SEO Country Lead Job In Istanbul, Türkiye
Dec 22, 2025 • Farheen begum • Job Openings / Employment & HR Notices
Source:
LinkedIn
About the job
Job Description
Join the team redefining how the world experiences design.
Hello, hey, g'day, mabuhay, kia ora, 你好, hallo, vítejte!
Thanks for stopping by. We know job hunting can be a little time consuming and you're probably keen to find out what's on offer, so we'll get straight to the point.
As Canva scales, change continues to be part of our DNA, making each day exciting and dynamic. As part of this journey, we’re looking for a passionate SEO Country Lead to join our International SEO team and drive growth in Türkiye.
About The Role
As SEO Country Lead for Türkiye, you’ll build and scale a market-specific SEO strategy - not follow a global playbook, but create one tailored to your region. You’ll own the full SEO funnel across content, technical, and authority-building pillars, with a clear goal: help Canva reach 8–10% market penetration in the next 2–3 years.
You’ll be embedded in your local Country team, working closely with the Country Manager as a strategic growth partner, while also contributing to Canva’s global SEO engine via the Logged Out Experience (LOX) Group.
You’ll be supported by a global network - including Regional SEO Leads, Technical SEOs, Product Managers, and Content Specialists - plus Canva’s proprietary platforms and leading SEO tools. You’ll also partner with your International SEO Strategist for coaching, alignment, and capability building.
This role is perfect for a strategist-operator hybrid — someone just as comfortable auditing a site as influencing cross-functional priorities, mentoring local talent, and shaping how Canva grows internationally.
What you’ll do:
📊 Lead SEO Strategy in Türkiye
Own end-to-end SEO across technical, content, and authority pillars
Turn market insights into a high-impact roadmap aligned with Canva’s goals
Monitor performance, adapt to user shifts, and focus on high-ROI initiatives
Represent SEO as a strategic voice in country planning
👥 Build & Grow a Local SEO Team
Hire and lead SEO generalists, content creators, and outreach experts
Set clear goals, growth plans, and strong team rituals
Foster a culture of ownership, curiosity, and open collaboration
🌍 Be Canva’s Market Expert
Understand Türkiye's platforms, user behaviour, competitors, and trends
Use data and user insights to validate SEO opportunities
Shape the roadmap for Türkiye through competitive and market analysis
📝 Drive Content & Localisation Strategy
Partner with localisation and design teams to create culturally relevant content
Focus on high-impact categories through a mix of localisation and original content
Customise scalable systems (templates, internal linking, AI tools) for local needs
⚙️ Technical SEO & Link Building
Ensure strong SEO foundations: site speed, hreflang, mobile, structured data, etc.
Collaborate with the i18n tech SEO team to solve localised technical challenges
Set link-building goals and manage outreach and partnerships to improve authority
📈 Measure & Report Impact
Define KPIs that link SEO with business goals
Track sessions, signups, engagement, and visibility
Share insights openly - what’s working, what’s not, and how you'll adapt
🔍 Navigate the Future of Search
Stay on top of AI discovery trends: ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, etc.
Evaluate which channels (SEO, AI, social, etc.) drive the best ROI for your market
Test AI optimisation tactics for LLMs and share learnings with global teams
What we're looking for:
🌏 Turkish Market Expertise
Native Turkish speaker with business-level English
Deep understanding of local search habits and cultural context
Able to connect local insights to global business goals
Ideally based in Istanbul with some in-office time
🧠 Strategic Thinking & Market Insights
Able to assess markets and craft tailored strategies
Knows when to double down vs. pivot
Uses data and local insight to guide decisions
📈 Proven SEO Leadership
Led large SEO projects (500+ pages)
Strong across content, technical, and link-building SEO
Confident with tools like GA, GSC, SEMrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, Deepcrawl, Looker, etc.
🤝 Trusted Collaborator
Clear communicator who simplifies complexity
Builds trust and influences without formal authority
Comfortable embedding in cross-functional teams
Turns SEO work into business results leaders care about
🚀 Ownership Mindset
Acts like an owner, not just an executor
Takes initiative and solves problems proactively
Comfortable with autonomy and accountability
📊 Data-Driven Decision Maker
Strong with data analysis and storytelling
Builds reporting frameworks and SEO-aligned KPIs
Transparent about what’s working and what’s not
Thrives in fast-paced, scaling environments
Builds supportive, high-trust team cultures
🔮 Future-Focused & Adaptable
Curious about emerging discovery channels (AI search, LLMs, etc.)
Comfortable experimenting in ambiguity
Thinks beyond SEO — understands discoverability across platforms
Already testing Canva visibility in tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews
About The Team
At Canva, our mission is to empower everyone to design, on any platform. Since 2013, we've grown into one of the world’s fastest-growing startups - and we’re just getting started.
International is now Canva’s biggest growth engine. To reach our goal of 1 in 5 internet users each month, we’re shifting from English-led playbooks to truly local strategies.
The SEO group spans the globe with keyword researchers, technical SEO specialists, content specialists, copywriters, engineers, data analysts, designers, and operations specialists. As SEO Country Lead for Türkiye, you'll be part of the Logged Out Experience (LOX) Group and International Supergroup, working in a dual alignment model - embedded in your Country team locally while contributing to Central SEO globally.
Other Stuff To Know
Please submit your application & resume in English.
We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills and passion, as well as how you can enhance Canva and our culture. When you apply, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process.
Please note that interviews are predominantly conducted virtually.
We celebrate all types of skills and backgrounds at Canva so even if you don’t feel like your skills quite match what’s listed above - we still want to hear from you!
Check out lifeatcanva.com for more info.