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Search Engine Optimization
January 18, 2020
If you’re searching for SEO services in Jacksonville, you’ve probably noticed the problem. There are a lot of agencies, and most of them sound identical. With 30 plus companies advertising SEO locally, choosing the right partner quickly turns into a guessing game.
This page is here to reduce that guesswork. I’m not going to sell you secret sauce, guaranteed rankings, or a vague monthly retainer that produces activity without outcomes. I’m going to explain what SEO looks like now, what still works, and how I can realistically help as a consultant or embedded SEO specialist.
Quick clarity: I am not a full service SEO agency. I work as a consultant and contract specialist. That usually means audits, roadmaps, strategy, and hands on execution where it matters most — without layers of agency overhead.
Opinion: Artificial Intelligence and Search Engine Optimization
Search is changing fast. Google is showing AI Overviews for many queries, and it has been expanding AI Mode, which shifts more searches toward answers that appear before a user ever clicks a website.
The biggest practical impact is fewer clicks. Seer Interactive published CTR research showing large declines when AI Overviews appear, and broader CTR decline even when Overviews do not show.
If you’ve felt like organic traffic does not hit like it used to, you’re not crazy. The game is shifting. The good news is SEO still works. The bad news is lazy SEO is getting filtered out.
My stance: AI is not killing SEO. AI is changing where SEO delivers value. The goal is not just rankings. The goal is qualified leads, booked calls, and brand demand.
A Note on “AI Marketing Companies,” AEO, and the “SEO Is Dead” Pitch
A new wave of AI marketing companies has been cropping up, often rebranding around AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), AI first marketing, or post SEO growth strategies. Some sell themselves by claiming a client cut their SEO budget entirely after switching approaches.
That framing is misleading at best.
AEO and AI visibility are not replacements for SEO. They are extensions of it. AI systems still depend on the same fundamentals SEO has always been built on: crawlable content, clear structure, internal linking, authoritative pages, and content that satisfies intent.
AI does not magically discover information. It synthesizes and prioritizes information that already exists on the web. If your site is not accessible, understandable, and credible, you do not get surfaced, cited, or chosen.
In plain terms, AEO is SEO principles applied to a different interface. You are still earning visibility by being the best answer and by making that answer easy for machines and humans to trust.
When someone claims they eliminated SEO, one of three things is usually true:
- The work got rebranded under a different name
- The company is riding short term demand
- The risk has not shown up yet
Google has also tightened spam policies against practices that try to scale low value content or borrow trust. If someone is pitching shortcuts, your site is the one that carries the risk.
Use the tabs below to explore my experience, approach, and practical guidance for companies that want durable growth, not hype:
Experience (My Journey)
I started in SEO in a high pressure environment where organic traffic was not a nice to have. It was a revenue engine. That foundation shaped how I work today: focus on what moves the needle, document what you change, measure outcomes, and avoid tactics that create hidden risk.
Over time, I moved from enterprise e-commerce into agency support and in house roles across healthcare, education, and service businesses. That mix matters because it forces you to learn the whole ecosystem: technical constraints, content operations, compliance, stakeholders, timelines, and what it takes to actually ship improvements.
I am not a full service SEO agency. I work as a consultant and embedded specialist. That means strategy plus execution without paying for layers of account management. It also means honesty when the right move is to consolidate, simplify, or stop chasing a keyword that will never convert.
How I typically help
- Audits and prioritization that translate into a buildable roadmap
- Content strategy based on intent, not keyword stuffing
- Internal linking systems that support crawl plus conversion paths
- Local visibility tied to calls, directions, and leads
- On page optimization tied to outcomes, not checklists
Local SEO
Local SEO is demand capture at the moment a person is ready to call, book, visit, or request a quote. It is not just map visibility. It is relevance, trust, and clarity working together.
Key elements of my local SEO approach
- Google Business Profile optimization with accurate categories, services, photos, updates, and Q and A
- Keyword and intent research focused on local modifiers and service based search behavior
- On page SEO for titles, headings, internal links, and locally aligned copy
- NAP consistency across citations and directory listings to avoid trust conflicts
- Review strategy that increases volume ethically and improves response quality
- Mobile UX because most local searches are mobile and lead driven
- Local link earning through partnerships, community involvement, and content worth referencing
- Local content that answers questions your customers ask before they call
- Schema where it improves clarity for search engines and users
- Tracking using analytics and Search Console so decisions are data driven
Local SEO is an ongoing process. If local rankings look decent but leads are weak, the issue is often offer clarity, messaging, page experience, or conversion paths, not just rankings.
National SEO
Let me be transparent. Aside from experience working at Fanatics, I have not worked in a global or international SEO environment since 2016. Much has changed since then. While many tactics from local and national SEO translate into international SEO, there are international specific tactics I have not had the opportunity to learn yet.
With that in mind, I can still support and grow a national SEO campaign. My approach is to crawl and review the technical implementation of your website so it is fully accessible to crawlers and aligned with best practices. I map intent across the funnel, then build and optimize content to drive qualified traffic that converts.
Data is critical in a national campaign. I dive into analytics to uncover trends, opportunities, and low hanging fruit that can create meaningful improvements without guessing.
A national campaign might include
- Technical SEO audit and prioritized roadmap
- Keyword research and mapping to assign one job to each page
- Content optimization with internal linking, titles, meta, copy updates, and schema where appropriate
- Local SEO support when local intent overlaps with national visibility goals
- Penalty and risk recovery by identifying issues and implementing corrective action
- Deep analysis of user behavior and traffic quality to guide decisions
Website Optimization
Ever been on a site that crawled and you hopped off in frustration? In the mobile age of the internet, website performance and user experience matter. Website speed can impact user satisfaction, conversion rate, and search visibility. Tools like PageSpeed Insights can help you identify issues, but the real goal is improving the experience the user actually feels.
Why performance optimization matters
- User experience: faster pages reduce friction and increase engagement
- Search visibility: performance and stability support crawl efficiency and page experience signals
- Mobile reality: many users are on weaker connections and smaller devices
- Reduced bounce: slow pages lose impatient visitors
Practical optimization areas I focus on
- Image optimization and modern formats where appropriate
- Reducing render delays by deferring non essential scripts
- Caching and asset reuse to speed repeat visits
- Eliminating layout shifts by stabilizing media and font loading
- Reducing third party bloat that slows the main thread
- Server and hosting improvements when infrastructure is the bottleneck
- Monitoring so performance stays strong after changes
Content Marketing
Content marketing is the strategic process of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience and drive profitable actions.
SEO research is the proxy for demand
Keyword research, competitor analysis, and market trends tell you what customers are searching for. That demand cannot be met without content. Content marketing fulfills that demand with language, topics, and structure that match intent.
SEO demands backlinks, content marketing earns them
Backlinks from credible sites still matter, but the way you pursue them matters. Instead of buying links or using spammy tactics, strong content attracts links naturally because it is useful, credible, and worth citing.
SEO demands technical optimization, content needs great UX
Technical SEO helps your content get discovered. But even the most technically optimized site falls short if the content does not help users. The best results come from combining technical clarity with content that actually solves problems.
SEO demands consistent output, content marketing requires consistency
Organic growth is rarely one and done. Publishing, updating, consolidating, and improving content over time is what builds a durable content library that compounds.
Case Studies
I can provide references connected to the examples below when appropriate. The information shared in my case studies is typically pulled from analytics platforms such as Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics.
SEO Case Study #1: Fanatics.com
- Supported year over year organic traffic and revenue growth on a high volume e-commerce site
- Helped maintain performance during peak season coverage with fast operational execution
- Contributed to organic as a primary revenue and traffic driver during my tenure
SEO Case Study #2: ePackagingResource.com
- Drove significant year over year organic traffic growth early in the engagement
- Improved engagement by aligning copy with intent and rewriting on page content
- Moved relevant keywords from no visibility into meaningful positions through on page optimization and content work
SEO Case Study #3: LakeviewHealth.com and SteppingStoneRecovery.com
As the solo SEO strategist with a limited content budget and minimal vendor support, I focused on technical recovery and content strategy after a problematic migration and rebuild. The work included cleanup, consolidation, internal linking, performance improvements, and a shift toward a more organized content strategy.
How I approached the recovery
- Research and discovery
- Backlink profile review and toxic link mitigation
- Large scale redirect and 404 cleanup
- Site structure improvements to reduce click depth
- Content consolidation to reduce cannibalization
- Internal linking systems aligned with a keyword map
- Performance improvements in collaboration with developers
- Shift toward hub and spoke content organization
SEO Agency Red Flags
If you are looking for SEO services in Jacksonville, buyer beware. Agencies can take advantage of companies that do not understand what to ask for. Knowing common red flags reduces risk and helps you choose a partner who is accountable.
- No real case studies: claims without measurable baselines and outcomes are marketing, not proof
- Guaranteed rankings: nobody controls the SERP, and guarantees are usually a sales tactic
- Thin staffing: agencies selling SEO without experienced practitioners on staff
- Vanity awards: awards and badges used as proof instead of results
- Buzzword overload: if they cannot explain the plan in plain English, that is a problem
- Backlink schemes: paid link networks and shortcuts that put your domain at risk
- SEO experts: credible SEOs stay humble because the system changes constantly
SEO vs. SEM
Businesses often treat this as a choice: SEO or SEM. In reality, the strongest strategies use both.
The SEM frenzy
PPC can drive immediate traffic and clear ROI signals. But it is also a constant spend. If the budget stops, the lead flow often stops.
The SEO flywheel
SEO is slower to start, but it compounds. A strong library of content, built around intent and quality, can produce sustainable returns over time.
Striking a balance
Use SEM to learn fast and validate what converts. Use SEO to scale winners into durable pages, topic clusters, and higher margin growth.
AI & SEO
Many people view AI as a threat to SEO. I believe it can be a tool that improves SEO workflows when used responsibly. AI can help with research, pattern detection, drafting, and analysis, but it does not replace strategy, judgment, or accountability.
Where AI can help
- Keyword research and analysis including long tail patterns and intent clusters
- Content drafting with human review and editing for accuracy and originality
- Content optimization suggestions for structure, clarity, and coverage gaps
- User experience enhancement like better on site support and personalization
- Rank monitoring and alerts for changes that need quick response
- Competitor analysis to identify gaps and opportunities
- Image and video SEO with transcripts, captions, and alt text support
- Technical audits to surface issues like broken links, duplicates, and performance problems
- Voice search alignment by optimizing for conversational queries
Ready to Grow? Get In Touch.
SEO and digital marketing do not have to be complicated. If you are looking for clarity instead of hype, I am available for consulting and contract work to support your SEO and digital marketing efforts.
I work best with teams that want a clear plan, honest feedback, and execution that is tied to outcomes. That might look like an audit and roadmap, support during a site rebuild or migration, content strategy and optimization, or stepping in as an embedded SEO specialist to help a team level up its internal processes.
How I Typically Help
- SEO audits and prioritization that translate into a realistic, buildable roadmap
- Technical SEO guidance during redesigns, migrations, or platform changes
- Content strategy and optimization aligned with search intent and business goals
- Local SEO support focused on calls, leads, and booked appointments
- Internal linking and site structure improvements that support crawl and conversion
- Ongoing consulting for in-house teams that want a second set of experienced eyes
A Note on Fit
I am not a high-volume agency, and I am not a fit for every business. I do my best work when expectations are clear, communication is direct, and success is measured by meaningful outcomes, not vanity metrics.
If you are looking for guaranteed rankings, mass-produced AI content, or shortcuts designed to game the system, I am probably not the right fit. If you want durable growth, accountability, and SEO that adapts to how search is actually evolving, we should talk.
Getting Started
If you would like to explore working together, use the form below to get in touch. Sharing your website, market, and what you are trying to accomplish helps me quickly understand whether I can add value.
If you already have access to Google Search Console or analytics data, feel free to mention that as well. It allows for a more productive first conversation and helps cut through opinion quickly.
I respond personally and will let you know honestly whether your project is a good fit.
If you’re searching for SEO services in Jacksonville, you’ve probably noticed the problem. There are a lot of agencies, and most of them sound identical. With 30 plus companies advertising SEO locally, choosing the right partner quickly turns into a guessing game. This page is here to reduce that guesswork. I’m not going to sell ... Read more