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.

Shitali Malviya

1M Quora views | PPC Legend | Boosting Brand Visibility with PPC | $150k+ Revenue on GoogleAds, Amazon | I drive massive profits for businesses through PPC platforms.

Passionate PPC expert with a legendary track record in managing advertising campaigns across various platforms, including Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Facebook Ads/Meta Ads, and Amazon PPC Ads. 

Bringing over 15 years of invaluable experience, I excel in driving optimal results and maximizing ROI through strategic campaign management. 

Everything I share on LinkedIn is based on real-life experiences; I've done everything practically.

Let's connect and explore opportunities in the dynamic world of digital advertising.

Wondering if your Google Ads are doing their best? Want another perspective? Feel free to message me or shoot me an email at shitalimalviya@gmail.com

Need help supercharging your business with PPC ads? Feel free to DM me or shoot me an email at shitalimalviya@gmail.com

PPC Consultant (Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Bing Ads, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn)

Some people never like or comment on my posts…
But always DM me to say,

“Loved what you wrote!”

Bro, even my post doesn’t know you exist. 😅

Just drop one tiny ❤️ or 💬 —
I swear, LinkedIn won’t tell anyone you’re learning from me. 😉

LinkedIn Awareness Post – Must Read

I recently received a message on LinkedIn from a profile that looked 100% legit:
Professional photo, detailed experience, proper company name — everything checked out.

The message talked about a remote, part-time opportunity and shared a ZIP file titled “Job Details and Compensation Mechanism.”

Out of curiosity, I extracted it… and here’s what came out:

❌ Job_Details_and_Compensation_Mechanism.EXE
❌ Multiple DLL files
❌ No PDF, no DOC, nothing related to an actual job

At this point, it doesn’t matter how “legit” a profile looks —
an EXE file is NEVER a job description.
This is a classic malware attempt.

Maybe I’m wrong, maybe it was an error…
but this message gave me enough reasons to doubt everything about it.

So here’s my request to everyone on LinkedIn:

✔ Never download ZIP files from random messages
✔ No real recruiter sends EXE/DLL files
✔ Always question things that feel “slightly off”
✔ Trust your instincts — they’re usually right

LinkedIn is full of genuine opportunities,
but also full of people who are getting smarter with scams.

Stay alert.
Stay safe.
Stay one step ahead.

If anyone else has received similar messages, do share — it can help others too.

“You billed 20 hours and I can’t even see my campaign online…”
That’s what a frustrated client once told me.

And honestly, I get it.
When you hire someone for ads, you expect instant visibility — some “proof” that things are running.

But here’s the truth no one tells you 👇
Most of the real work in Google Ads happens before you even see an ad.

🔹 Researching what keywords will actually convert
🔹 Auditing the account to find past leaks
🔹 Writing ad copy that aligns with real search intent
🔹 Setting up tracking (because clicks mean nothing without data)
🔹 Testing campaign structure before going live

So yes, those 20 hours weren’t wasted.
They built the foundation your campaign needed to perform — not just exist.

Because great campaigns aren’t about going live fast…
They’re about staying profitable long. 💡

A client once told me —
"You’ve made our ads feel like they finally have a purpose."

That line stuck with me.

Because when I run campaigns, it’s never about just clicks or impressions.
It’s about understanding the brand’s heartbeat — their goals, their struggles, their story.

I’ve had clients from different industries —
each with their own challenges.
But one thing is always common:
When you care about their business like it’s your own…
they feel it.

And that’s where marketing turns into magic. 

#digitalmarketing #clientlove #storytelling #growthmindset #advertising

No awards.
No fancy case studies.
Just a message from a client saying —
"We’re finally getting calls from the right people."

That’s the real win. 🙌

#ppc #googleads #marketingmindset #entrepreneurjourney

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The Battle

Jake Ward

Shitali Malviya

Followers

Posts

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Performance ScoreJake Ward's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreShitali Malviya's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Jake Ward

Shitali Malviya

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 ScoreShitali Malviya's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJake Ward's LinkedIn Performance