SEO isn't about understanding keywords.
It's about understanding Google.

Most website owners focus on rankings, but when you understand how Google works, rankings become the result, not the goal.

That's the approach I use for my clients, and it's the approach that helped my wife build a photography business.

Meredith's Husband

Meredith's Husband

Certified Google Partner  

Meredith

My Wife (Meredith)

And her business

I worked in SEO before I met Meredith.

When we met, she was an actress and photography was a side business. Like most photographers starting out, finding clients was the hardest part.

I knew how to help businesses grow with Google, and I knew the problem wasn't her photography. So I rebuilt her website the same way I would have for my clients.

Before long, Google was bringing her a steady stream of inquiries, and photography went from a side business to a full-time career.
About Me

My SEO Romance

I started working in SEO before it was called SEO.
Ten years later, SEO was the fastest-growing specialty in digital marketing. Reuters asked me to help introduce this "new industry" to their audience.
Write your awesome label here.
Before then, most had never heard of SEO. When I explained that I could help businesses rank higher in Google, many thought it sounded like wishful thinking. One person even looked me in the eye and exclaimed, "You're a con man!"

It wasn't an unusual reaction at the time. Most business owners assumed Google's rankings couldn't be influenced. The idea that a website could "climb" those rankings sounded too good to be true.

As SEO developed, most of the industry (including me) focused on ranking websites as quickly as possible. For several years, it worked well and people realized SEO was real. It became an accepted part of marketing.

Then the industry changed. Google released several major updates in 2012, and I watched websites lose rankings almost overnight. Some belonged to former clients. Some belonged to current clients. I saw rankings that had taken months to build disappear in a matter of days.

I realized then, I didn't need a way to rank websites faster. I needed a way to build rankings that would last.

Instead of asking,

"How can I rank this website?"

I started asking,

"Why would Google rank this website?"

That question became the foundation of what I call SEIQ (Search Engine IQ), a framework built around understanding what Google is trying to accomplish, instead of trying to outsmart it.

SEIQ is a method that avoids those sudden loss in rankings, and helps a business grow, year-over-year.

It's the same approach I still use today.

A few organizations I've worked with

Meredith's Husband

A Podcast is born

As my consulting career expanded, I found myself working with larger brands and marketing agencies. At the same time, I noticed something happening. The more experienced SEO consultants moved toward enterprise clients, leaving many small businesses to sort through shortcuts, outdated advice, and unrealistic promises on their own.

Meredith saw it firsthand. As a business owner, she'd come home with SEO advice she heard in her online communities. Some of it was outdated. Some of it was simply wrong.

One day, while talking through a piece of bad advice she had received, we decided to press record.

Meredith shared the recording with colleagues and asked if it was helpful. The response was unanimous. We called it "Episode 1" from Meredith's Husband.

More than 200 episodes later, we're still separating what Google is actually doing from what people think it's doing.
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"My favorite podcast | "Empowering, fun & all around awesome | "So much Value! | "A fun way to learn about SEO. | "Helpful and easy to understand | Better than the cereal isle

My favorite podcast about SEO!

You know a podcast is doing something right when you get excited every time a new episode pops up in the Podcasts app. Meredith's Husband does ALL THE THINGS right, 
Liddyiowa

Can you imagine laughing during a SEO podcast about SEO?

I never thought someone could record a lesson about SEO in a way that not only informed but entertained me! 
JayeMcL

Great explanations, with practical advice

I love this podcast! Chris breaks down SEO in a way that is easy to understand and practical to apply. I always learn at least one thing after listening, 
VAPetTog

Can I hire you for my SEO?

It's the question I hear most often from listeners.

The answer is yes, although most of my consulting time is spent with marketing agencies on long-term projects. Because of that, my availability is limited, and my consulting engagements typically start at $5,000.
Getting The Best SEO
Over the years, I've made an observation.
It's almost always in a business owner's best interest to do their own SEO, either personally or with their own team. The results are better and last longer, compared to hiring an "SEO person".

Nobody cares about your business the way you do. Nobody understands your business the way you do. And SEO isn't something you finish. Every new page, blog post, service, or redesign is another SEO decision. When you understand how Google works, those decisions are second nature, rather than something you need to hire a consultant.

The businesses I've seen succeed over the long term aren't the ones with the biggest budgets. They're the ones who understood enough to make good decisions, ask better questions, and improve over time.
This is why I created the Mentoring Program.
Instead of doing SEO for you, I teach you to approach SEO the same way I do: by understanding what Google is trying to accomplish and using that understanding to make better decisions over time.

The goal isn't to make you dependent on me. It's to help you become confident without me.

The Mentoring Program

The mentoring program is my consulting process, adapted into a 12-week program for photographers and small business owners.

We use the same framework I developed as a consultant. With it, we'll evaluate your website, identify what's holding it back, strengthen what's already working, and prioritize the changes that will have the greatest long-term impact.

Each week combines a short lesson with an AI workflow built around the Search Engine IQ (SEIQ) framework. AI helps us organize information, surface opportunities, and speed up the work. You remain responsible for the strategy, the decisions, and the implementation.
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The Mentoring Promise

Complete the Mentoring Program,
Get more leads through your website,
or get your money back.

I went from zero inquiries to half of my inquiries coming from Google.

I couldn't have done it without you!"

- Jenny, Little Branch Photography
Become an Insider

Stay Ahead of the Changes That Matter

How people search is changing fast, and AI is a big part of it.
The SEO+AI Primer is a free email series that explains how AI is changing search, what those changes mean for your website, where to focus your attention.

Get the AI+SEO Primer Now

Become an Insider and access the Primer now.

As an Insider, you'll also receive occasional updates whenever there are meaningful changes in search, along with practical guidance on what to do next.

Collaborate

Everything I do revolves around helping small business owners to market themselves more effectively. If your audience includes photographers or small business owners trying to take advantage of SEO and AI, I'd be happy to explore working together.
  • Appear on your podcast
  • Speak at your event
  • Lead a workshop or webinar
  • Explore a partnership
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