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.

UbaidDesigns

75% People Confuse this:
Branding ≠ Content Creation.

Instead content is a sub-part of your branding.

Personal Brand = Trust
Personal Brand = Credibility 
Personal Brand = Authenticity.

And creating content strategically makes your brand stand out by emphasizing all 03.

What do I specialise in:

I help founders and creators with scaleable, unique, and fingerprint brand design.

I have spent 700+ hours exploring LinkedIn.

- 364K+ Impressions 
- 6x Post Comments
- 5x Post Reactions 

And that all in just 90 days, which means $10K+ saved.

📌DM me "BRAND" or click the link in the bio to get started.

Design Coach and Consultant

Creative Designer

Link Up

Hand-picked designer by Jasmin Alić for his exclusive community ۔

In-house Design Expert

Paradigm

Crafted visually compelling designs tailored for App and Web applications. 

My collaboration with cross-functional teams was marked by a commitment to preserving brand integrity and delivering pixel-perfect final products. 

Worked on emerging design technologies, including AR and VR, allowed me to bring innovation to each project.

Visual Designer

Self employed

Developed a distinct photographic style, blending technical expertise with an artistic eye to deliver visually stunning results.Demonstrated creativity not just in capturing moments but also in post-processing, consistently exceeding client expectations.

Photographer

Moms on Maternity

Collaborated closely with stakeholders, translating project goals into design strategies that resonated with target audiences. Successfully managed a diverse portfolio of design projects concurrently, showcasing adept project management skills.

Lead Designer

Envison Fashion

→ Conducted data driven user research, utilizing A/B testing to unearth actionable insights.

→ Analyzed user feedback and data with precision, identifying nuanced patterns and opportunities for product enhancement.

→ Worked collaboratively with design and development teams, implementing user-centric solutions that bridged the gap between user needs and business goals.

→ Contributed significantly to persona development, user journey mapping, and the creation of insightful wireframes.

Research Associate

Ideal Solutions Pvt Ltd

→ Produced visually striking graphics, specializing in digital marketing and social media.

→ Applied brand guidelines with finesse, ensuring a consistent visual identity across diverse projects.

→ Collaborated seamlessly with marketing teams, translating conceptual ideas into captivating visual narratives.

→ Stayed on the cutting edge of design software and industry trends, incorporating new techniques to enhance design efficiency and creativity.

Graphic Designer

Transforming LinkedIn Profiles into High-Converting Landing Pages | Visual Strategist | Design Consultant | 270+ Happy Clients | Google Certified UXer | EU Aspirant ✈️

Eat. Sleep. Design. Repeat.

Scroll to my recommendations to see the proof.

Currently open to working student roles inside Germany.

Ubaid Ur Rehman

I'm 26. Pakistani. Selectively Introvert.

In 2025, I traveled to 6 countries.

This number was ZERO until June.

Even last year, my visa application was rejected for a stage talk in Denmark. 

The only reason: My Pakistani Passport.

But there's "Khayr" in every delay.

This year alone has brought so many good things.

Including seeing my most favorite LinkedIn humans in person. Bosnia trip. And hugs from Jasmin.

All this while being me. Real and raw.

I might not have gained tons of followers.

But the trust, love, and respect. Alhumdulillah.

Still the same boy from Pakistan.

Now with stories across borders.

Thank you, everyone.

With love, Ubaid ❤️.

Ubaid Ur Rehman 

It's been 5 years since I started freelancing.

At the start, it felt good. 

New phone. New studio. New gadgets.

I was buying all the stuff I ever wanted.

High dopamine and life on steroids.

Until I found myself locked in a room.

A room full of gadgets with no life.

No friends. No hugs. No laughter.

Something similar to postpartum depression.

And that day I decided to break the loop. 

Spent more time in nature. 
Started hanging out with friends. 
Slowly, I started feeling like myself again.

What I needed was not more work.

It was more life between the work.

No deadline is worth your sanity.

Live. Not just exist.

If you don’t get content ideas. Listen to this.

This is the simplest way I personally use.

The issue is not in how you do it.

It's in how you imagine it.

You believe content is created. You think you have to invent something new every time you sit down to write a post.

Next comes an unending loop of procrastination.

Result: another day of no content. 0% progress.

Imagine it the other way around.

What if you start "collecting content"?

Every 5-second screenshot in your life.

In your DMs, comments, circles, keynotes, and experience.

Every insight is a content piece.

Collect. Frame. Publish.

Result: 0.01% better every time you hit "publish".

2026 is in 36 days.

The earlier you start, the better it is.

156 days since I landed in Germany.

Not all, but top of the list stuff.

1. €58/month to go anywhere? Deutschland ticket.
2. ChatGPT + YT are turning me into a chef.
3. Germans are not easy to be friends with.
4. Delayed trains are normal. Be prepped.
5. Wear anything. No one will judge you.
6. Learning Deutsch is a full-time job.
7. Winters are scary without friends.

No. 3 and 7 are red alerts for me now.

I'm sure it will get better with time.

PS. Feels like I’ve lived a whole year in these 156 days.

taplio

The Battle

Jake Ward

Ubaid Ur Rehman

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taplio

The Battle

Jake Ward

Ubaid Ur Rehman

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

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Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJake Ward's LinkedIn Performance