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 28 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 28:

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 in 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/

Rank #1 in ChatGPT and AI Search: My next LIVE SEO session on 8th April. Co-Founder at Contact (and 3x SaaS companies).

SEO?
“Just add some keywords”
”Get green lights on Yoast”
”Let’s write a blog and rank #1?”
”Can’t we just buy some backlinks?”

But SEO in 2026 is a totally different beast.

Here’s what it actually involves:

- Total Addressable Search Market
- Google Search Console
- “Don’t change URLs”
- Quick win keywords
- Customer research
- Programmatic SEO
- Entity optimization
- LLM optimization
- Keyword Insights
- Topical authority
- Site architecture
- Schema markup
- Core Web Vitals
- Monthly reports
- Log file analysis
- Google updates
- Brand mentions
- Screaming Frog
- Technical audit
- Content decay
- Internal linking
- XML Sitemaps
- Topic clusters
- “llms.txt file?”
- Search intent
- Link building
- “It depends”
- Crawlability
- Canonicals
- Robots.txt
- Digital PR
- Mentions
- Semrush
- E-E-A-T

Just adding keywords or getting green lights on Yoast doesn't get SEO results.

True SEO and holistic marketing does.

I can’t stop thinking about this Tweet.

ChatGPT now handles over 2.5 billion queries per day and Google is eventually defaulting to "AI Mode."

This is the future of SEO.

6 tips you need to rank in AI platforms:

1. Win brand mentions

- Get your brand mentioned on high-authority websites
- Contribute to industry publications
- Be featured in news outlets
- Engage in forums and community discussions
- Encourage authentic UGC and word-of-mouth mentions

2. Build brand equity

- Monitor online reviews and brand sentiment
- Respond to feedback and address complaints
- Build a consistent, trustworthy public image
- Use tools like Mentions.so to track visibility, sentiment, and competitors

3. Be the source

- Publish authoritative, reference-style content
- Use neutral, factual, data-backed tone
- Avoid excessive personal takes or fluff
- Regularly update key content for accuracy
- Include credible citations and external data sources

4. Embrace passage-level SEO

- Structure content into short, focused paragraphs
- Use clear subheadings for logical segmentation
- Include concise, standalone answers
- Avoid burying insights in long text block
- Add structured data (e.g. schema markup)
- Make each paragraph extractable and cite-ready

5. Cover the conversation

- Use tools like Semrush for question research
- Monitor forums/socials for emerging questions
- Identify and answer sub-questions users ask
- Add relevant FAQs and support content
- Internally link related topic clusters

6. Optimise for crawlability

- Ensure AI crawlers are allowed in robots.txt
- Verify CDN settings aren't blocking crawlers
- Submit up-to-date XML sitemaps in GSC
- Optimise for fast page speed and clean HTML
- Review server logs for GPTBot, BingBot, etc. behaviour

But first, start with an audit:

- Your current visibility across all LLMs
- Prompt and content gaps vs your competitors
- Technical issues preventing AI from citing your site

Use a tool like Mentions.so to find this information.

Don’t regret not starting AI SEO sooner.

SaaS SEO in 2026: Join my (free) LIVE session on 4th March. Co-Founder and Head of Strategy & Innovation at Contact (and 3x SaaS companies).

SEO has been dying since 1997.

Some notable "deaths" include:

- Web 3.0
- Google Ads
- Social media
- TikTok search
- Voice assistants
- Featured snippets
- Zero-click searches
- Every Google update
- AI Overviews in Google
- GEO/AEO as the new SEO
- ChatGPT replacing Google

And now... AI agents?

Here’s the reality:

- SEO will always evolve
- People will always use search
- Search habits take time to change
- Google handles 14B+ daily searches
- Sends 190x more traffic than ChatGPT
- SEO is a $100B+ industry (growing ~12% YoY)

Even the newest "SEO killer" (GEO/AEO) is literally built on SEO fundamentals.

Richard Hoy said this in 1997:

"I’m beginning to believe that search engines are a dead-end technology and fretting over where your site comes up is a big waste of time."

Don’t be him in 2026.

SEO is very much alive.

I literally live and breathe this SEO framework.

5 years ago, I watched a SaaS company burn through 6 months of content budget. 60 blog posts on topics like "what is email marketing" and "benefits of newsletters."

Their traffic skyrocketed, but their revenue flatlined.

Their entire content game was backwards.

So that's when I built my "SEO Content Pyramid" to flip it completely and start at the top.

Here's how it works:

1. Convert (Top of Pyramid)

High-intent content for people ready to buy.

A. Competitor Comparisons
↳ "beehiiv vs Kit"
↳ "Kit alternatives"

B. Product Reviews
↳ "beehiiv reviews" (brand)
↳ "Kit review" (competitor)

C. Buyer Guides
↳ "Best newsletter platforms in 2026"
↳ "Best newsletter tools for beginners"

D. Product Pages
↳ "Email newsletter software"
↳ "Newsletter platform pricing"

2. Discover (Middle of Pyramid)

Solution content for people exploring options.

A. Solve Pain Points
↳ "How to start a newsletter"
↳ "Newsletter best practises"

B. Case Studies
↳ "Email marketing case studies"
↳ "How [Brand] grew to 100k subscribers"

C. Data Studies
↳ "Open rate benchmarks 2026"
↳ "Email marketing statistics"

D. Templates and Tools
↳ "Newsletter templates"
↳ "Email subject line generator"

3. Awareness (Bottom of Pyramid)

Educational content for people learning and exploring.

A. Definitions
↳ "What is open rate"
↳ "Email deliverability explained"

B. Educational Guides
↳ "How to increase email open rate"
↳ "How to write engaging emails"

C. Industry Trends and News
↳ "Gmail manage subscriptions feature"
↳ "Email marketing trends 2026"

D. Ideas
↳ "Newsletter content ideas"
↳ "Email campaign ideas for holidays"

Start at the top with Convert content. Only move to Discover once you've covered every competitor comparison, product review, and buyer guide. Then tackle Awareness last.

This framework will 10x your SEO results.

A single "Competitor Alternatives" blog post made $1M+ in revenue for my SaaS client over 3 years.

They are ALWAYS the highest converting articles.

Alternative articles help users discover a better alternative (i.e. your product) to what they're currently using or considering buying.

For example:

You might target the following keywords if you're a team communication platform.

- Microsoft Teams Alternatives
- Discord Alternatives
- Slack Alternatives

= 16.5K/mo Google searches

These searchers are the most ready-to-buy AND they’re highly cited by LLMs once ranking in Google.

Here’s how to write your own:

PS. I’m hosting my very first SaaS SEO in 2026 LIVE session on March 4th. Register for free: https://lnkd.in/eherWr2a

I've been doing SEO for 10 years and AI search is making me rethink everything I know, here are 10 changes I’m seeing:

PS. Join my (free) SaaS SEO in 2026 live session on Wednesday, March 4th @ 12pm EST.

Add it to your calendar: https://lnkd.in/eherWr2a

SEO vs AI SEO/AEO/GEO...

I just built SEO strategies for beehiiv and Kleo.

A ~$300M newsletter platform and my own 7-figure SaaS we launched 43 days ago.

(Sadly I didn't make this pic with Tyler Denk)

Completely different products, audiences, and business stages. But I'm using the same playbook.

SaaS SEO in 2026 isn't what it was 2-3 years ago.

The old playbook:

- Target high volume keywords
- Build comparison pages
- Rank in Google and get clicks

But in 2026:

1. Search is as fragmented as ever across Google, LLMs, socials, and other platforms.

2. Even if you rank, SERPs are busy with AI Overviews and ads making position 1 less valuable.

3. Zero-click searches mean AI is answering queries before any clicks to your website.

4. AI has commoditised average content and the quality bar is much higher.

I'm breaking down how I built the strategies for beehiiv and Kleo in a live session tomorrow at 12PM EST.

You'll see:

- What 20% of SEO to focus on in 2026
- How to rank across Google AND AI platforms
- The exact playbook for turning SEO into revenue

Register for free: https://lnkd.in/eherWr2a

PS. The next 20 SaaS companies that register and comment below get a free AI visibility report from my team (normally only for our clients like beehiiv).

Nigel Thomas

We help B2B Founders sign 5 high ticket clients in 90 days using our flywheel system (Used by 300+ clients). DM me ‘Scale’ if you are interested

You started building a business because you wanted freedom. 

But right now you’re chained to your desk and barely breaking even. 

It doesn’t feel like freedom. 

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

But it’s not working. 

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 owns you. 

Here’s how I make that become a reality:

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

We do it together in a focused 90 day sprint. 

Real support that drive results like these: 

📌 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

I’ve also done it all myself. Twice. 

Built two 7-figure agencies from scratch.

Now, I coach high-performing agency founders who want more to do the same. 
Minus the mistakes I made (lol). 

So, if you’re:

- Running an agency 
- Already at $5K+/month 
- Ready to scale without losing your sanity 

→ Hit the ‘Book an Appointment’ button in my featured section. 

Join 75+ other Undeniable members scaling beyond their wildest dreams…

And, let’s build the agency you actually want.

Consultant

3 weeks before my Dominican Republic mastermind, I had only sold 3 tickets. 

I had 4 big-name speakers flying in.
Expecting 35 entrepreneurs.
Absolutely no idea how to fill the room.

So I decided to bet on LinkedIn DMs. 

Sales is a numbers game. 
So I sent hundreds of messages. 

At first it was chaos.

Terrible messages. 
Low response rates.
No idea what I was doing.

But I had no choice.

I tested. Refined. Rebuilt.

3 weeks later:

- 150 calls booked
- Mastermind fully booked
- Happy speakers and guests 

But most importantly, I built a DM system that actually works.

Tomorrow at 1PM EST. 
I'm breaking down exactly what I learned.

The framework.
The psychology.
The mistakes that kill conversations.

If you need to book calls fast you need this masterclass. 

If you want to join sign up here: 
https://lnkd.in/eYMey69u

See you tomorrow. 


BTW. This isn't theory. It's what I built when my back was against the wall and I had no other option.

CEO of Undeniable. The community for ambitious underdog founders who refuse to stay down.

At 30, I scaled an agency to $140k/month. 

6 months later, I was living in my childhood bedroom.

That’s how quickly things can change. 

I’d put everything into that business. 
Worked every hour I was awake. 
Sacrificed relationships. 

And then it was gone. 

No income.
31 years old.
Back in the bedroom I grew up in.

That wasn't the first time I lost everything.
It's happened 3 more times.

Failure doesn't get easier.
But you get stronger.

Every time I lost everything, I learned something:

- How to spot red flags in business partners
- How to protect myself legally
- How to build without losing myself
- How to get back up faster

I've learned these brutal lessons the hard way. 

So now, I'm helping 75+ founders in Undeniable avoid my mistakes.

Watching them scale past $50K/month.
Whilst building businesses they love. 

The setbacks didn't break me.

They built me.

If you're staring at rock bottom right now...

You'll get there.

I promise.


P.S. 3 years later, I'm running the community I wish I had then. The comeback is always bigger than the setback. If you know you know.

I flew to Norway to meet 4 community members in real life. 

It cost $3,000 but the ROI was worth it. 

Victor and Magnus live in Norway. 
Matevz and Tom were also invited. 
Micah and Mark (Undeniable team) joined too. 

We spent 4 days together. 

→ Saw the Northern Lights 
→ Went snowmobiling 
→ Had a professional photoshoot 
→ Ate incredible food 
→ Did a hot sauna and cold plunge

Undeniable covered most of the costs. 

The ROI was through the roof. 

I can’t put it in a spreadsheet. 
I can't show you a graph.

But I can tell you it was worth the investment:

→ 7 founders felt less alone 
→ We built out a referral program with experts 
→ Tom shared advice on LinkedIn DMs
→ We all cried happy tears 
→ We left feeling seen, heard, and backed

You can't measure that.

But you can feel it.

When founders feel supported they perform better. 
They take bigger bets. They’re less likely to quit. 

Most people optimise for metrics they can track.

Leads, revenue, followers.

I'm not saying those don't matter.

But the ROI of community?

It's in the founder who didn't give up.
It's in the sale that was made because someone believed in them.
It's in the room where people actually gave a shit.

That's what Undeniable is.

A room full of people who refuse to let each other fail.

Some things can't be measured.

They can only be felt.


P.S. Undeniable is coming to London this April and we're gonna be bigger and better.

Two 7-figure agencies built. 300+ clients scaled. Your business is next.

Founders, open your LinkedIn DMs right now. 

How many feel like they were written by a human?
How many mention something personal about you?
How many made you laugh?

Probably none. 

Because everyone's automating.
Everyone's blasting the same template to 500 people.
Wondering why no one responds.

Meanwhile, Tom Harman booked 25 calls in February alone for his side business. 

He has a full-time job. 
Only spends one hour a day in the DMs. 

His ICP is $100M CEOs. 
His response rate is 50%. 

Here's his rule for every single DM he sends:
"Could I send this message to anyone else in the world?"

If yes? He doesn't send it.

One of his best openers referenced a founder's frozen pizza brand. 
He asked whether pineapple belongs on pizza.

That CEO replied within the hour.

The fastest way to anyone's heart, regardless of how successful they are, is humour.

Personality. Proof that you actually looked at their profile.

Honestly, it doesn’t require that much work. 

The benchmarks across 10,000 conversations we've run:

→ 200 connection requests/week to ICP 
→ 30% acceptance rate = 240 new connects/month 
→ 30% response rate from personalised DMs = 72 conversations 
→ 25% book a call = 18 qualified calls per month

18 qualified calls a month.

Any agency owner, coach or consultant landing 18 qualified calls a month will scale their business.

And Tom does it in an hour a day. 
Whilst working a full-time job.

Success in the DMs is pretty simple:

Stop automating and start being human.

It's also just more fun.


What’s the best DM you’ve ever received?

taplio

The Battle

Jake Ward

Nigel Thomas

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreJake Ward's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreNigel Thomas's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

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

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJake Ward's LinkedIn Performance