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On-Page SEO Link Building Digital PR AEO / AI Search About Dan
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17+ Years in Search Marketing

Uplift Your AEO & SEO Results & Revenue

I help brands build stronger organic rankings and AI visibility through high-authority link building, digital PR and AI search optimisation.

Dan Hawkins, founder of Hawk Marketing and search consultant

Core Expertise

Strategic Acquisition Pillars

AI

AI Search

Optimise your brand’s footprint to earn more citations and recommendations from AI models, while strengthening how those models describe you.

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PR

Digital PR & Outreach

Earn high-authority media placements that lift rankings and AI recommendations at the same time, while building real brand trust.

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LB

Link Building

Outreach to the relevant, high-authority sites that AI models already cite in your niche — backlinks that lift both SEO and AEO rankings, at lower cost than an agency.

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The Hawk Advantage

Stop Buying Links.
Start Earning Citations.

Why traditional link building is dead, and how the AI-Authority model secures your future in both organic and AI search.

The “Link List” Trap

01

Toxic Sources

Relies on bought backlink lists, often padded with link farms and PBNs that search algorithms eventually devalue — wasting your budget.

02

Volume over Value

Chases raw quantity and outdated metrics like Domain Authority, which carry no topical relevance and pass little real ranking value.

AI Impact: Zero

AI models like ChatGPT and Gemini don’t cite low-quality link-farm sources, so your brand stays invisible to the agentic web.

The AI-Authority Model

01

Seed Site Discovery

Custom Python scripts identify the exact sites currently cited as authorities by AI models in your niche.

02

Manual Vetting

I filter for real human traffic and editorial integrity, securing links that build real brand trust.

AI Impact: Maximum

Placements on the sites AI already trusts make your brand the recommended answer in future LLM responses.

“One Link. Two Wins.”

I secure placements on the sites the algorithms already trust — driving your traditional rankings up while cementing your brand in the AI answers of tomorrow.

SEO Ranking Boost AI Search Discovery

Strategic Differentiation

The Deep Dives

How does your link building differ from a standard SEO agency?+

Most agencies work from “link lists,” and because they rarely gatekeep who they sell to, search engines like Google eventually devalue those links. The sites may show decent vanity metrics like Domain Authority, but they pass little ranking value: wrong niche, poor content, and a link shoe-horned in. Many are part of PBNs or link farms that don’t rank for anything or hold a real audience, and modern search engines recognise and discount them. My approach is different — I don’t use lists. I use Python-driven analysis to identify the exact sites currently cited by AI models (Gemini, GPT, Perplexity, Claude) in your niche, then earn placements on those “seed sites.” That satisfies traditional SEO and builds your AEO authority at the same time.

Why is SEO and AEO alignment critical for 2026?+

Traditional SEO is about ranking in a list of blue links, but search behaviour is shifting toward answer engines. If your brand isn’t in the model’s citation pool, you’re invisible to a fast-growing share of users. My dual-track approach keeps you dominant in traditional search while making you a recommended source in AI-generated answers.

How does a legal background improve SEO performance?+

In regulated industries like iGaming, most SEOs guess at compliance. As a dual-qualified Barrister & Solicitor, I read Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines the way I’d read a legal framework — precisely. That lets me build E-E-A-T strategies that are both legally defensible and algorithmically robust.

Do you rely on standard tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush?+

I use them for baseline data, but standard tools lag the AI-search reality by months. My edge is custom Python scripts and n8n workflows that read real-time LLM outputs to see who is actually winning “share of model.” I don’t just track rankings — I track referential authority.

What is your experience in high-competition iGaming?+

I led organic acquisition for Lottoland across multiple English-speaking markets — the UK, Ireland, Malta, India and Canada — owning monthly budgets of up to €70,000 and navigating some of the most aggressive, heavily regulated search environments anywhere. This isn’t theory; it’s a track record built on high-integrity acquisition rather than volume.

How do you combat AI content spam in your strategy?+

Google and the LLMs now reward information gain — new, unique facts not found elsewhere. From years working alongside editorial teams in digital publishing, I move clients away from commodity content toward research-backed assets that AI models are compelled to cite as primary sources.

How do you handle large-scale technical audits without manual delay?+

I’m an IBM-certified AI Developer, so instead of manual spreadsheets I deploy custom AI agents to monitor technical health, schema accuracy and competitor movements around the clock. That frees my consulting hours for high-level strategy and high-impact outreach.

What does success look like in your model?+

Success isn’t ranking #1 for a vanity term. It’s incremental organic revenue and share of model. My reporting ties AEO and SEO work directly to depositors and customers, so every pound of budget is measurably outperforming the competition’s traditional spend.

Ready to Scale?

Get in touch to discuss your strategy.

I take on a small number of clients at a time. Tell me what you’re trying to grow and we’ll see if it’s a fit.