SEO Outreacher Japan (12 months contract)

About the Role

Link building is evolving fast : LLMs are changing how authority signals work and what earned placements yesterday might not work tomorrow. This role requires someone who can balance proven tactics with experimentation adapt quickly and think beyond just securing backlinks.

Youll build high-quality backlinks for priority landing pages in Japan while exploring brand mention opportunities. Youll report to both your Japan SEO Country Lead and the Global Outreach Lead executing local strategy while contributing to global coordination.

This role combines three things:

• Core link building execution: Research prospects write personalized outreach build relationships with Japan publishers and secure editorial placements all without paying for links. Youll negotiate creative value exchanges turn rejections into alternative opportunities and build a contact network that compounds over time.

• Cross-functional contribution: Stay connected to Japans community marketing partnerships and product teams. Spot where outreach can amplify their initiatives and where their work creates link opportunities. Support your SEO Country Lead with content optimization landing page improvements or urgent SEO tasks when needed.

• Innovation and knowledge sharing: Run experiments on tactics messaging and automation. Document what works (and what doesnt). Share findings with the global outreach team. Use AI tools to automate repetitive work and test faster. Contribute to making the entire team better.

What makes this different from typical outreach roles:

Youre not just executing a list handed to you. Youre expected to be proactive spotting opportunities proposing optimizations contributing to strategy discussions and solving problems resourcefully. Youll operate with significant autonomy while staying aligned to your SEO Country Leads priorities.

Success means delivering measurable authority growth that improves Canvas rankings and search visibility helping more local users discover Canva and contributing to the countrys market penetration goal.

What youll do (responsibilities)

Link Building Execution

Campaign planning and execution:

• Collaborate with your Country SEO Lead and Global Outreach Lead to identify priority landing pages and set backlink targets

• Research and build prospect lists using Canvas proven frameworks: guest posting resource page insertions broken link building and press releases. Focus on strategic outreach by creating original data-driven content and surveys to naturally earn backlinks while leveraging customer case studies to build authority

• Analyze competitor backlink profiles to uncover replicable opportunities

• Prioritize prospects based on relevance authority and likelihood of success

Outreach and relationship building:

• Write personalized culturally fluent outreach emails that resonate with Japan publishers and editors

• Manage end-to-end outreach workflows: initial contact follow-ups negotiation placement relationship maintenance

• Build authentic long-term relationships with website owners journalists and content creators

• Maintain detailed records of all outreach activity responses and outcomes in shared tracking systems

Quality assurance and reporting:

• Ensure all backlinks meet Canvas strict white-hat quality standards (relevant editorial on-topic placements)

• Monitor link placements for compliance indexation and longevity

• Report monthly on progress toward goals flagging risks or blockers proactively

• Contribute insights to monthly performance reviews with Country SEO Lead and Global Outreach Lead

Brand Mentions

Platform Engagement:

• Identify key platforms where our brand can gain beneficial recognition

• Create outreach initiatives that align with each platforms culture and standards

• Assess and record which mentions enhance visibility

Content Strategy:

• Explore how content is prioritized across various sources

• Work with relevant teams to find suitable content opportunities

• Monitor performance and share insights to refine our overall approach

Strategic SEO Support & Cross-Functional Integration

Supporting your Country SEO Lead:

• Support the Country SEO Lead with content optimization technical SEO tasks or strategic projects as needed

• Contribute insights from outreach campaigns (whats working competitor intel publisher feedback) to inform country SEO strategy

Country team integration:

• Stay connected to Japans community marketing partnerships and product teamsspotting backlink and brand mention opportunities from their initiatives (events campaigns launches partnerships)

• Proactively propose how outreach can amplify other teams work (e.g. turning community events into press coverage partnerships into co-marketing with backlinks)

AI-Powered Efficiency

Enhance productivity with AI:

• Utilize AI tools for tasks like research drafting communications and analyzing responses

• Develop workflows to automate routine activities such as data processing and report generation

• Explore new AI solutions and share successful practices with the team

Process improvement:

• Spot inefficiencies in workflows and suggest AI-driven improvements

• Record automation strategies and add them to the shared resources

Experimentation & Global Team Contribution

Run and document experiments:

• Design and execute A/B tests on outreach tactics: messaging angles email formats follow-up timing personalization techniques

• Test new link building tactics or platforms and document results

• Share experiment findings with the global team via written reports presentations or team workshops

Knowledge sharing:

• Contribute to monthly global outreach team syncs with insights learnings and questions

• Update the global outreach playbook with Japan-specific tactics templates or best practices

Qualifications :

What were looking for

Japan Market Expertise

• Native Japanese speaker with business-level English (to collaborate globally and access English-language resources)

• Deep understanding of Japan digital publishing landscape content creator ecosystem and outreach norms

• Ability to identify locally relevant opportunities that non-locals would miss

Relationship Building & Communication

• Positive enthusiastic and personable with excellent written communication skills

• Proven ability to build authentic trust-based relationships remotely

• Resilient in handling rejectionable to reframe conversations identify alternative value exchanges and negotiate win-win placements without paid links

• Skilled at tailoring messaging for different audiences (journalists bloggers YouTubers community moderators)

SEO or Marketing Experience

• 1-2 years experience in link building digital PR content marketing or related outreach-focused roles

• Basic understanding of how search engines work and what makes a high-quality backlink

• Familiarity with SEO tools (Ahrefs Google Search Console Screaming Frog) or willingness to learn quickly

• Experience in interviewing and writing case studies for link exchange purpose.

• Hands-on experience with CMS platforms for publishing/optimizing content.

AI Fluency & Technical Comfort

• Comfortable using AI tools for drafting research and analysis

• Basic understanding of how LLMs work

• Not afraid of learning new software

Attention to Detail & Process Discipline

• High attention to detailable to closely follow detailed written instructions and quality standards

• Organized and systematic in tracking outreach activity managing contacts and reporting progress

• Comfortable working within structured frameworks while proposing improvements

Ownership & Proactive Mindset

• You dont wait for instructionsyou propose optimizations identify opportunities and solve problems resourcefully

• Youre comfortable with autonomy and accountability

• You escalate strategically when blockers arise but default to solving problems yourself

Collaborative & Experimental Mindset

• Thrives in a highly collaborative environmentboth within the global SEO team and across country functions (marketing community PR)

• Excited to embed with non-SEO teams and spot opportunities where outreach expertise adds value

• Skilled at building trust across teams and making collaboration feel natural not forced

• Comfortable with experimentation iteration and occasional failure as part of the learning process

• Curious and growth-orientedalways looking for ways to improve your craft and support others

Strategic Thinking (Growing Capability)

• Ability to connect individual outreach campaigns to broader SEO goals

• Comfortable participating in strategy discussions and contributing ideas

• Willingness to step beyond pure execution and think about why not just how

Nice-to-Haves

• Previous link building or digital PR experience

• Experience creating content (blog posts infographics design assets) for outreach campaigns

• Familiarity with Japan-specific search engines or social platforms (e.g. Yahoo Bing Line local forums)

• Basic design skills or comfort using Canva to create outreach assets

• Experience with CRM (Pitchbox BuzzStream)

• Active participation in Japan SEO marketing or content creator communities

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time