Jake Ward

Started an SEO agency in 2019. Making $20M/yr for Contact.so clients. Also building: Mentions.so Byword.ai Kleo.so

I’m 27 with 4 businesses and no home.

Here’s how I got here:

Age 0-15:

Spent early life growing up in a hippie commune.

Raised by an incredible single mother who wore both hats. Gave everything to support me.

Overly shy and didn’t speak much.

Seen as a problem by a teacher who suggested there was something wrong with me.

Age 16:

First job stacking supermarket shelves.

Completed high school with bang-average grades.

Started sixth form college.

Age 17:

Quit sixth form college after 3 months due to illness.

Doctor said I was 24 hours away from dying.

Spent my 17th birthday in hospital, tubes everywhere.

Became an apprentice at a print marketing agency. Learnt my way around Adobe’s design suite.

Started doing bits of design work on the side.

Age 18-19:

Discovered search marketing to help get more clients for the print marketing agency.

Became obsessed with SEO. Spent my free time messing around with the websites I built.

Age 20:

Wanted to take marketing more seriously. Quit my job to start a marketing degree.

Quit after 2 weeks.

Started an apprenticeship at an SEO agency where I managed 25 clients and attended college part-time.

Quit after 9 months.

Realised traditional education sucks. I learnt 100x more (and quicker) through self-education.

Went all-in on learning and building whilst living at home with my mum and 2 young siblings.

£0 income.

Age 21:

Got my first 2 freelancing clients on Upwork. They referred me to other clients.

Built a 6-figure business by the end of the year.

Age 22-23:

Started a podcast side project and quickly reached 300,000 listeners per month. Sold it for 5 figures.

Bought and sold 5 websites.

Maxed out my freelancing capacity.

Age 24:

Founded Content Growth and built a team to help companies turn their blog into a 7-figure sales channel.

Started posting on LinkedIn.

Grew revenue by over 200% in 6 months.

Age 25:

Co-founded Byword and launched a platform to help marketers generate articles at scale for SEO.

Sold my belongings, moved out of London and started travelling the world.

Merged Content Growth with Contact Studios to take the SEO agency to the next level.

Helped my mum quit her 15-year corporate job.

Age 26:

Lived out of a suitcase and travelled around 16 countries.

Grown the userbase of my SaaS tools to over 130,000.

Helped multiple unicorn companies scale their SEO with our 25-person team at Contact.

Age 27:

Continuing to levelling up, exploring, following my curiosities, collaborating with great people, and helping family and friends along the way.

Founder

We help software companies get more qualified traffic, sales and revenue through conversion-focused SEO and content marketing. Turn your blog into a 6 figure sales channel.

"I don't know how to do SEO in 2026"

Start from level 1 in The New SEO Game:

SEO isn't just Google rankings anymore.

It's now "Search Everywhere Optimisation".

Reframe your “New SEO” project as a game, and you'll become addicted to levelling up.

Level 1: Traditional SEO

- Fix technical problems killing your rankings
- Research keywords and target quick wins
- Optimise on-page elements (titles, content)
- Earn quality backlinks through outreach and PR

Level 2: AI Search Optimisation

- Format content so AI can parse it easily
- Build pages that AI platforms want to cite
- Structure information for machine consumption
- Test how your brand appears in AI search results

Level 3: Paid Search Visibility

- Run Google Ads for high-intent keywords
- Target competitor terms with YouTube Search Ads
- Capture Bing traffic through Microsoft Ads
- Measure paid performance across every platform

Level 4: LLM Answer SEO

- Produce authoritative content LLMs trust
- Build a knowledge base for AI training data
- Position your brand as the definitive source
- Monitor brand mentions in LLMs with Mentions

Level 5: Brand Authority SEO

- Get unlinked brand mentions across the web
- Feature in industry roundups and expert lists
- Build brand recognition without traditional backlinks
- Track brand mention volume and sentiment

Level 6: Community SEO

- Provide value in relevant Reddit threads
- Share expertise on Quora in your space
- Engage in Slack communities and Discord servers
- Build reputation in industry forums and groups

Level 7: Parasite SEO

- Repurpose content on Medium and LinkedIn Pulse
- Publish beehiiv newsletters to rank in Google
- Guest post on high-authority platforms/websites
- Leverage existing domain authority for quick rankings

Level 8: Platform-Specific SEO

- Optimise for Amazon search if selling products
- Focus on YouTube SEO for video content
- Master TikTok's algorithm for short-form content
- Optimise App Store listings for apps/extensions

Level 9: Topic Domination

- Own conversations across ALL channels
- Create content ecosystems to reinforce each platform
- Become the go-to expert mentioned everywhere
- Monitor and maintain authority across all channels

Completed all levels?

SEO is constantly evolving going into 2026.

Stay ahead or get left behind.

PS. Need help levelling up? We'll help build and execute your “New SEO” domination strategy.

Book a call: https://www.contact.so/

I analysed 66,796 sites to understand where their SEO traffic came from last month.

(You can too at chatgpt-vs-google .com)

Google still dominates at 40.31%.
ChatGPT is just 0.24%.

But here's what most people miss:

Traffic isn't the ONLY metric that matters anymore.

Zero-click searches are everywhere now.

ChatGPT processes 2.5 billion prompts every day, but barely any of them send direct traffic.

AI Overviews now appear in 60% of U.S. searches. And position 1 CTR dropped by -34.5% when AI Overviews appear.

People aren't clicking through like they used to.

They're getting answers directly from AI, and that creates a massive blind spot.

Your brand could be mentioned 10,000 times in ChatGPT responses.

Your product could be recommended in Claude conversations.

Your company could appear in Google AI Mode answers.

None of that shows up in your traffic data.

That's why I've been building Mentions for the past few months. I needed a way to track this visibility.

Because the future of SEO isn't just ranking on Google.

It's being visible wherever people ask questions.

Nigel Thomas

David to Goliath

Alpha Inbound

Consultant

We run custom-built FB and TikTok campaigns for Health and Wellness Brands, decreasing their new customer cost by up to 20% in 90 days or less.

Here's how we help:

◼️ Set custom KPIs for the campaigns in line with your brand growth goals.
◼️ Establish a systematic testing approach, with a heavy focus on content.
◼️ Analyze how paid social is contributing to your entire ecosystem.
◼️ Focus on your bottom line revenue, not just ROAS.

Interested in learning more? DM me or book a discovery call using the form below.

Chief Executive Officer

-Built external relationships with key strategic partners
-Built internal infrastructure & operations to enable efficient scaling.
-Advised owner on core business strategies to drive the company forward.

Chief Growth Officer

Service to Millions

CEO | Founder

RealtyACCEL

Chief Operating Officer

AECOM

Quantity Surveyor

Northen Surveying Services Ltd

Junior Quantity surveyor

DECATHLON FRANCE

Department Manager

Book Consistent Qualified Calls From LinkedIn using our FlyWheel System (Tested on 300+ Clients) | DM ‘FlyWheel” To Learn More

You’re making it work. Just like most 'business' owners I meet.

But the truth?

You haven’t built a real business yet.

- You’re talented
- You’ve got some clients
- You know how to get results

But your sales call calendar? 
The inconsistent revenue? 
The never ending slack messages?

That’s the real problem.

Most agency owners I work with want three things:

1) Consistent pipeline with high quality leads
2) A team to delegate client work
3) Clarity on what to work on when

A business that works for you. Not a job.

Here’s how I help:

1) We position you to win premium retainers
2) We install a lead gen system to fill up your calendar
3) We fix your calendar so you can lead like a real CEO

And we do it together in a focused 90 day sprint

No fluff. No cookie-cutter advice. 

Just real support that drives results.

Here’s what that looks like:

📌 Tanner: From $15K with 1 client → $30K/month, in 4 months
📌 Sam: Doubled his agency and hired a new team in 90 days
📌 Tobi: Went from freelancer to $30K/month with A+ clients
📌 Alex: Scaled from $12k to $70k in 4 months
📌 Stephen: Scaled from $10k to $18k by increasing prices 
📌 Sammy: Grew by over 50% in 60 days and hired a team

And I’ve also done it all myself. Twice.

Built two 7-figure agencies from scratch.

Now I coach high-performing remote agency founders like you to do the same.

Minus the mistakes I made (LOL)

So if you’re:

- Running a marketing agency
- Already at $5K+/month
- Ready to grow without losing your sanity

→ Hit the ‘Book an Appointment’ button at the top of my posts

And let’s build the agency you actually want.

From $2K/month to outside Alex Hormozi's HQ.

Here's the roadmap of how he did it.

It didn't start in Vegas.
It started with a 21 year old called Victor Moen who'd been "an entrepreneur" since 15…
and felt like he'd failed at everything.

Marketing agencies.
Drop shipping.
Websites.
Nothing worked.

He was waking up depressed, scrolling YouTube,
waiting for the next hack to save him.

Then he built his affiliate agency
and stopped trying to figure it out alone.

When he finally got the structure he'd been missing,
he made 10k in 10 days from one action item he didn't even know existed.

He took the money, booked a flight,
and walked into Hormozi's workshop with his hands shaking.

What changed him wasn't hype.
It was finally doing the fundamentals he'd avoided for years.

And that's why we built the Agency Scaling Roadmap.
For the Victors of the world who have the drive… but no structure.

Inside the Roadmap:

• Financial engine (cash, margins, risk)
• Growth engine (cold email, LinkedIn, sales)
• Operational systems
• Hiring and delegation
• Long term authority and retention

If you want it, comment "Roadmap" in the comments and I'll send it over.
You must be connected with me to receive it.

PS. The roadmap is built to take your agency to $100k per month.

We help Agencies Sign 1-5 High Ticket Clients a Month using our FlyWheel System (Tested with 300+ Clients) DM Me “Scale” if you’re interested

You think your LinkedIn content isn't working.
458 views. 5 likes. 1 comment.

But here's what you can't see:

The ideal client you've been looking for...

1) They've read your last 12 posts. 
2) They've visited your profile 5 times. 
3) They've screenshot your frameworks. 
4) They've forwarded your content to their team.

But... They've never engaged once.

Not a single like. 
Not one comment. 
Nothing in your DMs.

Here's the problem:

They won't make the first move.

This is why you can't just post and pray.

1) Check who viewed your profile → DM them 
2) See who followed you this week → DM them
3) Notice someone's read multiple posts → DM them

Not the people commenting "Great post!" (They're just bots)

The silent ones. 
The lurkers. 
The profile viewers who never engage.

They're your hottest leads.

I messaged 25 of these people last week:

7 responded
4 booked calls
1 became a client

All from people who never liked a single post.

Your content brings them to the door. 
But you still have to open it.

Stop waiting for them to book a call. 
They won't.

Start conversations with your silent audience. 
That's where the real money is.

taplio

The Battle

Jake Ward

Nigel Thomas

Followers

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taplio

The Battle

Jake Ward

Nigel Thomas

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jake Ward's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreNigel Thomas's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreJake Ward's LinkedIn Performance