators in a remote market, but your role definition and screening system must force specificity.

The Golden Rule and the Next Step

Golden Rule: Never outsource strategy without owning implementation, and never outsource implementation without owning the process.

Now use this decision matrix to choose your next hire.

Decision matrix: are you ready for an SEO execution assistant?

Final comparison table: strategy vs execution

If you hire with this structure, you get a predictable weekly execution engine instead of a vague “SEO hire” that creates more questions than results.

Jacques