Sites being rebuilt or moved
Before launch, I check that every old URL has somewhere to go. After launch, I watch Search Console for pages that slip.
Technical SEO and AI search
If you're planning a rebuild, or traffic dropped after the last one, a lot of what matters is in the code. I handle that part myself, from the redirects to the structured data in your templates.
Google Search ConsoleBing WebmasterAhrefsSemrushScreaming FrogSitebulbPageSpeed InsightsSchema.org ValidatorGTMGA4
How I handle SEO in a rebuild
HOUS had 373 journal posts and 42 listings on WordPress, each at a URL that people and Google already knew. When I rebuilt it, I matched the old URL format down to the trailing slash. I also set up 55 permanent redirects, so old links land on the right page in one hop. There's more in the HOUS case study.
I also do the research: which searches are worth going after for your business, and a brief for each page worth writing.
What an SEO project includes
- A check of how Google crawls, renders and indexes your site, with fixes ranked by impact. (Technical audit: crawl, render, index, schema, speed.)
- A redirect map for every URL that changes in a rebuild, so old links keep working and search engines know where each page went.
- Structured data and sitemaps built into your templates, so Google and AI search can tell what each page is. (Schema.org markup; XML sitemaps with accurate lastmod, split by content type.)
- Search Console and Bing Webmaster set up, with a monthly review.
Who this is for
Sites with a lot of content
Journals, guides and archives where every page needs to get found. HOUS's journal and Canada Remembers Guide's itineraries are this kind of site. (Article markup, breadcrumbs, sitemaps split by section.)
Questions about SEO and AI search
Can you guarantee a #1 ranking?
No, and you should walk away from anyone who does. Technical fixes can show up in Search Console within weeks. Rankings for competitive searches take months, and on our first call I'll tell you which ones are realistic for a site your size.
How does AI search change SEO?
It rewards pages that answer a question clearly and show where their facts come from. Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity quote that kind of page. So I plan pages around the questions people ask, and mark them up so machines can read them. The same work helps classic search, so you don't have to pick one.
Do I need ongoing SEO or a one-time project?
Both have a place. A one-time audit and fixes suit a site with a strong content team that just needs the technical side sorted. A monthly retainer suits a site that publishes often or runs campaigns, where each new feature needs an SEO check.
What about backlinks?
Important, but earned through PR, partnerships and content quality, not bought from link farms. I don't run link-buying campaigns. I do help with the technical and content groundwork that makes a page worth linking to.
How do you measure SEO success?
Clicks and impressions for each group of related searches, ranking changes for the keywords we track, how many search visitors become leads or sales, and the revenue or leads that came from search. Vanity metrics like "Domain Authority" are not in the dashboard.
SEO on sites I've built
HOUS
A linked structured-data graph, a sitemap with lastmod, and llms.txt files the CMS generates.
Canada Remembers Guide
18 routes, each on its own page, with redirects for retired itinerary URLs and an XML sitemap.
Planning a rebuild?
Talk to me before the new site goes live. You'll leave the call with the first things I'd fix. I reply within one business day, usually sooner.
