I have been creating online content for almost 20 years, initially helping small sites to achieve enormous growth before working for the BBC for a decade.
I have written for the web, edited, devised concepts to achieve high traffic growth and also worked in editorial development and editorial analytics.

Tell me the aims of your site and I can bring new focus that helps you achieve these goals.
My suggestions, tailored to your individual company and needs, do not require additional staff or a website rebuild.
My aim is to take what you already have – the staff, the site, the resources and make them work that bit more efficiently.

I have had the luxury of time and resource to study content in depth and ponder big questions such as 'how are people using websites, what do they want and how do we attract, and keep visitors.' The BBC has a lot of employees, it can afford to have people in development roles. Most companies can't. That's where I come in - I can provide the insights it took me years to research for the BBC in a matter of days, tailored to your specific needs.

My work is never a criticism of existing practices. I have had the luxury of time to study websites, user behaviour and web analytics – most don’t get this opportunity. My approach works for anywhere that produces web content with a purpose – whether that is to get more local business, to attract a certain type of user to the site, or to rank high for searches. The advice I provide can then be continued, ideas taken on by existing staff members. In a few days, I can make a radical difference to how you see your website.

BBC - Senior Editorial Analyst Leading a team within BBC Sport to study website behaviour and analyse trends, then using this information to help inform editorial decisions. Work produced led to a large jump in audience retention on site. Editorial teams gained insight into types of content that worked for different audiences and also the best times to promote different styles (for example different content for a Monday morning vs a Sunday lunchtime).

BBC - Senior Development Journalist Working as a senior member of BBC Sport's Editorial Development Team, I helped ensure the site remained the UK's most successful sport website. Projects included forward planning for Olympic Games and World Cups, developing new content formats and interactive tools, and ensuring the site reflected ongoing trends such as the switch to mobile and changing patterns of entry to sites - search and social replacing direct entry.

BBC - Senior Journalist Chief sub editor and front page editor for BBC Sport. As chief sub editor, I would manage the production desk, ensuring the highest standards of copy editing and index management were maintained. The front page editor left me responsible for prioritising content on site.

BBC - Content Producer Producing content for the BBC Homepage and deciding what to promote on the page and when. A prominent slot on the BBC Homepage could send hundreds of thousands of browsers to another part of the site, for example a page with information about a new TV or radio show.

Manchester Evening News - Online Journalist Established the sport section of the newspaper's website, with > 1,000% traffic growth inside a year. Also worked as liaison between web and print colleagues, helping establish positive relationship between the two departments.

Business Lobbying Organisation Revamping the online presence for a business lobbying organisation, making it customer focussed rather than being built with the needs of internal staff to the fore. Also enabled online membership subscription.

Sport Governing Bodies & Sport Teams and Leagues Helping sport bodies to achieve more from their website without resorting to extra expense on staff, or a site rebuild. By focussing on editorial aims, analysising existing content and approaches and then suggesting new approaches it is possible to get more users, target specific demographics, and achieve any other aim. A short period of consultancy can lead to huge, ongoing gains - the organisation or team getting bespoke advice and plans that are based on a decade observing best practice on leading sites.

Local Businesses & Start-ups Working with a wide range of small, medium and local businesses - for example locksmiths, water jet cutters, dental surgeries, accountants, lawyers, builders and many, many more. Some have required a site building (if you want a basic Wordpress site for a few hundred quid I'm your man), other clients need an ongoing content plan. The aim might be to suck up traffic for local search terms - Accountants Bury, Accountants Manchester, Accountants Stockport etc etc... Adding page or two a month can lead to sustainable growth.

Large UK Businesses Bringing focus to their web content, ensuring it works to bring in business and bolster their reputation. Often this is through an ongoing programme of blog writing and pages created to target specific locations or potential client types. Contact me for blog examples.

Publishers / Sport & News Sites Most sites are naturally caught in the day-to-day, the never ending churn of news and content to produce. I take a more detached view, coming up with an editorial plan that helps you achieve your aims and stay relevant as web usage patterns continue to change.

Why do football sites do gossip columns? The answer is they bring in huge traffic, are quick to produce and bolster search rankings. Think how necessary evils can be of huge benefit.

Many predictable events lead to surges in social media posting and search traffic. Identify opportunities in advance and plan content

Users might arrive via any page or post, this might be the only time you see them in months. How can you make EVERY page more appealing, encouraging users to look at more of the site and for visits to be of value beyond a simple +1 in the page views column

Read my blog for in-depth thoughts on specific points, or get in touch for a free audit and content proposal for your site.