I've spent 19,667 hours doing SEO.
Hereās how I'm doing it in 2026:
(most teams waste 6-12 months before figuring this out, but here are 7 quick shortcuts for ya)
1. Start with "should I even do SEO?"
I run a "Total Addressable Search Market" audit before touching strategy. If there isn't real search demand or a revenue opportunity, SEO is the wrong channel.
I've seen companies skip this and burn 6 months of their marketing budget just to find out.
2. Customers before tools
I do customer research before keyword research. Feedback from 100+ customers, interviews, surveys, sales team, customer success team...
This surfaces the exact language, pain points, and insights. THEN you find the keywords.
Keyword tools support strategy, they don't drive it.
3. Flip the content funnel
I start at conversion:
- Competitor comparisons
- Alternatives pages
- Use case pages
- Buyer guides
- Reviews
Traffic graphs look smaller, but revenue graphs look MUCH bigger. I know which I prefer...
4. Optimise for retrieval and training data
There are 2 ways AI platforms mention you:
- Learnt about you during training
- Retrieved you live from search
I get featured in industry publications, podcasts, sources that AI platforms train on... And keep ranking.
5. Build free tools
- Pick a customer problem
- Build a tool that solves it
- Add a CTA to your paid product
Still the cleanest play I know for capturing high intent traffic and an instant path to conversion.
6. Be everywhere
Buyers use 3+ platforms now. They might:
- Read a LinkedIn post
- See you in ChatGPT
- Search alternatives on Reddit
- Research reviews on G2
- Google your brand later
I make sure to be present across these platforms.
Youād be surprised how much one piece of long-form content can be repurposed.
7. Focus on 'information gain'
AI commoditised average content.
The bar for ranking and getting cited is publishing original data, real experience, and a real POV.
If you're regurgitating, you're not gonna make it.
I'm closing in on 20,000 hours of SEO.
The more I learn, the more I realise that despite all the noise the fundamentals really don't change much.