SEO Generalist - Arabic

Overview

Join Canva in redefining the global design experience. This position is a 12-month fixed-term contract (full-time) with the possibility of extension, based in Dubai with hybrid work flexibility. You'll be embedded within the MENA region's Organic Growth specialty and International Supergroup teams, focusing primarily on GCC and Egypt markets.

Role Focus and Responsibilities

As an Arabic SEO Generalist, you will contribute across core SEO tasks including content creation, localized research, link building campaigns, performance tracking, and reporting. The role offers a great opportunity for early-career SEO professionals aiming to develop technical skills and strategic capabilities, while working closely with regional and global SEO colleagues.

Key Duties

• Identify and reach out to high-authority websites, publishers, and partners within the Arabic/MENA digital landscape to secure backlinks and brand mentions aligned with Canva's ethical standards.
• Manage campaigns to acquire citations in AI answer engines by securing placements on influential sources frequently referenced by AI models.
• Recover unlinked brand mentions and target listings on directories and reference pages such as Arabic Wikipedia that affect AI answers.
• Monitor frequency and manner of Canva mentions in AI search results for critical Arabic queries, and relay insights to content and outreach planning.
• Compile prospect lists using proven frameworks including guest posts, resource page insertions, and broken-link strategies.
• Analyze competitors’ backlink and AI citation profiles to identify replicable link-building opportunities.
• Prioritize prospects based on relevance, domain authority, potential success probability, and citation impact.
• Maintain detailed documentation and track all campaigns, link quality, AI mentions, and SEO performance metrics for stakeholder reporting.
• Ensure all activities comply with white-hat SEO practices and Canva's quality guidelines.
• Support content creation, optimization, and publishing for key landing pages and blogs in Arabic using local insights and SEO tools.
• Collaborate with country SEO leads and cross-functional teams including marketing, community, partnerships, and product to enhance brand visibility and organic growth.
• Leverage AI tools and emerging SEO trends in outreach workflows for scalability and impact enhancement.
• Experiment continuously with outreach tactics, messaging, platforms, and automation to optimize results and lead industry innovation.
• Share knowledge and best practices across local and global teams to foster continuous improvement.
• Apply a user-centric approach to improve search-to-conversion experiences and propose innovative ideas to enhance Arabic user engagement with Canva.

Candidate Profile

• Native Arabic speaker with a sound grasp of regional dialects and business-proficient English.
• Experience in link building, digital PR, content marketing, or similar outreach-focused SEO roles with solid foundational knowledge.
• Ability to build genuine relationships with publishers, creators, and partners.
• Excellent communication skills, adept at tailoring messages to diverse audiences.
• Highly detail-oriented, data-driven, and organized, with the ability to manage multiple outreach programs simultaneously.
• Experience working with CMS platforms and structured content briefs.
• Familiarity with SEO tools such as Ahrefs, Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, and/or outreach platforms like Pitchbox or BuzzStream.
• A growth mindset, eager to learn, accept feedback, and continuously enhance skills.
• Proactive in identifying user experience improvements and challenging current SEO approaches.
• Quick learner of new software and comfortable utilizing AI tools for research, content drafting, and analysis; basic knowledge of large language models is advantageous.
• Thrives in collaborative, cross-functional global teams.
• Passionate about experimenting with new outreach strategies and leveraging AI to maximize impact.
• Experience in producing content or assets that support outreach initiatives.
• Knowledgeable about Arabic/MENA search engines, social platforms, communities, and networks.

Additional Information

This role operates on a 12-month fixed-term contract basis with full-time working hours. Candidates should be prepared to attend virtual interviews conducted in English. Canva welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds and encourages candidates who may not meet every qualification but have passion for the role to apply. Applicants are encouraged to share pronouns and any reasonable accommodations needed during the recruitment process.