Content Optimization Specialist

Job Title

Content Optimization Specialist

Kent Campus - Kent, OH

$67,706 - $86,207

Drives tactical performance across all digital content, ensuring everything is structured for maximum visibility, discoverability, and engagement. Optimizes content for all audiences across all platforms. Applies best practices, personalization, tagging and testing strategies to continuously improve content across all university owned channels, paid campaigns, earned efforts and customer engagement systems. Reports to the Senior Director, Data Strategy.

As Kent State advances its digital transformation vision, the Engagement & Optimization Team (EOT) will play a foundational role in operationalizing a university-wide audience engagement data strategy. This team supports strategic, data-informed communications and marketing through unified content strategy, digital experience optimization, and measurable, personalized engagement across all platforms. These efforts span all university communication and marketing channels—including web, email, mobile, social media, CRM platforms like Slate, Element
451 and other distributed systems. The roles are not limited to web optimization but are designed to elevate the university's total audience engagement strategy across all touchpoints and departments. The EOT will work collaboratively across the university to guide and coordinate institutional data strategy for audience engagement and performance measurement—ensuring alignment, collaboration, and impact at scale.

• Perform search engine audits and implement keyword strategies across university digital platforms.
• Manage tagging, metadata and personalization structures for smarter audience targeting.
• Optimize content for all audiences across all platforms (i.e., traditional, local/location-based or AI-powered search/chat agents) to enhance user engagement and conversion.
• Provide optimization recommendations to content teams based on real-time performance metrics.
• Develop optimization strategies across all communication channels and audience engagement systems.
• Deploy AI tools for customization of content to each audience/user across all channels.
• Assist Director of Data Strategy in data strategy efforts.
• Coordinate with University Communications and Marketing (UCM) team and other university partners to research, identify and operationalize UX learnings.
• May provide direct supervision of student employees.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Bachelor’s degree in marketing, digital media, communications, journalism, UX design, or a related field. Four years' professional experience in content optimization digital engagement roles or related experience.

• SEO platforms (SEMrush, Moz, Yoast, Screaming Frog, Site Improve, etc.)
• Google Search Console and Google Analytics (GA4)
• AI search optimization (AEO) tools or courses
• A/B and multivariate testing platforms (e.g., Optimizely, Google Optimize)
• AI-assisted content creation tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Jasper, Surfer
  
  SEO, etc.)
• Customer journey mapping tools
• UX research and optimization platforms

• Search engine optimization best practices
• Personalization, tagging structures, and UX testing tools

• AI-assisted content tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Jasper, Surfer
  
  SEO)
• Search engine platforms and performance tools (e.g., SEMrush, Moz, Screaming Frog, Siteimprove, Google Search Console)

• Communicate recommendations effectively across teams and levels
• Work across multiple digital platforms and collaborate with cross-functional teams

Not applicable.

Asterisk (*) indicates knowledge, skills, abilities which require assessments.

None.

Monday - Friday 8AM - 5 PM or otherwise discussed with your supervisor.

Kent State University is committed to creating a community that is culturally and intellectually diverse and to attracting and retaining a diverse staff. We strive to create and maintain working and learning environments that respect differences, and are…