My Usual Process for SEO
It's up to you how far you want me to take this. If you've already run the audits and just need an SEO freelancer to implement the strategy, I can do that. If you want someone to establish where you stand, why, and what the plan is, that works too.
In most cases I start with a full audit, covering your site's technical health, your existing content and your competitors'. That includes a crawl for indexing and rendering issues, a review of your current rankings and backlink profile, and keyword research scoped against real search volume and difficulty rather than guesswork. The findings are written up as a clear SEO strategy, not a slide deck of recommendations you're left to interpret alone.
From there the work splits into three parts: technical fixes that make the site easy for search engines and AI crawlers to read, on-page and content work that targets the keywords worth targeting, and off-site work, principally link building and local citations, that builds the authority search engines weight so heavily. Everything is tracked against the audit's baseline, so progress is measured rather than assumed. I report on that progress on a set schedule, not only when you ask, so you are never left wondering what's happening with the campaign.
Technical SEO & Site Health
Search engines and AI crawlers alike need to be able to reach, render and understand your pages before anything else matters. I audit crawlability, indexation, page speed, Core Web Vitals and rendering issues such as content that only appears once JavaScript runs, then fix whatever is blocking you. Duplicate content, broken redirects and orphaned pages get cleaned up as part of the same pass. Structured data goes in wherever it is missing, since both Google and AI answer engines lean on it to understand what a page actually is.
Keyword & Competitor Research
Every strategy starts from real search data rather than a guess: search volume, keyword difficulty and the intent behind each query, benchmarked against what your competitors already rank for. That tells me which keywords are worth targeting now, which are worth building towards, and where there is a gap none of your competitors have filled. The research is written up in plain English, so you can see exactly why each keyword made the list and how it connects to what you actually sell.
On-Page Content & Metadata
Titles, meta descriptions, headings and body content all get optimised around the keywords the research surfaces, written for the person searching first and the algorithm second. Internal linking is restructured so authority flows to the pages that matter most, and thin or outdated pages get expanded or consolidated rather than left as they are. I write content that answers the question in full, which is also what makes a page more likely to be picked up in an AI-generated answer, not only ranked in the results.
Local SEO & Citations
For location-based searches, ranking depends on more than the website itself. Your Google Business Profile, local listings and citation consistency across directories all factor in. I audit and optimise the profile, build out consistent local citations, and clean up conflicting business information wherever it is holding you back in the map pack. Based in Bournemouth myself, I know the Dorset market first-hand, which helps when the goal is to be found by buyers searching for a business nearby rather than a national brand.
Link Building
Link building is white-hat only: no penalisation from search engines, no spammy traffic. Every campaign is built around an asset specific to the client rather than generic outreach. For a Dorset insurance broker, that meant turning an asset the business already owned into a link nobody else could copy, which produced over 800 genuine backlinks and helped take ROAS from just under 100% to 300% within three months. Read the full case study.
Tracking & Reporting
SEO only means something if you can see it working. I set up tracking through Google Analytics and Search Console, then report against the baseline the audit established: rankings, organic traffic and, most importantly, the leads and sales that traffic actually produces. Reports go out on a set schedule rather than only when asked for, so you always know whether the work is moving the numbers that matter, not just whether activity is happening.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimisation is the practice of improving a website so it ranks organically in search results, without paying for the position. It covers three broad areas: technical work that makes a site crawlable and fast, content and on-page work that matches what people are actually searching for, and off-site work, principally backlinks, that builds the authority search engines use to decide who to trust.
Done properly it's a long-term investment rather than a quick fix. Rankings built on real technical and content foundations tend to hold, where rankings built on shortcuts tend to get penalised the moment search engines catch up. That's why I'd recommend starting as early as possible and treating it as an ongoing part of how the business gets found, not a one-off project you tick off and forget.
How does AI change SEO?
Search isn't just ten blue links any more. Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini increasingly answer a query directly, citing a handful of sources rather than sending someone to a results page. A site that's technically sound and already ranks well has a real advantage here, since these systems lean heavily on sources they already trust, but ranking first doesn't guarantee you're the one named in the answer.
That's a separate discipline I call answer engine optimisation, or AEO: structured data, crawler access for AI bots and content written to be quoted rather than only clicked. I treat it as sitting alongside SEO rather than replacing it, since the two share a technical foundation and a site that is strong on one usually has a head start on the other. If AI visibility matters to your business as much as search rankings do, that's covered on the AEO services page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does SEO take to show results?
Technical fixes can show up within weeks, since search engines re-crawl and re-index fairly quickly once the blockers are removed. Content and link building take longer, typically three to six months, because both depend on search engines building trust in new pages and new links over time. The audit gives you a baseline on day one, so you can see what's moving and when.
Can you guarantee first page rankings?
No, and be wary of anyone who does. No one controls a search engine's algorithm, and guaranteeing a specific position for a specific keyword is not something any legitimate SEO consultant can promise. What I can do is show you ranking and traffic movement against the baseline the audit sets, on the keywords the research shows are worth targeting.
Do you offer SEO as a one-off project or an ongoing service?
Both. A technical audit and fix works well as a fixed-scope project, especially if your content and off-site work are already solid. Content and link building are ongoing by nature, since competitors are working on the same thing and rankings need maintaining once won. Pricing is scoped after the consultation call, which is free.
Do you only work with businesses in Bournemouth?
No. I'm based in Bournemouth, Dorset, and know the local market well, but the SEO and AI SEO work itself is location-independent: the technical audit, content, link building and reporting are all handled remotely, wherever the business is.
What's included in the free SEO proposal?
A review of where your site currently stands: the technical issues holding it back, the keywords you're missing that your competitors are winning, and a scoped plan for closing that gap. It's a genuine strategy document, not a sales pitch dressed up as one.