Frequently asked questions

That depends on what you need help with. Some businesses bring me in to audit their website or develop an SEO strategy for their existing team to implement. Others want me to manage the entire program.

With managed SEO, I handle the strategy and ongoing SEO work, including technical improvements, content planning and authority building. I also coordinate specialist copywriters or developers when the work calls for them.

Both can work well. It comes down to the level of support you need and who you want to deal with.

I've worked in agencies, so I know there are good teams doing good work. The difference with working directly with me as an SEO freelancer is that I'm the person developing your strategy and doing the SEO work. You won't have to explain your business to a new account manager every few months. If the project needs additional specialists, I'll organise and manage that work.

Yes, if there's enough relevant search demand and the strategy targets the right opportunities.

For example, ranking for a question that attracts thousands of visitors isn't necessarily as useful as ranking for a service someone is ready to enquire about. I look at where potential customers are searching and which opportunities are likely to contribute to enquiries or sales. The technical work and content strategy follow from there.

My background in data science has a big influence on how I approach SEO. I spend a lot of time looking at the commercial opportunity behind a recommendation before deciding whether it's worth pursuing.

I also built LeadSight because I wanted a better way to connect SEO activity with the enquiries and revenue it generates. That information helps me make decisions about where to focus the work as a campaign progresses.

I handle the SEO work myself, but I work with trusted specialists when a project needs additional expertise. That includes copywriters, developers, designers and digital PR professionals I've built working relationships with over the years. I brief and manage their work to make sure it supports the SEO strategy. For managed SEO clients, the agreed specialist work is included in the monthly retainer, and I'm still your main point of contact throughout.

Not at all. Most business owners have enough on their plate without learning the technical side of SEO. I'll explain what I'm recommending and why I think it's worth doing. If something needs your input or approval, I'll make that clear. You should be able to understand what you're paying for without having to learn SEO terminology.

For managed SEO, we'll have a monthly reporting call to review progress and discuss the work ahead. You can also contact me directly between meetings if something comes up. There's no separate account manager you need to go through.

Not usually. It depends on your website and what needs changing. Some improvements can be made directly through your content management system. Others need a developer, particularly when they involve site functionality or more complex technical issues. If development work is required, I'll explain what's needed and coordinate the implementation.

It depends on your starting point and how competitive your market is. Some technical improvements can have an effect relatively quickly. Building rankings for competitive services generally takes longer, especially if your website is new or competing against established businesses. I'll assess your site before recommending a program and explain what I think is realistic. I wouldn't expect you to commit based on a guaranteed timeline.

I use LeadSight, attribution software I developed to connect marketing enquiries with actual sales. For service businesses, someone might find you through Google but not become a paying customer until weeks later. Standard website analytics doesn't always show that connection. LeadSight helps track enquiries through to closed deals, so we can look at attributed revenue alongside the usual SEO performance data. The level of detail available depends on how enquiries and sales are recorded.

You'll hear it from me before you have to ask. Sometimes a page takes longer to gain traction than expected. Other times the search opportunity isn't as valuable as the initial research suggested, or something on the website is affecting conversions. I'll review the evidence and explain what I think needs changing. There's no benefit in continuing with an activity simply because it was part of the original plan.

I don't have a standard price that applies to every business. The cost depends on what your website needs and how much work is involved. A business with an established website in a relatively small market will have different requirements from one competing nationally. I'll review your site and discuss your goals before quoting. You'll know the monthly cost and what's included before agreeing to anything.

No. Retainers run month to month. SEO usually needs a reasonable period of consistent work before you can properly assess the results. I'll discuss the likely timeframe with you before we start so you know what you're committing to.

For managed SEO, the specialist work included in your agreed program is covered by the monthly retainer. That can include copywriting, development or digital PR, depending on what the strategy requires. We'll agree on the scope upfront, so you know what's covered.

Yes. People still use Google to find businesses, and many of the things that make a website useful in traditional search are relevant to AI search as well. What's changing is how people research their options. Some questions are now answered directly by AI tools, while others lead people to compare businesses without visiting as many websites. I consider both traditional search demand and AI visibility when developing an SEO strategy, particularly where they influence how potential customers discover and evaluate your business.

There's no guaranteed way to get an AI tool to recommend your business. I start by looking at how clearly your website explains what you offer and whether that information is consistent with what other sources say about you.

Relevant independent coverage can also help establish your business's presence beyond its own website. Structured data may help search engines interpret certain information, but it doesn't guarantee an AI recommendation. The aim is to improve how easily your business can be found and understood across the sources these systems may use.

To a degree, yes. I can track how often your business appears for a selected group of relevant prompts and compare that with competing businesses. It's also useful to look at how your business is described and which sources the tools reference. The limitation is that AI responses can change between searches. Prompt tracking gives us an indication of visibility, but it isn't a complete measure of everything potential customers see.

Yes. Local SEO can be particularly useful when people regularly search for your service in a specific area. For many businesses, that means improving their Google Business Profile and making sure their website has useful pages for the services they provide. I'd also look at who you're competing with locally and where there's a realistic opportunity to improve your visibility.

I'll assess whether the existing website can support what we're trying to achieve before recommending a rebuild. A lot of SEO problems can be fixed without starting again. If the platform or site structure is genuinely limiting what we can do, I'll explain the issue and what a rebuild would involve. I wouldn't recommend replacing a website unless there's a good reason for the investment.

Yes. I'm Melbourne-based and work with businesses across Australia and internationally. Most meetings and project work happen remotely, although I'm happy to meet in person when it's practical.