Job Description
About Frankster
Frankster is an Australian men's shorts brand launched in January 2024. We are a direct-to-consumer e-commerce brand built on Shopify, based in Melbourne.
We make one thing — men's shorts — and we make them bloody good.
Since launching we have grown rapidly: over 2,000 five-star reviews, media coverage in 7News, News.com.au, and Men's Health, and organic rankings in positions 1–5 for several target keywords. We have a clear brand voice, a strong product, and a loyal customer base.
We are now at a stage where we need expert SEO support to take our organic search to the next level. We are not looking for someone to run a generic audit and disappear — we want a long-term SEO partner who can execute a content-led, technically sound growth strategy alongside our small internal team.
What We’re Looking For
We want to hire a senior freelance SEO specialist — not the cheapest option, but the best fit. You should have proven experience with e-commerce SEO, ideally in fashion, lifestyle, or DTC brands in the Australian market (though international experience is welcome).
We follow the SEO philosophy of Kai Cromwell. You should be familiar with his approach and genuinely aligned with it — not just ticking a box.
Kai Cromwell’s profiles: LinkedIn • YouTube
Scope of Work
The engagement is weighted as follows: 60% On-Page SEO, 30% Off-Page / Link Building, 10% Technical SEO.
1. Technical SEO — Foundation Only
We are not looking for an endless list of technical improvements. We want clean fundamentals:
- Conduct a focused technical audit for crawlability, indexing, and site speed issues
- Ensure Core Web Vitals are passing
- Verify structured data / schema markup is correctly implemented
- Identify any critical issues — and fix them. Not just flag them.
2. On-Page SEO — Deep Work Required
This is our primary focus. We need a specialist who can build and execute a content and collection page strategy that drives bottom-of-funnel traffic.
Part A: Collection Page Optimisation
- Audit all existing collection pages and identify keyword targeting gaps and cannibalisation issues
- Create or restructure sub-collections around longtail keywords (e.g. men’s chino shorts, men’s lounge shorts, men’s cargo shorts, etc.)
- Products should be able to exist in multiple collections without harming site architecture
- Add 10–25 words of keyword-rich introductory copy above each product grid
- Add 300–400 words of supporting editorial content below each product grid
- Use clear H2s and H3s with semantic keyword variations throughout
- Add 3–5 buyer-focused FAQs per key collection page with FAQ schema markup
- Monitor Google Search Console for high-impression / low-CTR opportunities and iterate accordingly
- Refresh collection content on a 4–6 week cycle to maintain freshness signals
Part B: Blog / Content Strategy
We have a talented in-house writer who publishes genuine, human-written blog content on a fortnightly cadence. The SEO expert’s role here is not to write the blogs, but to act as the strategic director for the content programme. This means:
- Providing topic recommendations based on keyword research and search intent
- Specifying target primary and secondary keywords for each article
- Recommending ideal article length and structure (H2s, H3s, FAQ sections)
- Specifying which internal links to include and where they should point
- Content type priorities for the blog programme:
Versus / comparison articles (honest comparisons between us and competitors)
- Competitor alternative articles (targeting people who’ve rejected a competitor and are looking for options)
- ‘Best for...’ guides tailored to specific use cases (e.g. best shorts for Aussie summers, best shorts for the golf course)
- Solution alternative content (targeting people actively searching for something different)
Tone: educational but brand-building. Every article should move the reader closer to buying — not just inform passively.
Part C: Internal Linking Strategy
- We want a clean, purchase-focused internal linking hierarchy:
Top-of-funnel blog posts link down to mid-funnel and collection pages. Never back upward.
- Mid-funnel blog posts link down to collection pages only.
- Collection pages link laterally to related collections. Never upward to blogs.
Golden rule: every internal link should move the user closer to checkout, not away from it.
3. Off-Page SEO — White-Hat Only
- Audit our existing backlink profile and disavow any toxic or spammy links
- Support the acquisition of high-quality, natural backlinks through brand mentions and content marketing
- Support a paid link acquisition strategy using platforms such as WhitePress — help us identify, evaluate, and purchase high-quality paid placements on relevant, authoritative sites. Experience with WhitePress or similar platforms (e.g. LinkHouse, Adsy) is a strong plus.
- Absolutely no PBNs, no manipulative link schemes of any kind — quality and relevance are non-negotiable
Pre-Application Diagnostic Question
We have a specific issue we want you to investigate and respond to as part of your application. This is not a trick — it’s a genuine problem we’re trying to solve, and we want to see how you think.
The issue: Our most important collection page is frankster.com.au/collections/all-shorts. This is our main ‘men’s shorts’ collection page, with an H1 of “Men’s Shorts”. Almost all our internal links point to this page. However, this is the page that ranks worst for the keyword ‘men’s shorts’ — and in some cases, a different page on our site appears in Google results instead. Why might this be happening, and what specifically would you do to fix it?
Please provide a concise but specific diagnostic in your application. We are not looking for a full audit — just a clear demonstration that you understand what’s likely going on and how you’d approach resolving it. This will be a key factor in how we evaluate applications.
Requirements
- Strong, genuine alignment with Kai Cromwell’s SEO principles -Proven experience with Shopify e-commerce SEO
- Experience in fashion, lifestyle, DTC, or similar product-led brands
- Ability to deliver clear action plans — not just audits or theoretical advice
- Demonstrated success with content-led, brand-driven SEO strategies
- Fluent written and spoken English
- Strong case studies showing long-term organic growth for comparable brands
To Apply, Please Provide
- 2–3 examples of e-commerce or DTC brands you’ve helped grow organically, with results
- A short explanation of your SEO philosophy and how it aligns with Google’s 2024–2025 direction
- Confirmation you understand the On-Page structure priorities outlined in this brief
- Your response to the diagnostic question above
What We Offer
- A genuine long-term partnership with a fast-growing Australian brand
- Creative freedom within a clear strategic framework
- A brand with a strong product, a clear identity, and real media coverage to build from
- A founder who is actively involved in SEO and will make decisions quickly
Important
Only applications via Upwork will be considered. If you reach out via our website, social media or otherwise, your message will be marked as spam immediately.
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