Ewan Kennedy

It means that I won’t rip you off by ‘selling snake oil’ (deceptive marketing). That may sound blunt but that’s one of the commonest fears I need to address from people who’ve had their fingers burnt and don’t know if they can trust their next provider.

Before we decide to work together, I’ll have done enough research about your small or medium sized business to decide where or whether I can add value. If I don’t think I can add value, I’ll tell you and politely decline to provide services.

With varying degrees of success (!) at keeping fit physically as well as mentally, my work is punctuated most days by visits to the gym where I do group fitness classes with my lovely wife, Dee, work out in the gym or test my lungs with 50 or 60 lengths in the pool.

Why my clients usually hang around for years

I’m trustworthy. I keep my clients’ interests uppermost in my mind. I set things up and run them in a way which won’t stop working if I ‘go under a bus’. I’m quite good at not going under buses though.

I’m effective. I know what matters and what doesn’t. We agree those things first so that we don’t start out on a fool’s errand. Pursuing top rankings for a short list of obvious keywords is one such fool’s errand.

I’m accountable. I measure and report all the most important performance metrics so that we know how well your website marketing is working and how much of a difference I’m making.

I’m flexible. I adapt my service to my clients’ requirements. SEO has prerequisites such as analytics tracking, conversion measurement and reporting systems. If those are not already in place, I set them up from scratch as part of the service. I also sometimes help with tasks not entirely within the usual SEO and Google Ads remit. Doing so fosters loyalty and trust.

I’m a team player. I enjoy getting to know my clients and their businesses. Helping them and working together towards a common goal is very rewarding

I’m proactive. My clients quickly learn they will receive an update from me about the same time every month and that they never have to chase me for information. I know how difficult digital marketing can be for some of my clients to understand so I make the effort to explain to them what I’m doing, why I’m doing it and what the benefits to them should be. I submit recommendations on an ongoing basis for continuous improvement.

I’m your dedicated resource. You’ll only have to deal with me. I have no team here in my home office so I do everything.

I’m experienced. I’ve been around the block a few times. Prior to SEO, I filled many roles in diverse sectors (software, oil, retail FMCG, electronics, audiovisual systems) at different levels from the bottom to the top. That experience often provides me with an insightful understanding of my clients’ businesses and the challenges they’re facing. I may have faced the same challenges myself.

What I love about SEO and Google Ads

I tell people it is not a job because it doesn’t feel like work. It’s more like a gripping novel that can’t be put down – a fascinating subject which allows me to help people by doing something I enjoy.

It provides independence. My boss is me (though I still argue with him) and I can provide services anywhere in the world with my laptop and a wi-fi connection.

I love learning about new developments and how to apply them for the benefit of my clients. That keeps the ‘grey matter’ working because it’s such a fast-moving subject.

How I got into SEO

In early 2007, I lost my job as CEO of one of the UK’s largest audiovisual systems integrators. I had just bought a new house. I was at a crossroads in my career and needed to decide whether to re-enter the corporate world or change tack.

To be frank, I’d had a bellyful of corporate life and boardroom politics, so I very quickly decided I was going to start a business of my own though I had no idea what kind of business. I researched some wildly different possibilities at the same time as redecorating my new home and whipping the garden into shape.

A few months later, an email about an SEO and PPC company for sale arrived in my inbox. What’s one of those, I wondered? I was an accountant by training and new nothing about website marketing.

Undaunted by my lack of knowledge and experience, I researched the subject, became hooked and set about learning this mysterious new art which is now a mature marketing science. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. I spent about 8 months researching the subject full time before taking on my first client. I’ve never been short of work.

My Aim

My aim is to help my clients attain their digital marketing goals by providing them with advantages over their competition.

Important lessons I’ve learned

Your SEO is only as good as your business and your website. If your business is struggling or you haven’t invested in your website, no amount of SEO will fix it.

There must be clear, agreed expectations from the outset about objectives, timescales and what success will look like.

You must be willing to persevere. SEO is not about quick fixes. I have compared SEO campaigns to get fit programs. You wouldn’t expect to get fit by going to the gym once or twice. Running an SEO campaign for a month or two in the hope of short-term gains is just as naïve.

Aim for the highest quality in every aspect of your digital marketing to achieve your goals and better serve your customers.

Carefully consider Google’s advice about SEO and Google Ads – but don’t follow it blindly.

Why some engagements might have gone better

Unrealistic expectations. It can happen that expectations are not met because clients are intent on achieving the wrong thing. SEO does not start and end with a short list of keyword rankings. More valuable goals include conversions, leads, sales, return on ad spend (ROAS) and cost per conversion. If they’re not being tracked and reported, it’s impossible to judge whether your website is doing what it was built for (or whether your SEO is working).

Expectations may also not be met if clients have unrealistic perceptions of timescales. I don’t have a magic wand. I can’t get you to number 1 in Google after two months for every keyword you think is important (but might not be).

Quality. Some clients resist adopting best practice SEO or Google Ads despite clear guidance from Google and me. Continuing with low quality SEO practices is likely to result in disappointment. They may have observed some of their successful competitors’ SEO tactics and not understood that they are doing well in spite of poor tactics rather than because of them.

Client availability. Clients need to play their part. I’m often dependent on them for responding to my emails, approval of my recommendations or actioning something themselves. If they’re too busy, it can delay progress.

Before AdJuice

My final role before founding AdJuice was CEO of the UK’s leading audiovisual systems integrator and before that CFO of the same company. I qualified as a CIMA accountant in my twenties after graduating in Mathematics at Southampton University.

I’ve always loved the outdoors so, in my youth, I was usually running, swimming, playing rugby or on my bike. I won Essex County 1500m championships a couple of times at 15 years old. I completed a few Parkruns after being inspired by my sister Fiona who broke the British 5 mile road race record for her age category in 2013. I was thoroughly enjoying those until injury got in the way but am hoping to resume in 2024!

Thanks for reading this far.

If you think we might work well together, please contact me.