Aaron Rudman-Hawkins

I LOVED speaking brightonSEO and I bumped into many amazing people (I'll do an appreciation post and will tag everyone) but for this post I wanted to share resources. QUERY COUNTING DECK - https://lnkd.in/ePWKAVb5 QUERY COUNTING WEBINAR https://lnkd.in/eST3kq5y Here's the long and thick of why query counting works and how it can help you: 1. It gives you a VISUAL representation of a pages weighting by the volume of queries it is served for over time 2. It allows you to see what trajectory a page / group of pages / domain is heading in 3. It gives you a much better way of interpreting whether the things you are DOING are having the intended effect 4. It's easier to ascertain whether clicks are lost to either content DEVALUATION or SLIPPAGE - devaluation being worse, slippage being easier to recover from in most instances It's the same process I've used over and over again for our assets, clients etc. It's how I've ranked for SEO consultant, SEO Audits, Play Blackjack Online, No Deposit Bonus, Online Pharmacy, Secured Loans and loads of high competition queries. LEARN IT - It honestly will help you with your SEO endeavours. Are you query counting already? if so leave a comment let me know your thoughts or if you have any questions. PS whoever the guy is with that awesome t-shirt, someone tag him so I can buy him a beer 😂 #seo

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GIVEN HOW IMPORTANT LINKS ARE (Internal / ANCHORS) getting your anchor profile in-line with the target page content is VERY IMPORTANT. Links fundamentally join the web, making new content discoverable and therefore remain of critical importance. Subsequently, making sure your internal link structure isn't pigshit is also important. In this video I show you how to build a FULL anchor map for your website in MINUTES 📺 https://lnkd.in/eAS68z_e Things to keep in mind: 1. Low internal link counts effectively reduce the perceived value of content In MOST cases, people publish content and as such, only 1-2 internal links are created to new content. No content should have less than 5 internal links. Internal link counts SHOULD be inversely proportional to the size of the domain to prevent skewing of link equity. 2. Anchors are important because they act like the spine of a book in a library and ultimately an anchor can influence a click / be used in the determination of a click. 3. Anchor consistency and relevance is absolutely important. So, inconsistent internal linking with anchors can impact document assessment - whilst content itself is assessed, the relationship between documents isn't just content based, its link based too. 4. External anchors and internal anchors should have a strong relevant/topical affinity So, keeping anchors well aligned is generally best. 5. There are no perfect ratios for anchors, generally mixing relevant lead queries from search console data and or overall article title as a full anchor is good In nearly EVERY anchor map I do during an audit, I find inconsistencies, misalignment even the same anchors being used across multiple pages (non generic). Watch the video Use this sheet Google sheet is here: https://lnkd.in/eiFF-dqQ Off you go.

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Link building doesn’t work anymore! That’s what I see so many "SEO's" say... "Can you believe your agency buys links" "How to know if your agency is buying links" "Can you still believe SEO's still pay for links" Half of these people, haven't ranked anything... Just saying. Most have corporate SEO roles with massive brands that carry a ton of authority already. But for the average business, acquiring link DOES still work. Better than ever. This page was stuck. Buried. We built one high-quality, relevant niche edit at the end of May. 📈 It jumped to Page 2. One link. Not 100. Not some fancy AI hack. Just relevance, quality, and strategy. 🚫 Don’t waste money on poor links. 💡 Use that cash to barter for real links in your space. The ones that make Google pay attention. Links still work. If your page isn’t moving, maybe you don’t have a content problem. Maybe you just have a no-authority problem.

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The SEO WORLD is suffering Whilst So many are playing with AI prompt tracking and adding no real value to client reporting - many are leaving their SEO strategies wide open to click loss. NOT because they're not doing a good job (although this can be the case) but because Google has been DECIMATING CTR with AI Overviews, Extended SERP Features and of course, the enhanced blending of PAID ads with organic + extended ad space. All of these things together have been brutal on CTR. Based on a 100 site analysis here is what I found: ✅ Site's that GAINED rankings often saw click losses between 10%-30% over the last year (EVEN on brand clicks) ✅ CTR degredation averaged 25% despite many of the sites seeing a positive uplift in visibility (increased query counts and serving) and more overall prominence. ✅ Sites with a larger click share of blogs often saw the greatest click losses with CTR for informational / advice / guidance queries dropping by an average of 50% in the last year despite maintaining rankings The simple fact is: 👉 Blending of sponsored results has increased the number of users who typically scrolled past them to click on more of them 👉 Sponsored results are now larger in respect of features shown and required scroll depth to get past them 👉 In many searches, the combination of this and AI Overviews meant that the FIRST true organic #1 was at least 50% of the entire scroll depth of the page 👉 AI Overviews, whilst they have improved in respect of linking - the probability of a click is still LOWER than traditional SERPS Whilst all of this is happening we have to consider: 1. The AI / LLM tracking hype - whilst YES, it is something to pay attention to, organic search volumes and transaction / revenue potential is still significantly higher from organic over AI / LLM / Conversational search at this point 2. SEO viability remains HIGH despite this - however, it does mean EACH CLICK is getting harder to get, therefore the focus should be on PUSHING hard on conversion optimisation, engagement optimisation and building brand + visitor loyalty Who knows how search will look in a year. Welcome to SEO in 2026 - the year where SEOs genuinely need to do good work to get positive ROI and visibility growth for clients #seo #seo2026

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New article live over on the PPC Live blog! 📍 Local Services Ads: The Ultimate Guide to Getting Guaranteed by Google📍 For service-based business, LSAs are massively underutilised. Ads sit at the very top of search results alongside the Google Map pack, are "pay-per lead" (not per click), offer direct contact methods customers love, and feature the coveted “Google Guaranteed” badge that instantly builds trust with potential customers. I share my setup secrets and optimisation best-practices with Anu Adegbola, plus: ✨ Which businesses are eligible for Local Services Ads? ✨ Nailing the setup process ✨ Optimisation tips ✨ How to run alongside traditional Search ads Happy reading! (from the comments, obvs)

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Tons of gold nuggets in the newly released "State of SEO in 2025" Probably no person on earth has a better grasp of the SEO Industry than Glen Allsopp - and he brings the receipts to prove it • Only 18% of 490 “Digital Goliath” sites (Hearst, Vox, etc.) grew search traffic year-over-year • Yet, 55 % of 670 startups tracked by Gaps saw organic gains Tons more insights on SEO tools, conferences, jobs, salaries, trends, ranking factors, core updates, link building, penalties, case studies and more. Report: https://lnkd.in/gRurvtpK

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Your agency's positioning is currently a buffet. A bit of brand. A pinch of PPC. A ladle of ‘we also do…’ Everything's laid out so prospects can pick and mix. You’re hoping the more you serve, the more they’ll scoff. But clients aren’t hungry for loads of half-baked options. They want a signature dish; that thing only you can deliver. Or they want a tasting menu; an end-to-end journey guided by your genius. So stop cooking for everyone. And become the place they queue for. #marketingagency #creativeagency #digitalagency #advertisingagency #agency

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Would your PPC strategy work in a zero-click world? There’s only ONE way to find out... Full recording is in the comments 👇 Real sessions. Real takeaways. Zero fluff. Here's what else you will learn: 📌 Recognising opportunities and expanding paid media 📌 10 PPC power plays you can steal today 📌 Search is changing. How to adapt your strategy 📌 Predicting product performance with PMax + Search 📌 Winning in a zero-click world 📌 Breaking silos and scaling performance creative 📌 Using cultural moments to sharpen campaigns 📌 Keeping campaigns sharp under pressure 📌 B2B lead gen: tactics, traps & triumphs 📌 Future-proofing your role in paid search 📌 Maximising the impact of CSS 📌 What B2B demand gen looks like in 2026+ 📌 Social + PPC: multi-channel attribution Got any questions? Feel free to shoot me a message. If you want to get the full experience of SEM Stories, and see what the buzz is all about, then save the date: 14 May 2026 Edinburgh, Scotland #ppc #googleads #sem

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Don’t create targeted content that speaks about your clients’ burning problem. Don’t optimise your LinkedIn profile so it sells your stuff for you. Don’t make your offer easy to buy. Don’t run workshops where you get paid to be in the room with your ideal clients. Don’t found a private community where you can work with clients at scale. Keep letting your fear hold you back. I’d hate to see your coaching business reach its full potential.

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There’s been plenty of chatter in SEO this week. From Google warnings to AI disagreements, here are some headlines you shouldn’t miss. On today’s agenda: ➔ Google says login pages could hurt rankings ➔ YMYL expands to cover election and civic content ➔ Sitemap uploads don’t guarantee immediate crawls ➔ ChatGPT vs Google AI: 62% brand disagreement Swipe to catch up. — Found this useful? Please like and share ♻

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🚀 Want to Boost Your SME's Online Presence? 🚀 Are you tired of feeling like your small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) is getting lost in the digital noise? 🤔 Do you struggle to maintain a consistent online presence and engage with your target audience? 📊 Our latest guide reveals the secret to overcoming these challenges: SEO & Marketing Automation 💻✨. By combining these two powerful strategies, SMEs can: ✨ Simplify processes with minimal investment ✨ Enhance customer engagement with personalised experiences ✨ Drive eCommerce growth and boost conversion rates ✨ Make data-driven decisions to refine SEO strategies Imagine having more time to focus on high-level strategy, while automation handles research, scheduling, and tracking 📈. Our infographic provides a comprehensive guide to getting started, including: ✅ Recommended tools and platforms (HubSpot, Marketo, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and more) ✅ Implementation strategies for maximum ROI ✅ Real-world success stories from businesses just like yours Want to learn more? Visit our website to get in touch and start transforming your SME's online presence today! 📚👉  #SMEMarketing #MarketingAutomation #SEOStrategy

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Nobody cares who you like working with. Yet, agencies keep saying stuff like: “We love working with ambitious brands.” “We’re passionate about scaling eCommerce businesses.” “We enjoy partnering with charities and not for profits.” So what? Your clients are not here to validate your preferences. They want to know what you can do for them. STANDSTILL agencies make their positioning about themselves. They talk about their passions, their processes, their ideal client. It’s all me, me, me. STANDOUT agencies flip the script. They don’t waste a second telling clients who they like working with. They focus on: The pain you solve The outcomes you deliver The competitive advantage you bring No fluff. No filler. Just value. Instead of: “We love working with DTC brands.” Try: “We cut DTC brands’ CAC by 30%+ in 90 days.” Instead of: “We’re passionate about B2B lead gen.” Try: “We helped a B2B SaaS 5x their inbound pipeline.” It’s not about you. It’s about them. STANDSTILL agencies talk about their preferences. STANDOUT agencies talk about their proof.

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I cannot believe what a speaker said at brightonSEO today. Don't fake EEAT, despite recommending you to do so on the main stage! I haven't seen the talk, but apparently it was a complete step by step guide on how to fake EEAT to cheat the algo. If you don't have experts for your content here are some things you can do: 1- Use Featured to ask for quotes - this platform connects blogs with real experts to leave you quotes on your articles. Some of them are also writers and can write for you. 2- For example, search for "nutritionist expert" with [journal name] - these nutritionists have writing experience, academic papers experience and tons of mentions and publications under their belt. 3- You need real doctors? visits sites like topdoctors, bestdoctors, zocdoc and similar sites listing doctors. Chances are they want to write for you and look for visibility (otherwise they wouldn't pay those aggregators). 4- You need lawyers? Use the same aggregators for lawyers. Make connections and let them publish on your site. For every category of experts, there are many aggregators, news and publications where these pros hang on. There is no need to fake EEAT - especially when Google specifically said that bios are not that important anyway. What matters are experts' reputations, you can't fake those.

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