Senior SEO​/GEO Strategist

Company description

Publicis is an omni-channel communications agency with over 600 employees across our Canadian operations. The office is the largest in our industry in Canada and boasts talent across various disciplines of marketing and advertising expertise. Publicis carries a balanced split of Canadian, U.S. and Global clients for which we are Agency of Record. Publicis supports a range of D&I actions through our Driving Change team as well as giving back to the community through a long-standing participation in the Out of the Cold Program.

With a strong, active and familial culture, Pub United is the agency’s social club, hosting events as wide reaching as Curling, Trivia Nights and more.

The Senior SEO/GEO Strategist is a critical role responsible for driving organic and AI-driven search performance for Publicis clients. This individual will lead the execution and evolution of SEO and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) strategies, ensuring brands are visible, competitive, and optimized across traditional search engines and emerging AI platforms. We’re looking for a passionate search expert with a strong technical foundation and a deep understanding of how search integrates with broader digital marketing strategies.

This role owns the implementation, optimization, and ongoing management of technical SEO and GEO initiatives across client properties. In addition to hands‑on execution, the Sr. SEO/GEO Strategist will provide strategic guidance, shaping digital experiences through best practices, forward‑thinking insights, and continuous innovation. Success in this role requires a proactive mindset, analytical rigor, and a commitment to staying ahead of evolving search technologies and industry trends.

• Lead ongoing monitoring and analysis of organic and AI-driven search performance across major search engines and generative platforms; translate data into actionable insights and executive‑ready reporting.
• Drive data‑informed optimization strategies to improve site architecture, technical health, user experience, and conversion performance in alignment with business goals and KPIs.
• Oversee advanced keyword and entity research to identify scalable content, visibility, and authority‑building opportunities across traditional SEO and emerging GEO environments.
• Provide strategic direction for on‑page optimization, including metadata, structured data/schema, internal linking, and content frameworks to ensure technical and semantic excellence.
• Translate performance insights into forward‑looking strategic roadmaps that elevate brand visibility, competitive positioning, and share of voice across search ecosystems.
• Present performance results, strategic recommendations, and growth opportunities directly to clients and senior stakeholders with clarity and authority.
• Conduct in‑depth competitive and SERP landscape analysis to identify gaps, threats, and opportunities—defining clear strategies to outperform competitors in organic and AI search results.
• Stay ahead of algorithm updates, AI search advancements, and industry trends; proactively educate internal teams and clients on implications and opportunities related to SEO and GEO.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with media, content, analytics, UX, and development teams to ensure integrated execution and alignment across digital initiatives.
• Mentor and guide junior team members, providing quality control, feedback, and thought leadership to elevate overall team capability.

• 5+ years of SEO experience, preferably within an agency or startup environment.
• Ability to independently develop, manage, and execute comprehensive SEO strategies from discovery through implementation and reporting.
• Strong understanding of how SEO integrates with paid media, social, PR, content, CRO, and other channels—and how these dependencies impact traffic demand and rankings.
• Proactively identifies growth opportunities and emerging trends in search (including AI‑driven search environments).
• Experience using Google Keyword Planner, Google Analytics, Search Console, Ahrefs, SEMRush, Screaming Frog, Bright Edge and Looker Studio.
• Strong analytical skills and…