Director, SEO

About the Company

Pillar4 Media is a fast-growing health and wellness content and commerce platform on a mission to help people live healthier lives with access to trusted resources, in-depth product reviews, and supportive communities. They operate across four pillars of health and wellness: sleep, fitness, nutrition, and mental health, connecting consumers directly to the best brands and content.

About the Role

Pillar4 Media is hiring a Director, SEO to lead their search strategy and drive visibility across traditional organic search and AI-driven discovery channels. This leadership position combines strategic vision with hands-on optimization expertise, requiring you to develop comprehensive SEO and generative engine optimization (GEO) strategies while managing a growing team of SEO professionals. You'll be the architect of search success in an evolving landscape where AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini are reshaping how audiences discover content. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, you'll report directly to the President of Media and partner closely with Editorial, Product, and Revenue Operations teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive search strategy spanning traditional SEO, generative engine optimization (GEO), and answer engine optimization (AEO), aligned with business objectives
• Lead and mentor a team of SEO specialists, providing guidance on AI search fundamentals, new tooling, and day-to-day operations while fostering a culture of continuous improvement
• Conduct regular audits of page and website performance, overseeing keyword research, on-page optimization, technical SEO, structured data, content architecture, and link-building efforts to drive organic traffic growth
• Build and own the portfolio's AI visibility strategy by tracking how content is surfaced, cited, and summarized in AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and other generative engines
• Define and implement a measurement framework that extends beyond traditional rankings to include AI-era KPIs such as citation share, share of voice in AI answers, prompt coverage, and referral traffic from AI platforms
• Develop and maintain an opportunity-sizing model to evaluate new content categories and verticals, incorporating search demand, AI query volume, competitive analysis, and monetization potential
• Partner with Editorial leadership to translate opportunity models into a prioritized editorial calendar, and present category recommendations and opportunity assessments to executive leadership
• Stay updated on industry trends, search and AI algorithm updates, and emerging technologies to keep the company at the forefront of search practices

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Marketing, Business, Data Science, or a related field
• 8+ years of experience in SEO with at least 3 years in a leadership role
• Deep understanding of SEO and generative engine optimization (GEO) best practices and measurement frameworks
• Proven ability to lead and mentor teams, with strong cross-functional collaboration skills
• Strong analytical skills and experience with SEO tools (Google Analytics, SEMrush, Ahrefs, etc.) and AI-visibility tracking tools
• Strategic judgment to size and prioritize content opportunities and translate data into actionable recommendations for executive leadership

Pillar4 Media is a content and commerce platform focused on health and wellness, helping consumers access trusted resources, product reviews, and supportive communities across sleep, fitness, nutrition, and mental health.