SEO Specialist - Korea

About the Group/Team

The International SEO team sits at the intersection of the Growth SuperGroup and the International SuperGroup. It plays a critical role in helping users across the globe discover Canva through search. We work across markets, languages, and content surfaces — from templates to landing pages — driving both top-of-funnel growth and long-term user value. Our team thrives on combining craft excellence with systems thinking, making SEO a force multiplier for international impact. 

About the Role/Specialty

As an SEO Generalist for South Korea, you'll contribute to core aspects of SEO — from hands-on content creation and localized research to running link building campaigns, all the way to performance monitoring and reporting. A key focus will be building Canva's presence on Naver's unique ecosystem, alongside maintaining and growing canva.com/ko_kr/.

You'll collaborate closely with the SEO Country Lead and the SEO Content Editor to produce high-quality, search-optimized content that meets Korean user needs and aligns with global strategies. This role is ideal for someone early in their SEO journey who's looking to develop strong technical foundations, grow their strategic thinking, and build toward increased ownership and leadership over time.

What you’ll do (responsibilities)

Content Creation & Optimization

• Support the creation, optimisation, and publication of SEO-driven content for Canva's key landing pages and blog posts.
• Use local insights, keyword research (including Naver Keyword Tool), and SEO tools to identify content opportunities that drive traffic, visibility, and engagement across priority pages.
• Localize key English website pages to ensure strong rankings for the canva.com/ko_kr subfolder on both Google and Naver.

Outreach & Link Building

• Support Canva in identifying relevant external websites and partners for link-building opportunities and conduct outreach using tailored messaging aligned with Canva’s brand and ethical standards.
• Maintain accurate documentation and tracking of campaigns, link quality, and SEO performance metrics, and communicate results to relevant Canva stakeholders.
• Ensure all SEO activities adhere strictly to white-hat link-building practices and Canva’s quality guidelines.

User Experience & Innovation

• Bring a user-first perspective to SEO initiatives, proactively identifying opportunities to improve the search-to-conversion experience for Korean users.
• Propose creative solutions and fresh ideas that enhance how Korean users discover and engage with Canva — including across Naver surfaces.
• Stay up to date with Korean cultural, social, and digital trends across a wide range of topics to ensure content remains locally relevant.
• Question existing approaches constructively and suggest improvements based on user behavior observations.

Navigating the Evolution of Search & Discovery

• Stay curious about emerging search and discovery trends in your market—including how users find information through AI-powered platforms (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews, etc.)
• Understand where traditional SEO drives value versus where new channels and approaches may be more effective in your country
• Stay up to date on GEO/AEO evolutions and next-generation optimization techniques
• Be open to experimenting with new content formats and optimization approaches as the search landscape evolves
• Share observations and learnings about how users in your market discover content, contributing to our global understanding of emerging trends

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Canva's internal team, including marketers, designers, product manager, SEO Content Editor and the SEO Country Lead, to align on tone, messaging, goals, and brand standards.
• Monitor local search trends on both Google and Naver, track competitor activity, and analyse user behaviour to surface actionable insights that inform Canva's ongoing content and outreach strategy in South Korea.

Strategic Collaboration

• Partner with your SEO Lead to prioritize and deliver on weekly and monthly goals.
• Collaborate with peers in similar markets to share insights and strengthen international best practices.
• Communicate progress, blockers, and learnings clearly across teams.
• Support South Korea core team initiatives, contributing ideas to maximize marketing and branding campaigns and partnerships.
• Actively share insights and learnings — especially fresh perspectives on Korean user needs and Naver-specific market trends.

AI-Powered Efficiency

• Utilize AI tools for tasks like research, drafting communications, and more.
• Develop workflows to automate routine activities.
• Explore new AI solutions and share successful practices with the team.
• Spot inefficiencies in workflows and suggest AI-driven improvements.
• Record automation strategies and add them to shared resources.

 

What we're looking for

Core Requirements:

• Native-level fluency in Korean and strong English communication skills.
• Technically strong writing skills with a flair for either structured or creative style — excellent grasp of Korean linguistic nuances.
• Basic understanding of SEO principles, content, and link building best practices — including familiarity with how Naver's algorithm and ecosystem differ from Google.
• Experience with CMS platforms and comfort working with structured briefs.
• Familiarity with SEO tools (e.g., Ahrefs, Google Search Console, Naver Keyword Tool, ScreamingFrog) is a plus.

Working Style:

• Curious and eager to learn through hands-on experience.
• Reliable and detail-oriented with strong writing skills — high attention to detail to catch typos, grammatical lapses, and the different nuances of requested topics.
• Comfortable asking questions and seeking feedback.
• Thrives in collaborative environments and takes initiative.
• Proactive in identifying user experience improvements and sharing ideas, even as you're learning.
• Brings fresh perspectives and isn't afraid to constructively challenge existing approaches.
• Trend-sensitive — stays up to date with the latest cultural, social, and digital trends across a wide range of topics in South Korea.

Growth Mindset:

• Open to mentorship and constructive feedback.
• Interested in growing strategic thinking over time.
• Enthusiastic about joining a team with global impact.

Future-Oriented & Adaptable Mindset

• Curiosity about emerging channels: You're actively interested in how discovery is evolving—including AI search, LLMs, social search, and new platforms—and you're eager to learn
• Comfort with ambiguity: You can experiment with new approaches (like content formatting for AI-generated answers) even when best practices are still being established
• Channel-agnostic thinking: You understand that "SEO" increasingly means "discoverability"—whether through traditional search engines, AI tools, social platforms, or channels yet to emerge
• Data-driven adaptability: You can objectively assess what's working and adjust your approach based on performance and market signals
• Early adopter energy: You're the type of person who's already exploring how Canva appears in new discovery channels, bringing insights and ideas rather than waiting for direction

Bonus:

• Prior experience writing for digital or SEO content.
• Prior experience with SEO content creation on Naver properties (Blog, Cafe, KnowledgeIN, etc.).
• Familiarity with Naver's algorithm, ranking factors, and SERP behaviour.
• Experience using Naver analytics tools to measure and optimise content performance.
• Experience with Naver content promotion and distribution strategies.
• Experience collaborating with Korean influencers or Power Bloggers for authentic, high-traffic backlinks.
• Experience creating content for Naver video platforms such as Naver Clip and TV.
• Understanding of local digital content or user behavior trends in South Korea.

What You'll Learn and How You'll Develop

• Develop content SEO fundamentals through real-world application — across both Google and Naver.
• Learn international best practices and how to localize them for the Korean market.
• Grow your ability to analyze search data and user behavior across multiple search engines.
• Work closely with global SEO experts to build strategic thinking.
• Build deep expertise in Naver's content ecosystem — a uniquely valuable skill for the Korean market.
• Build a strong foundation for long-term growth in content and organic search.

The A-Player Standard

We're setting a high bar—because International is becoming Canva's biggest growth driver, and we need exceptional people driving it.

What "A-Player" means in this role:

• Strategic thinker: You define what should be done and why (not just execute)
• Relationship builder: You make collaboration easy and productive
• Problem solver: You're resourceful and resilient when challenges arise
• Data-driven: You use insights to drive decisions and demonstrate impact
• Ownership mindset: You act like it's your business, not just your job

Growth-oriented: You're constantly learning, adapting, and improving