About me

I’ll keep this short but hopefully it will give you a clearer picture as to who I am and how I built up my knowledge as a Digital Marketing Consultant.

Starting out as a web developer

I began my internet experience by registering a brand new Hotmail account in 1996. It was right in the middle of the ‘browser wars’, back when the likes of Microsoft Internet Explorer was going head-to-head with the Netscape browser for global domination. If you are aware of the history between the two you’ll know what a nightmare it was for anyone building websites. HTML 3.2 was the web design language of the day, my first.

By 1999 I was getting paid to make basic websites for small businesses however I really wanted to delve deeper into programming as a profession. So, I completed a Diploma in Business Programming (computer programming) with my major units being in the Java programming language. Applets were cool in those days!

By 2001 I had moved from Sydney to London and began working in the eGaming department at Ladbrokes.com. At the time Ladbrokes was the world’s biggest bookmaker (as in gambling and betting). I was initially hired as part of the affiliate management team; my first real foray into online marketing professionally.

I spent the next 5-6 years building websites. Mainly custom content management systems (CMS) built on the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP).

I worked as a web programmer for several organisations in both London and Sydney, sometimes in contracting roles, other times in full-time positions.

Moving into internet marketing

As a web developer, it is very important to have excellent knowledge of SEO best practices. If your web developer(s) has no interest in SEO then do yourself a favour, hire someone else!

With a growing knowledge in SEO, PPC and with some experience with managing large affiliate programs I decided to change direction and move into online marketing full-time in 2007.

I began completing the Google and Bing certifications for the PPC advertising accreditation’s and for Google Analytics. Social Media was also growing at an exponential rate so I jumped right in there too.

Internet marketing is not as difficult or as technically challenging as programming, however, there is a lot to learn and the landscape keeps changing. As with most things in life, you need to be passionate about digital marketing to be good at it.

Putting it all together

My time as an internet marketing consultant has been spent mostly as an independent consultant however I have worked in and for other digital marketing agencies, often in a white-label arrangement.

You never stop learning as a digital marketing consultant which keeps things fast-paced and very interesting. It’s a never-ending competition played with very high stakes.

I’m convinced that it is advantageous to have a web programming background before moving into internet marketing. Especially if you plan on getting into the more advanced tools that provide APIs or scripting languages for advanced users. Online marketing ‘experts’ should know JavaScript at the very least, in my opinion.

My philosophy

I believe in saying what we mean and meaning what we say. I’m not interested in promises that can’t be kept.

Instead of creating check-lists of ‘thing to do’ for clients, my strategies are focused upon getting results. My goal is to add value to your organisation, and its bottom line.

I don’t bill per hour, per task, per back-link etc. This is an outdated approach to digital marketing. Instead, my consulting and management services are focused in on continual improvement of your position. So, if you are looking for a consultant that will report every little detail, I’m not your guy.

When you are sure you are ready unleash cutting edge strategy and the professional management of your online marketing, contact me. Together we’ll give your competitors a reason to be concerned.