Results That Speak
Not just theory—here's what actually happens when you build for discoverability.
Organic Traffic
Projects I've worked on typically see 3-5x organic traffic growth within 6 months
User Engagement
Focus on search intent leads to 40-60% higher time-on-page and lower bounce rates
Conversion Quality
Users who find projects through search convert 2-3x better than other channels
Making Things Findable My SEO Playbook
Building something amazing is just the beginning. Here's how I make sure the right people actually discover and use what you've created — without the fluff, without the snake oil.
“Great products that nobody finds are just expensive hobbies.”
Who This SEO Playbook Is For
This isn't for everyone. If you want to game the system with black-hat tricks or buy your way to the top, you're in the wrong place. This is for people who built something useful and want to make sure the right people can actually find it.
Developers
You built something cool but nobody's finding it. You want to understand SEO without the marketing fluff.
Founders
Bootstrapping means every marketing dollar counts. You need organic growth that actually scales.
Product Builders
You have something useful but discoverability is the bottleneck. Time to fix that.
What You'll Learn
A roadmap for making your project discoverable. Not theory — actual process, tactics, and examples you can apply immediately.
The Strategy
- Search-first thinking and why it matters
- Finding opportunities others miss
- Understanding search intent (the WHY behind searches)
- Building SEO into projects from day one
The Execution
- My 4-step SEO process (Discovery → Foundation → Content → Distribution)
- Technical SEO basics that actually move the needle
- Content that ranks (and converts)
- Using AI to compress weeks of work into hours
My SEO Philosophy: Three Core Principles
Everything I do comes back to these three ideas. They're not revolutionary — they're just what works when you stop chasing algorithms and start serving humans.
Search-First Strategy
I don't just optimize for Google—I think about how people actually search for solutions. What words do they use when they're frustrated? What questions do they ask?
Key Tactics:
- Keyword research that focuses on user intent, not just volume — finding the 'why' behind the search
- Content that directly answers real questions people are asking right now
- Technical SEO that improves user experience (page speed, mobile-friendly, clear structure)
Problem-Solution Fit
The best SEO in the world won't help if you're solving the wrong problem. I start with understanding who needs what you've built and why.
Key Tactics:
- User research to understand actual pain points — not assumptions
- Content that speaks to specific use cases and real-world scenarios
- Landing pages that directly connect problems to solutions
Growth Through Value
Sustainable growth comes from being genuinely helpful. I focus on creating content and experiences that people actually want to share.
Key Tactics:
- Educational content that teaches something useful, not just selling
- Tools and resources that provide immediate value (even if they don't convert immediately)
- Community building around shared problems and solutions
How I Do SEO: A 4-Step Process
This isn't a one-time fix — it's a repeatable system I use for every project. Skip steps at your own risk (I've learned this the hard way).
Discovery
Understanding who needs your project, how they search, and what opportunities exist
- User interviews to uncover real pain points and language
- Search behavior analysis — what do people type when they're stuck?
- Competitor gap analysis — what are they missing?
- Intent mapping — informational vs. navigational vs. transactional
Foundation
Building the technical and content structure that makes search engines happy
- Technical SEO audit (crawlability, indexability, site speed)
- Site architecture planning — how pages connect and flow
- Content strategy based on actual search demand
- Performance optimization (Core Web Vitals, mobile, accessibility)
Content
Creating content that ranks because it actually answers what people are looking for
- Problem-focused blog posts that match search intent
- Use case documentation for real scenarios
- Tutorial and guide content for 'how to' searches
- FAQ pages that capture long-tail question queries
Distribution
Getting your content in front of the right people so it can earn authority
- Strategic link building from relevant, quality sources
- Community engagement where your audience actually hangs out
- Social proof development (reviews, testimonials, case studies)
- Partnership and collaboration opportunities
SEO Mistakes I See People Make Repeatedly
Learn from other people's expensive failures so you don't have to repeat them. (I've made most of these myself — you're welcome.)
Chasing volume instead of intent
Fix: 10,000 monthly searches means nothing if those people don't want what you offer. Focus on relevance first.
Publishing thin, generic content
Fix: If you can't say something useful or original, don't publish. AI can write generic — you need to add actual value.
Ignoring technical SEO
Fix: Great content on a slow, broken site won't rank. Fix the foundation before building the house.
Expecting overnight results
Fix: SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. If you need traffic tomorrow, buy ads. SEO is for building sustainable growth.
Copying competitors instead of finding gaps
Fix: If everyone's covering the same topics, find what they're missing. That's where the opportunity is.
Treating AI content as a finished product
Fix: AI is a starting point, not the end. Edit, verify, add human insight, and make it actually useful.
Quick Reality Check
SEO isn't magic. It won't fix a bad product. It won't make a niche tool mass-market. It won't happen overnight. But if you've built something genuinely useful, SEO is the difference between 100 users and 10,000.
The Toolkit (Tools Change, Principles Don't)
I use whatever gets the job done — sometimes that's enterprise tools, sometimes that's scripts I cobbled together with AI at 2am because apparently "just rank higher" isn't a valid SEO strategy (believe me, I've tried asking).
For Data & Technical Stuff
Analytics platforms, crawling tools, site speed audits — anything that tells me what's actually happening instead of what we think is happening. The numbers usually have opinions of their own.
For Understanding Humans
User research, behavior analysis, figuring out what people actually type into search boxes when they're frustrated at 11pm. (Spoiler: it's rarely the polite version.)
The AI wildcard: These days I'm using AI to compress weeks of research into hours — finding patterns in obscure forums, testing strategies at scale, and generally doing things that would've gotten me laughed at in 2019. (Okay, people still laugh, but now I have data to back it up.)
Questions People Actually Ask Me About SEO
No jargon, no upsell, no "book a call to learn more." Just straight answers to the questions I get asked repeatedly.
How long does SEO take to work?
Honest answer: 3-6 months to see meaningful traction. You might get lucky sooner, but anyone promising page one in 30 days is lying. SEO compounds — month 6 is way better than month 3, and month 12 makes month 6 look like a trial run.
Do I need to hire an SEO agency?
Maybe. Agencies are great if you have budget and need hands-on execution. But a lot of what they do can be learned and systematized — especially with AI tools now. The real value is in strategy, not rote tasks.
What's the difference between technical SEO and content SEO?
Technical SEO: Making sure search engines can crawl, understand, and index your site (site speed, structure, sitemaps, etc.). Content SEO: Creating pages that actually rank and answer what people are searching for. You need both.
How do I do keyword research in 2025?
Forget keyword volume — focus on intent. What problems are people trying to solve? What questions are they asking? Use forums (Reddit, niche communities), actual search suggestions, and AI to find patterns. Then create content that actually answers.
Does AI content rank well?
AI-generated content can rank — but only if it provides actual value. Google cares about helpfulness, not who wrote it. The secret sauce is human expertise guiding AI output, plus editing and adding real insights that AI can't fake.
What's the one SEO thing I should do first?
Make sure your site actually works. Speed, mobile-friendliness, clear navigation — if the basics are broken, nothing else matters. After that, figure out what your audience actually searches for and create content that answers that.
How often should I publish content for SEO?
Quality beats quantity every time. One genuinely helpful post per month beats four fluff pieces nobody reads. Publish when you have something valuable to say, not because a calendar says you must.
Do backlinks still matter?
Yes, but quality matters way more than quantity. One link from a relevant, authoritative site is worth 100 spammy directory links. Focus on creating stuff people actually want to link to.
What is search intent and why does it matter?
Search intent is the WHY behind a search. Is someone looking to learn something (informational), buy something (transactional), or find a specific site (navigational)? Match your content to the intent or Google won't rank you. Period.
Should I optimize for Bing or other search engines?
Google has ~90% market share. Optimize for Google first. The good news: what works for Google usually works for others too. Bing actually gives more detailed search analytics if you're into that kind of thing.
The 2-Minute Version
1. Figure out who you're helping and what problems they actually have.Not what you assume. Not what you wish. What's real.
2. Make sure your site doesn't suck. Fast, mobile-friendly, clear structure. If the foundation's broken, nothing else matters.
3. Create content that answers real questions. Not "content" for content's sake. Stuff that actually helps.
4. Get it in front of people who care. Communities, partnerships, places where your audience already hangs out.
5. Wait. Iterate. Repeat. SEO compounds. Month 6 is better than month 3. Month 12 makes month 6 look like a trial run.