Alex Harford, Technical SEO

Hello, I'm Alex, a Technical SEO Consultant and Mentor based in Staffordshire, UK.

If you've found me and are looking for an SEO mentor/coach (read more below), audits, and/or advice on website migrations, feel free to contact me to discuss further. I'm often busy so despite being an SEO didn't make this page easy to find, but I may be available!

This page is mostly here to keep some of my favourite SEO articles in one place.

Bluesky @AlexHarfordSEO / Twitter @AlexHarfordSEO / LinkedIn: AlexHarfordUK

SEO Articles and Podcast Appearances

10+ Reasons SEO and Website UX Are Related

A website's navigation, backlinks, content, speed, other usability aspects and more are all important considerations for both UX and SEO. Originally published with LoveUX.

Websites 101

(Search with Candour Podcast)
As I transitioned from Web Developer to Tech SEO, I realised my web dev background led me to take things for granted that aren't common knowledge, especially to new SEOs. This podcast aims to bridge some of that gap.

I listen to Search with Candour often, and it's the first podcast I recorded, so it felt a little surreal to be introduced by the familiar voice of Jack Chambers-Ward.

I had a bad cold when recording, so apologies for the occasional sniffles and couple of mind-blanks!

Learning SEO from Trusted Resources

(The SEO Mindset Podcast)
Is this content trustworthy? Learn more about figuring that out, with a focus on our cognitive biases and how they can subconsciously impact who and what we trust.

SEO Mindset is my most listened to work-related podcast, so I was delighted when co-host Sarah McDowell accepted my pitch. :-)

SEO Mindset's 5th most downloaded podcast of 2024, voted most impactful.

How to Use Chrome to View a Website as Googlebot

(Moz)
Moz was a massive influence in my career as I transitioned from Web Developer to Technical SEO, so I was excited to publish an article with them!

Moz's 5th most viewed article of 2022.

Inline SVG Images: Page Speed & SEO Complete Guide

(Salience Search Marketing)

A Basic Log File Analysis for Small to Medium Websites

(Salience Search Marketing)

SEO Mentoring

Mentorship-wise, I generally:

• Offer one-to-one calls.
• Provide support via email and/or a messaging service convenient to us both.
• Review and feedback on work, including suggestions for improvement and how to prioritise for biggest positive impact.
• Direct you to the most useful resources and people to follow.
• Point out SEO myths and bad advice. Help you spot the difference.
• Provide career advice (based on my experience and opinions rather than any qualifications I have).
• Help with accountability.

Have other ideas? How about a mock interview? Let me know.

As well as fellow SEOs, I've assisted web developers, PRs, and journalists. Maybe you don't specialise in SEO but work in an industry where more SEO knowledge would be helpful.

Why Me?

I started my career as a web developer in 2006, worked as a web developer and SEO from 2007, then specialised in SEO since 2014. I've created SEO learning materials and taught SEO since 2007.

I've helped SEO mentees get jobs, promotions, and successful pitches on industry-leading blogs.

I'm usually ahead of trends e.g. pre-empting Google's Core Web Vitals (I'd been auditing client websites for speed and usability for years), testing LLMs early on, and—preparing clients before it became popular—providing advice and auditing on visual (e.g. Google Lens) and multi search.

I specialise in technical SEO and content and have good all-round knowledge. I still audit client websites as I believe that's the best way to keep learning and to keep my existing knowledge intact, amongst other benefits. I enjoy it too!

I'm self-taught and believe a good mentor would have accelerated my career by years (including my salary).

I enjoy sharing knowledge and seeing mentees succeed is the most rewarding part of my career.