I actually did a degree in zoology and started out working in government labs - Category 3 labs, no less (the ones used to handle hazardous pathogens). I was growing things like anthrax and tuberculosis, which was pretty intense stuff.

Then the world of rock and roll enticed me and I left all that behind to tour with my punk band, Phinius Gage. I wince at the name now, but that was the life for a while.

When we weren’t on the road, I needed to make money, so I got into sales. I was initially in telemarketing, which was brutal, but taught me a lot about selling. Eventually, I joined a friend working in magazine sales at Archant, which led to a job managing sales teams for Sussex Life.

The pivotal moment in my career was when someone from Archant’s head office came down to train us on selling digital products. I was instantly fascinated and I remember saying to him, “I want your job.”

A few months later, they advertised a role as his second-in-command, and I got it. I soon became the Digital Commercial Manager for half the country, working across titles like Air Gunner Weekly, Kent Life and Canal Boat Magazine.

My then-boss, Wayne Morgan, told me: “Once you’re in digital, you’ll never need to look for a job again.” And he was right.

Eventually, I moved to a local SEO agency as an account manager. I was the go-between for clients and the technical SEO team – or the “nerd gang,” as I affectionately called them. I loved it. I was relentlessly curious, constantly asking questions and learning from the experts around me.

At the agency, I became the manager of the content team and eventually oversaw the whole SEO team. But I had this itch to do it my own way, and that’s how 427 Marketing was born.

Initially, my goal was modest. I just wanted to go freelance and replace my salary. I told my wife, “That’s all we need.” Seven and a half years later, we’re a team of nine, with clients from all over the country.

I’ve always hated rigid routines and environments that don’t allow people be themselves. The idea of having a set number of days each year to do nice things always stressed me out. So I wanted to build a workplace that allowed for flexibility, creativity and trust.

At 427, we have unlimited holiday and no fixed working hours. It’s all task-based, so if someone wants to start at 6 a.m. and finish mid-afternoon, or take a two-hour break in the middle of the day, they can. It’s about outcomes, rather than clock-watching.

It is a lean operation with no gimmicks such as bean bags or a pool table. We’re based in Ringmer in a small four-person office, and we have shared space at Blue Sky at Shoreham Airport for meetings. Most of the team work remotely, with four of us in Sussex and others spread around the UK.

Being an employer is a real responsibility. You're accountable for people’s rent or mortgages. We prioritise financial sustainability and always, always pay staff on time. I posted on LinkedIn recently: “Do good work and be a good place to work.” That’s our ethos.

My first freelance client was a local tutoring business called Discover and Be. I helped them rank for terms like “English tutor Haywards Heath,” which was a lovely, steady start.

At the beginning, a lot of our clients came through personal contacts and word of mouth. Agencies I’d worked with in the past sometimes passed on smaller clients they couldn’t service profitably.

We’ve grown by mixing direct clients with white-label work for agencies. Some of them bring us in as their SEO partner because building an in-house SEO team would be far more expensive. Instead of one or two generalists, they get access to our full team of specialists.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing. During the first COVID lockdown, I went home and cried uncontrollably. I genuinely thought it would all fall apart. I can’t emphasise how much I relied on the support of Jack Stonehouse, our Technical SEO Director, at this time. We regrouped, stripped back and held steady. A few clients asked to pause work for a month but they quickly restarted. Remarkably, we grew during that period and even hired new team members.

Last year (2024) felt like the year we really started to take off. We were nominated for the Sussex Business Awards, shortlisted for the UK and European Search Awards, and even won a Stevie Award. It was very exciting to be getting noticed outside of our immediate network.

Our biggest principle is that every on the team genuinely gives a shit. There’s a lot of churn-and-burn in SEO where agencies lock clients in for six months, deliver vague work, and then move on. We’re not about that. We want long-term relationships where we become a true partner.

That also means staying in our lane. I’ve got a million ideas, but we focus on doing really good SEO. That includes local SEO, technical, content, and link building. We don’t use cookie-cutter templates. Every month is planned based on what’s happening now, not a rigid six-month plan that breaks the moment Google sneezes.

Managing expectations is probably the hardest part. We can’t just flip a switch; it’s a long-term growth strategy. That’s why we price based on sustainability, not quick returns. I always tell clients: your SEO invoice should be one you don’t mind paying each month because you trust the value you’re getting.

We’re proud to have long-term clients like The Drain Guys, who started with one van and are now launching a franchise. SEO should grow as your business grows.

SEO used to be a bit of a Wild West. When I first started, you could rank with shady tactics, and often it worked. That’s changed. You can’t game it anymore – and that’s a good thing. The user gets better results, and we build better websites because of it. Links still matter, especially high-quality, relevant ones. But SEO now is about building genuinely helpful, well-structured, trustworthy sites. Google and the other search engines are becoming more human. It’s about user intent. We’re right on the cusp of a major shift. Google’s dominance is still strong, but YouTube and TikTok are rising fast as search platforms. TikTok in particular is like the old Google – a bit wild, no real penalties yet. We’re exploring how to optimise for those spaces too.

We're also deep into testing. We run entire test websites filled with AI content on separate servers just to see what works and what breaks. We need to understand the limits, so our clients are always on the safe side.

Can you do SEO with AI? Sort of, but not properly. You might be able to use it to draft pages, but it’s the difference between a hand-built car and a mass-produced one. It might get you from A to B, but it’s not the same experience. We’re launching an AI Code of Conduct, so clients know exactly how we use it. We’ll never generate content verbatim. Instead, we use AI as a copilot. Jack, our technical director, builds bots to help automate repetitive tasks or support coding. We do use it for ideation as it is like having another person in the room to bounce ideas off.

But the real potential lies in data analysis. We’re exploring how to feed trend data into AI to spot patterns we can’t see with the naked eye. That’s adding value, not cutting corners.

Ranking used to be the only thing that mattered. Now, with personalised search, no two people see the same results. What matters is traffic and, more importantly, conversions.

We’ve seen SEO agencies brag about massive traffic spikes from blogs answering big, generic questions. But if those visitors never convert, it’s pointless. I'd rather get 30 visits and make 30 sales than 3,000 visits that do nothing.

It’s all about understanding intent. Someone searching for “how to print on plastic” probably isn’t looking to buy printing services. SEO needs to move beyond chasing traffic to chasing meaningful engagement.

If you’re just starting out in SEO, read everything. Sites like Search Engine Journal and Search Engine Land are great. Try and get hold of real websites you can practise on – ideally not your own.

Ignore the rubbish on YouTube. Most of those “SEO in 10 steps” videos are out of date and clickbaity. Focus on the content side. Learn by doing, make mistakes, and ask loads of questions. There’s no qualification, no gatekeeping. That’s the beauty of it.

I don’t listen to business podcasts or read marketing books. I just follow what feels right. I’m inspired by people who are authentic and kind, especially in business. NoFX, one of the biggest punk bands in the world, is a great example. They've built businesses on handshakes and looked after their people. You can be successful and do good. That’s the kind of business I want to run.