How we work
Design before build
Every engagement follows the same discipline: understand the structure, draw the plan, then build it right. Here's how that works in practice.
The problem
Why SEO programs stall
Most stalled SEO programs share one problem: the work started before anyone agreed on what was wrong. Teams chase the latest ranking drop, agencies produce whatever is easiest to produce, and leadership can't see how any of it connects to revenue.
Our approach borrows from architecture. We survey the site before drawing plans, draw plans before anything is built and stay involved until the structure holds. It's slower in week one and much faster by month six.
Evaluate, Lead, Deliver
Three stages, one standard
01 · Evaluate
Know where you stand
We start with how search engines and AI assistants see your site, where competitors are winning and what your team can realistically ship. Every evaluation ends in a clear diagnosis.
02 · Lead
Direct the program
With the plan in place, we set priorities, direct the work and report to leadership. Fractional or interim leadership puts one owner on search; managed SEO hands us the whole program.
Fractional · Interim · Managed SEO Services · Interim Agency Leadership
03 · Deliver
Build it right
When the work needs doing, we do it: technical fixes, migrations, GEO, and white-label work for agencies, held to the same standard as the plan.
Technical SEO · SEO Migrations · GEO Services · White-Label Delivery
Anatomy of a plan
What's inside every plan
- Where you standA baseline across search, AI answers and competitors.
- What's holding you backThe causes behind the numbers, ranked by impact.
- Prioritized fixesThe work in order, with effort and expected return.
- Who does what, by whenOwners, timing and the measures that show it's working.
Engagement timeline
From first call to first win
- Day 0Intro call
Thirty minutes with Max to understand the problem.
- Week 1Kickoff
Goals, access and the people involved.
- Weeks 2–4Evaluate
Audit, interviews and analysis.
- Week 5 onwardLead or deliver
The plan goes to work, with early fixes first.
Principles
How we hold ourselves to it
- Led by Max, start to finish. He scopes the work, leads it and signs off on it. Nothing gets handed down to a junior team.
- No ramp-up. Patterns from years of programs, applied from the first week.
- Plain reporting. What moved, why it moved and what's next, in plain English.
- Your team keeps the plan. Everything we build is documented so your team can run it without us.
FAQ
Questions about how we work
Do we have to start with an audit?
Not always. If you have a recent audit or a clear diagnosis, we'll build from it. We just won't build on guesses.
Can you work alongside our agency?
Yes. We often direct and review agency work, and we'll be candid if something isn't working.
How do you report progress?
Monthly reports on rankings, traffic, AI visibility, and the leads and revenue search drives, with quarterly reviews against the plan.
What if we already know what needs doing?
That's fine. If the problem is already clear, we can start in Deliver. We'll still confirm priorities before we build.
Next step
Start with a conversation
Thirty minutes with Max to talk through what's going on and where we'd start.
- Tell us what's going onIt takes about two minutes.
- Talk with MaxA 30-minute call with Max to dig into the details.
- Get a clear next stepA short written recommendation, whether or not we work together.