Merkle is a leading data-driven customer experience management (CXM) company that specialises in the delivery of unique, personalised customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading non-profit organisations have partnered with Merkle to maximise the value of their customer portfolios.

The company’s heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive hyper-personalised marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in performance media, customer experience, customer relationship management, loyalty, and enterprise marketing technology drive improved marketing results and competitive advantage.

We're looking for individuals to join us in July 2022 - we're growing at a tremendous pace so need more hands on deck to keep servicing our ever-growing client portfolio. If you're a logical and intellectually-curious individual, we want to hear from you!

What is SEO marketing? SEO is Search Engine Optimisation; it’s the practice of improving a website to increase the number of visitors the site receives from search engines like Google. Sites that are poorly designed, irrelevant, or use black-hat techniques will be pushed lower in the list of results while high-quality and authoritative sites will rank higher. SEO specialists at Merkle identify opportunities on clients’ websites to improve how search engines find and rank them. Leveraging a combination of technical, creative, and troubleshooting skills, SEO specialists help ensure clients are visible online.

We welcome new joiners from all backgrounds; you can be freshly graduated, from an apprenticeship or relative work experience background or someone looking for a change of career. Following a comprehensive induction programme, our Junior Associates rapidly build a balanced portfolio of clients that vary by size and industry. We love analysing and identifying performance-boosting opportunities and working with clients to ensure they’re getting the most out of their SEO campaigns.

To learn more about our SEO role from one of our current Junior Associates you can read this blog - SEO Day In The Life Blog

Life as a SEO Marketing Associate at Merkle

-          Training. On day one, you’ll embark on a structured and comprehensive training programme to swot up on the core aspects of account management. Beyond that, you’ll be invited to forums, workshops and other events – we know it’s paramount to keep up with industry trends and developments, so the learning never stops!

-          Account Management. You’ll foster strong, professional relationships with your clients, keeping in regular contact with them through a variety of mediums. In partnership, you’ll work towards achieving the very best performance for their SEO. You'll be in charge of managing their websites or requirements and assessing their performance. 

-          Analysing the User. Your role is to help your clients website appeal to the right user or customer. You want to drive traffic to the right place so you need to put yourself in their shoes and know your clients ideal audience. We do this by identifying user needs, and making sure that when a user enters their need into a search engine, our client’s web page is the result they select. 

-          Growth. There’s a huge range of opportunities here at Merkle. You might want to become an ambassador for a particular area of SEO or be part of a cross-channel working group – whatever it is, we’ve got the willingness and the know-how to help you on your way!

-          Connections. We have excellent relationships with companies like Google and we’re often one of the first agencies in the UK to test brand new betas. Junior Associates attend events at Google and Bing to ensure they’ve got the latest knowledge to support in providing a top-notch service for our clients.

-         Happiness. It’s hard to overstate the importance we place on employee happiness. We want all our employees to enjoy coming to work in our offices (which we’re rather proud of!) and working in a super-friendly and supportive team. At Merkle, everyone has a voice and a part to play in driving the organisation forward.

We’re looking for analytical, logical and enthusiastic people who are comfortable managing their own time, able to effectively prioritise work and recognise problems and opportunities to seek support as necessary. Having a technical and analytical mind is key to being an exceptional SEO professional.

• Intellectual curiosity and ambition are personality traits we love; you also must be a great team player
• This is a fast-paced role and you will need to be an enthusiastic and well organised self-starter
• You must be able to work autonomously as well as within a team
• You must be articulate and confident in dealing with clients in a range of roles and organisations
• Strong written English is essential; you’ll be writing meta descriptions, communicating with clients via email and preparing reports
• You must be comfortable with spreadsheets and basic numeracy to be able to present information clearly and to reason your way through problems
• Keen problem-solving and trouble-shooting abilities; high level of accuracy and attention to detail
•  A fundamental understanding of how the internet works

Previous experience in our sector is a bonus, but certainly not necessary. We value in-depth research and plenty of passion! We expect that you’ll have really done your research into SEO; we absolutely need to see that you’ve read up on recent trends, are familiar with the industry and have nailed understanding the basic concepts. There’s so much to read online; hopefully once you start, you just want to keep reading!

We suggest you apply at your earliest convenience (make sure you’ve done your research!) as our roles are always very popular and do fill quickly. We hire on a first-come basis.

The Interview Process

Firstly, we suggest you apply at your earliest convenience (make sure you’ve done your research!) as our roles are always very popular and do fill quickly. We hire on a first-come basis.

In this position, you will be working with the SEO team so we will want to see a passion and enthusiasm for working with clients and helping our marketing campaigns run successfully. This interest can be showcased in your research and ability to go above and beyond when looking into this area.

· Application – When you apply you will be asked a couple of questions to showcase your interest in client service.

· Video Interview – If your application is successful you will be asked to complete a video interview (they sound scarier then they are, we promise!). The video interview is a chance for us to get to know more about you and your knowledge and recent research into Merkle.

· In Office Interview - If successful after a video interview then you would progress to the in-office interview (or live video interview if we are still working from home due to the pandemic). This is a chance for you to come to the office, meet us in person, learn more about the company and showcase your skills, passion and research in person.

· Final Interview – If you reach the final interview, you will meet more of the team and be able to showcase further why you are interested in this role and why you think you're suited to this position. 

Please note as part of our Diversity and Inclusion agenda, and as an Equal Opportunities employer, if you require reasonable adjustments during the selection process please let us know. We are here to help assist you to be able to complete the process to the best of your ability. 

Throughout the entire process we will be wanting to learn more about you as an individual (you’re interests, skills and understanding of the role), your passion for this area and the research you’ve done. Don’t focus on the nerves, make sure you come prepared and ensure you interview us as well! At the end of the day you’ll be with us 5 days a week, so you want to make sure its somewhere you want to work to.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Merkle, we believe that a diverse and inclusive environment improves us as a community and as a business. We want to foster an environment of growth, where ideas and contributions are actively encouraged. We need this culture of courage to continue to thrive in our fast-paced industry.

We have created six Diversity and Inclusion Pillars. Each pillar is made up of a community of members who serve as role models and spread a message of inclusion throughout our global workplace. Pillar members are responsible for planning initiatives, events and training, along with championing change within our business. These pillars are Gender, Ethnicity, Mental Health, Religion, Disability, LGBT+.

Merkle is a place that embraces differences of opinion. To be an advocate for real change we really encourage applications from women, candidates with disabilities and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as we recognise that these groups are currently underrepresented in our marketing/technology industry.

Merkle does not discriminate against job applicants on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Experience stipulated in this job description serves as a guide only and all applications will be considered on their merits, irrespective of experience.

As part of our Diversity and Inclusion agenda, and as an Equal Opportunities employer, if you require reasonable adjustments during the selection process please engage directly with your Recruiter.

A few of the benefits

Whether it’s the joy of working with people at the top of their game or the Merkle social calendar, people love working here – and we hope you will too

·       Career development through Merkle University and other tools; with access to courses, textbooks and mentorship

·       Private Medical Insurance, Company Pension, life insurance and other corporate benefits

·       A selection of other benefits including ability to buy additional holiday, season ticket loan and 2 volunteer days