Head of SEO – Remote – UK or Hybrid – Malta.

Head of SEO – Remote – UK or Hybrid – Malta.

We are seeking a senior, hands-on Head of SEO to define and deliver the organic search strategy for an established online casino business as it transitions into a regulated market and undergoes a full platform rebuild.

• This is a pivotal role responsible for protecting and growing existing organic performance while ensuring the new platform is built on best-practice SEO foundations from the outset.
• The Head of SEO will own strategy across technical SEO, migration planning, content, digital PR, AI-driven search optimisation, reporting, and long-term capability development.
• This is a senior leadership role, but not purely managerial.
• The business requires someone who can set clear direction, influence Product and Technology decisions, and remain close enough to execution to deliver hands-on work in a lean environment.
• The ideal candidate will combine strategic leadership with deep, modern SEO expertise.
• Experience in highly competitive, regulated industries—particularly gambling or gaming—would be highly advantageous.

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Key Responsibilities

SEO Strategy & Organic Growth

• Define and own the end-to-end SEO strategy and roadmap.
• Protect and grow existing organic visibility, rankings, and traffic during platform rebuild and regulatory transition.
• Identify and prioritise growth opportunities across brand, non-brand, content, technical SEO, and authority building.
• Embed SEO into broader acquisition strategy, working closely with Product, Marketing, Data, Content, UX, and Compliance teams.
• Monitor competitor activity and market trends to inform ongoing optimisation and opportunity identification.

Technical SEO, Platform Rebuild & Migration

• Own all SEO requirements for the platform and front-end rebuild.
• Ensure the new site is architected with strong SEO foundations, including crawlability, indexation, site structure, internal linking, structured data, canonicalisation, page speed, Core Web Vitals, and mobile-first performance.
• Lead end-to-end SEO migration planning, including URL mapping, redirect strategy, metadata, content preservation, risk mitigation, and post-launch monitoring.
• Conduct regular technical SEO audits and ensure issues are prioritised and resolved effectively.
• Partner closely with Product, Engineering, platform providers, and front-end teams to embed SEO requirements early in the development lifecycle.

Content, On-Site Optimisation & AI Search

• Define the SEO content strategy across key areas including casino pages, game categories, educational content, responsible gambling, brand trust, promotions, and commercial landing pages.
• Optimise existing content and define requirements for new content within the rebuilt platform.
• Establish clear content frameworks covering quality, search intent, internal linking, and structured optimisation.
• Prepare the business for evolving search behaviour, including AI-driven search, generative engines, and answer-based discovery models.
• Leverage AI tools to improve research, planning, and workflow efficiency while maintaining quality, compliance, and brand integrity.

Digital PR, Authority & Off-Site SEO

• Define and lead the digital PR and link acquisition strategy to build authority in a highly competitive market.
• Collaborate with Brand, PR, Content, and external partners to develop campaigns that support both visibility and credibility.
• Monitor backlink profile quality and manage off-site SEO risk.
• Ensure all authority-building activity is sustainable, compliant, and appropriate for a regulated environment.

Analytics, Reporting & Performance

• Define SEO KPIs across visibility, rankings, traffic, acquisition, conversion, content performance, and technical health.
• Work with Data and Analytics teams to develop robust SEO reporting using tools such as Google Search Console, GA4, Snowflake, Power BI, and other SEO platforms.
• Deliver regular performance insights and actionable recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Use data to prioritise initiatives and continuously refine the SEO roadmap.

Team, Partners & Capability Building

• Act as a hands-on SEO lead in the short term, delivering directly without reliance on a large team.
• Define the future SEO operating model, including in-house capabilities and external agency or specialist support.
• Manage SEO agencies, freelancers, and digital PR partners where required.
• Build SEO capability and awareness across Product, Content, UX, Technology, and Marketing teams.
• Support the evolution of a lean, scalable SEO function over time.

Compliance & Brand Trust

• Ensure all SEO activity aligns with gambling regulations, advertising standards, and responsible gambling requirements.
• Work closely with Legal, Compliance, and Responsible Gambling teams to ensure content accuracy and approval where necessary.
• Support the development of high-trust content that enhances brand credibility during regulatory transition.
• Proactively mitigate SEO-related regulatory, reputational, or customer protection risks.

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Required Experience

• Significant SEO experience, ideally in a senior in-house role within a competitive digital environment.
• Strong technical SEO expertise, including site architecture, migrations, structured data, crawl and indexation management, performance optimisation, and mobile-first SEO.
• Proven experience managing large-scale site migrations or platform rebuilds.
• Strong content SEO experience, including keyword strategy, content architecture, search intent mapping, and quality frameworks.
• Understanding of AI search, generative search experiences, and evolving organic discovery trends.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, UX, Content, Analytics, Marketing, and Compliance teams.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate SEO data into commercial insight.
• Experience managing agencies, budgets, tools, or external partners.
• Proficiency with tools such as Google Search Console, GA4, Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, Semrush, Botify, Lumar, Power BI, or equivalent platforms.
• Experience in gambling, gaming, financial services, travel, marketplaces, or other regulated/highly competitive sectors is highly desirable.

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Key Skills & Capabilities

• Strategic thinker with strong hands-on execution ability.
• Deep technical SEO expertise.
• Strong commercial awareness and prioritisation skills.
• Comfortable operating in a lean, fast-moving environment.
• Ability to influence Product and Technology decisions.
• Strong stakeholder management across technical and commercial teams.
• Data-driven, pragmatic, and outcome-focused approach.
• Clear and confident communicator with senior stakeholders.
• Curiosity and understanding of AI, automation, and the future of search.
• Ability to build long-term capability, not just manage day-to-day activity.

Apply for Head of SEO – Remote – UK or Hybrid – Malta. directly via Pentasia.

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