SEO Policy & Ethics

I believe in improving organic search performance in a way that delivers lasting value for both you and your audience.

This means I do not chase quick fixes. Instead, I use a methodical, data-driven approach that focuses on improving your website’s performance, creating genuinely useful content, building authority and understanding what potential customers are searching for.

If I believe a tactic could produce a short-term gain but expose your website or business to unnecessary risk, I’ll tell you and suggest a safer alternative.

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I can’t guarantee that your website will reach a particular position in Google or any other search engine. However, what I can promise is that I will endeavour to carry out SEO in accordance with industry-recognised best practices.

You may see advertisers promising things like “first page in 30 days”, but no reputable SEO professional can guarantee specific rankings. Search engines are constantly changing, and promising a particular position is not something I believe responsible SEO professionals should do.

It’s also important to recognise that search rankings are affected by many factors outside my control, such as competitor performance, market conditions and algorithm updates.

I believe you deserve honest consultancy from the outset. This means I will provide a transparent, well-informed assessment of your current position and what I recommend you do to give your website the best possible chance of achieving sustainable search visibility.

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I do not knowingly use tactics designed primarily to deceive search engines or manipulate rankings in ways that create unnecessary or unreasonable risk for you.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include practices such as:

 

• Hiding text or links from users in an attempt to manipulate search engines.

• Cloaking content to show search engines something different from what users see.

• Creating large numbers of thin or near-identical pages with little or no value to users.

• Building artificial links solely to manipulate search rankings.

• Paying for or improperly incentivising reviews.

• Creating fake reviews or testimonials.

• Deliberately attempting to damage a competitor’s website or search visibility.

• Publishing information I know to be false or misleading.

• Recommending a tactic while deliberately withholding a significant risk from you.

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These types of deceptive or manipulative tactics are commonly referred to as ‘black hat’ SEO. I avoid them because they can undermine the quality and credibility of your website and, depending on the tactic and circumstances, may expose your business to search engine action or reputational harm.

My approach is to recommend SEO practices that are designed to provide genuine value to users and build sustainable search visibility. 

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SEO content shouldn’t exist solely to rank in search engines. If someone arrives on your website through Google, they should find something useful, relevant and interesting when they get there.

That doesn’t mean every page needs to be a 2,000-word masterpiece. Sometimes the best page is short and direct. Sometimes it’s a comprehensive guide or an authoritative service page.

Either way, the important thing is that the page has a clear purpose and provides genuine value to the person reading it. That’s why I encourage clients to create and improve content with the reader in mind, rather than simply creating content to satisfy search engines.

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I use technology where it genuinely makes SEO work better or more efficient, and that can include AI. This may include tasks such as research, ideation, analysis and helping to streamline repetitive processes.

However, I do not assume that AI-generated output is automatically correct, accurate or suitable for immediate publication. Where AI is involved in my work, I will use human judgement to review, fact-check and refine the output before it is used.

 

Where factual claims or insights need to be corroborated, I will verify them against reliable sources and cite those sources where appropriate. AI can get things wrong, so it should be treated as a tool rather than an authority. Human oversight remains an important part of my SEO process.

Where I provide content or recommendations for client approval, I will be transparent about the role AI has played where relevant. Final responsibility for approving and publishing client-facing content rests with the person or organisation giving that approval.

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As a consultant, I aim to make my advice easy to understand for the people responsible for making decisions about your website.
Even when an SEO concept is complex or technical, I will explain in simple terms what I’m recommending, the practical steps involved and what I expect the recommendation to achieve.

If I don’t know something, I will say so. Rather than pretending to have a magic formula, I would rather acknowledge uncertainty than give you misleading advice or lead you down the wrong path.

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When auditing your website, I will not interpret data in a way that intentionally makes your current SEO efforts look bad simply to win your business. This helps create an honest and transparent partnership from the outset.

Likewise, I will not deliberately manipulate performance reports, selectively present data or claim credit for improvements that I didn’t play a part in.

If something I’ve recommended hasn’t worked and the results are disappointing, I will be upfront about this and explain what I believe needs to be done to address the problem.

Sometimes disappointing results can be caused by factors outside my control, such as search engine algorithm updates, changes in competitor activity or wider market conditions. Where I believe this is likely to be the case, I will highlight it in the relevant performance report and explain the evidence behind my assessment.
 

As a former marketing manager, I understand that it can be uncomfortable when an external consultant evaluates the work of an in-house marketing team.

My approach is not to make in-house teams look bad. I will present my findings honestly, fairly and in context, with the aim of identifying opportunities to improve performance rather than assigning blame.

I also recognise that marketing teams have to wear a lot of hats. SEO is just one part of a much broader marketing function, and it isn’t always possible to dedicate as much time to it as you would like. I understand those pressures because I have experienced them myself.

For that reason, I will always treat in-house marketers and other members of your team with professionalism and respect. My role is to complement their expertise, not undermine it. Where possible, I will work collaboratively with your existing team and provide practical recommendations that they can realistically implement.

I also believe that good consultancy should feel like an extension of your team, not an external voice working against it. I aim to be a personable, approachable and constructive professional who can be called upon when specialist SEO knowledge or additional support is needed.

Ultimately, my responsibility is to provide honest advice, act in the client’s best interests and help your team achieve better results – without stepping on toes along the way.

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I’ll sometimes need access to platforms such as your website, Google Business Profile, Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) in order to carry out SEO work.

I will only request the level of access necessary to carry out the agreed work. Where possible, I encourage clients to grant access through the relevant platform rather than sharing passwords or other login credentials.

I may also have access to information relating to website users or customers when analysing conversions or website performance. Where this occurs, I will treat that information as confidential, use it only for the agreed work and avoid accessing or retaining information that is not necessary for that purpose.

I will not sell, misuse or deliberately disclose confidential client information for my own commercial benefit or for the benefit of others.

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I take the privacy and confidentiality of client information seriously and will handle any information I access as part of my work with appropriate care.

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SEO sometimes crosses into areas where specialist advice is needed.
For example, an SEO recommendation might have implications for privacy, accessibility, advertising regulations, intellectual property, financial matters or other legal or regulatory requirements.

I’m happy to flag things that appear to raise potential issues, but I will not present myself as a solicitor, accessibility specialist, accountant or other professional when I’m not qualified to provide that advice.

If something requires specialist advice, I’ll tell you and recommend that you seek guidance from an appropriately qualified professional.

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I believe it is important to be clear about the limits of my expertise and the services I provide.

SEO can overlap with website design, development and technical infrastructure. I can identify and advise on technical SEO issues, but I do not present myself as a web developer, designer or IT specialist, and I will not undertake work that falls outside my area of expertise.

Where an SEO recommendation requires development work, website changes or technical implementation, I will explain what needs to be done so that your in-house developer, IT team or external specialist can take it forward.

The same principle applies to IT issues that are unrelated to SEO. For example, if your website experiences an outage or a server-related problem, I will help identify whether there is an SEO implication where appropriate, but the underlying IT issue should be handled by your IT team or a suitably qualified specialist.

I believe that good consultancy means knowing not only what you can do, but also when something is outside your remit. I will always be transparent about my capabilities and will never claim expertise or responsibility that I do not have.

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