Hi, I’m Mark 👋

As a prominent SEO and AI search optimisation professional, agency owner, and SaaS founder based in the UK, my specialities lie in technical SEO, AI visibility, site migrations, and advising on search strategy for the last 20+ years.

with glasses smiling and speaking into a microphone during a presentation, with an out-of-focus audience seated in the background.

My primary role is Director at Candour, an independent, 25-person Norwich-based web build and search agency. Alongside our design and build contingent, our team of search experts works within some of the most competitive areas in search, leading global brands in both strategy and execution.

Beyond agency work, I founded AlsoAsked, the largest ‘People Also Ask’ intent research tool on the planet. The platform currently supports over 100,000 registered users, including major brands such as TripAdvisor, Lego, Deloitte, Gymshark, IKEA, and Oracle.

Alongside a directorship at the UK-based e-commerce business Top Dog Harnesses, I have created multiple side projects, including IntentGaps.com and QueryFan.com. I also founded and remain actively involved with several industry initiatives:

  • SearchNorwichXL: A Norwich-based meetup that evolved into an annual conference of 250+ SEO professionals, featuring some of the biggest names in search.

  • Core Updates: A popular weekly SEO newsletter delivering tips and news to over 13,000 subscribers every Monday.

  • Search with Candour podcast: A weekly ‘deep dive’ podcast exploring all areas of the search industry alongside prominent guest experts.

  • Search and AI with MWC: A YouTube channel with SEO tips and news shorts, as well as deep dives.

Throughout the year, I speak at international SEO conferences on the latest developments in search and AI. Alongside publishing research in leading industry journals, my expertise has led to features in major global outlets, including BBC News and the Wall Street Journal.

Outside search, my passions include competitive amateur boxing and scuba diving, holding qualifications as a technical diver and an ex-professional PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer.

An incomplete list of talks/articles I’ve done

Over the last 20 years, I’ve spoken at loads of conferences, events, and written lots – most of it has got lost in the internet ether, so I thought I would try and document some here:

Books published in:

Events/Podcasts/Livestreams:

Articles:

Other media mentions:

 

What this blog is for

There are generally three categories that all my blog posts will fall into:

1. Things I’m interested in but don’t know loads about: I’ve found writing about things pushes me to learn more about them. There’ll be a lot of topics like infosec, and game dev, where I’ll be the first to tell you I’m an amateur. If you see something I’ve written that’s incorrect, please do let me know and I’ll do my best to correct it and learn. I’ve found writing things that are wrong on the internet is a really good way to get people to correct you 🙂

2. Things I consider myself knowledgeable about and would like to share: Depressingly few topics! I run an SEO agency in Norwich and I’ve got a good track record of making sites rank incredibly well in Google with SEO, I’ve managed to make a living from that. I’m also a fairly experienced scuba diving instructor and technical diver, so I’ll sometimes write about them, too. I’m always happy to talk to people if they have questions about these topics.

3. WHTG: Was Hard To Google. When it took me too long to find a specific piece of information on Google, I’ll try and state it more clearly for those that come after me.