FAQ’S

Frequently Asked Questions

From how I work to what’s included in my services, here are the answers to some of the questions I’m asked most often.

What is SEO?

  • SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the process of improving your website so it appears more prominently in search engines like Google when people are searching for products, services, or information related to your business.

    Good SEO helps your website attract organic traffic naturally, without relying entirely on paid advertising. It combines content, technical improvements, user experience, keyword targeting, and authority-building to help search engines better understand your website and who it should be shown to.

    At Auburn Stories, SEO is approached with a strong focus on people-first content and long-term growth rather than quick wins or outdated tactics.

  • SEO helps your business get discovered online by the people already searching for what you offer. Whether you run a local business, an ecommerce store, or a service-based brand, strong SEO can help increase visibility, website traffic, enquiries, and sales over time.

    Unlike paid ads, SEO continues working long after content has been published. A well-optimised website can generate consistent traffic for months or even years, making it one of the most valuable long-term digital marketing strategies available.

  • Search engines use algorithms to understand, organise, and rank websites based on relevance and quality. SEO helps improve the signals that search engines look for when deciding where your website should appear in search results.

    This includes:

    • Creating useful, high-quality content

    • Targeting relevant keywords

    • Improving website speed and technical performance

    • Building internal links

    • Earning backlinks from trusted websites

    • Creating a positive user experience

    SEO is not about tricking search engines - it’s about making your website genuinely helpful, trustworthy, and easy to understand.

  • GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimisation - although you may also hear terms like AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation), AIO (AI Optimisation), AI SEO, or AI Search Optimisation used interchangeably across the industry.

    Put simply, they all refer to optimising your content for AI-powered search experiences and conversational search tools like OpenAI ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and other generative search platforms.

    As search behaviour evolves, people are increasingly receiving direct AI-generated answers rather than simply clicking through traditional search results. GEO focuses on helping your content become more visible, understandable, and trustworthy within these emerging search experiences through strong content, clear structure, topical authority, and genuinely useful information.

  • Traditional SEO focuses on improving rankings in search engine results pages, while GEO focuses on improving visibility in AI-generated answers and conversational search experiences.

    The two work closely together. Strong SEO foundations - including quality content, topical authority, technical optimisation, and trust signals - are also incredibly important for GEO. Rather than replacing SEO, GEO is becoming an extension of it.

  • Absolutely. While search engines and AI experiences are evolving quickly, SEO remains one of the most effective long-term marketing channels for sustainable growth.

    People still search for products, services, recommendations, and advice every single day. Businesses that invest in high-quality content, strong website experiences, and trustworthy brands are still seeing excellent results from SEO.

    The biggest difference now is that SEO is becoming more human-focused than ever before.

  • SEO is a long-term strategy rather than a quick fix. Some improvements can happen within a few weeks, especially from technical updates or content optimisation, but meaningful growth often takes between 3–6 months or longer.

    The timeline depends on factors such as:

    • Your industry competition

    • The age and authority of your website

    • Your existing content

    • Your website’s technical health

    • How consistently SEO work is being carried out

    SEO is best viewed as building long-term momentum rather than chasing instant results.

  • No ethical SEO strategist can guarantee first-page rankings because search engines constantly update their algorithms and rankings are influenced by many factors outside anyone’s direct control.

    However, a strong SEO strategy can significantly improve your visibility, traffic, and opportunities for growth over time.

    Be cautious of anyone promising guaranteed rankings - especially within unrealistic timeframes.

  • AI tools like ChatGPT can absolutely be helpful for brainstorming ideas, understanding SEO basics, or supporting parts of the research process - but they can’t replace a thoughtful, tailored SEO strategy built around your specific business, audience, and goals.

    A proper SEO audit looks beyond surface-level recommendations. It involves understanding your website performance, user behaviour, content quality, search intent, technical setup, competition, and the wider opportunities available within your industry.

    AI can support the process, but strategy still needs human insight, experience, and context to turn information into meaningful action.

SEO Services

  • At Auburn Stories, I offer three core services designed to help businesses improve their visibility online in a way that feels clear, strategic, and manageable.

    One-Off SEO Audit & Strategy

    A deep dive into your website and current SEO performance, designed to uncover opportunities, identify issues, and give you a clear roadmap for growth.

    Perfect if you need clarity, direction, and actionable recommendations without committing to ongoing support.

    Ongoing SEO Services

    Flexible monthly SEO support tailored to your business goals. This includes ongoing strategy, optimisation, content support, GEO recommendations, and hands-on SEO work designed to support sustainable, long-term growth over time.

    Ad-Hoc SEO Content Writing

    Thoughtful, search-focused content writing for businesses that need flexible support creating blog posts, landing pages, website copy, or optimised content updates. Everything is written with both people and search visibility in mind.

    All services are tailored to your business rather than built around rigid, one-size-fits-all packages.

  • No. All strategy and content work is completed personally to ensure consistency, quality, and a genuinely collaborative approach.

    Working directly together also means communication stays simple and recommendations remain tailored to your business rather than templated.

  • The process always starts with a conversation.

    Once you get in touch, we’ll chat about your business, current challenges, goals, and where you feel you need support. From there, I’ll recommend the best next steps based on what actually makes sense for your business - whether that’s a one-off audit, ongoing support, or content help.

    The aim is always to keep things clear, collaborative, and straightforward from the beginning.

  • Pricing depends on the type of support you need, the size of your website, and the scope of the work involved.

    I currently offer three ongoing SEO packages designed around different levels of support and business needs, with flexibility to tailor each one depending on your goals and priorities.

    One-off SEO audits are priced separately, as these depend on the size, complexity, and requirements of your website.

  • Yes - ongoing SEO support is available for businesses looking for consistent, long-term growth.

    This can include strategy, content support, optimisation, keyword research, GEO improvements, and ongoing recommendations to help improve visibility over time. Support is flexible and tailored around your business priorities.

    Check out my packages here.

  • Absolutely. Not every business needs monthly SEO support.

    One-off projects are ideal if you’re looking for clarity, a strategy to follow, content support, or help with a specific challenge without committing to ongoing work.

  • Yes - a lot of the businesses I work with are small businesses, independent brands, or growing companies looking for practical, realistic SEO support.

    The focus is always on creating strategies that feel achievable, sustainable, and aligned with your business goals.

  • I’ve worked across a range of industries over the past 10+ years, including travel, tourism, outdoor brands, hospitality, family brands, lifestyle businesses, nurseries, fitness, and charities.

    That said, good SEO is ultimately about understanding people, search behaviour, and content strategy - so the principles can work across many industries.

  • Yes - while I’m based in Chester, I work with businesses across the UK and beyond.

    Most communication and collaboration happens online, making it easy to work flexibly with businesses wherever they’re based.

SEO Audit FAQs

  • An SEO audit is a deep dive into your website to understand what’s working, what’s not, and where the opportunities are. I’ll look at things like your content, technical setup, keywords, and overall performance in search.

  • You’ll get a clear, easy-to-follow report with actionable recommendations - no fluff, no jargon. I’ll prioritise what matters most so you know exactly where to focus.

  • This depends on the size of your site, but most audits are completed within 4-6 weeks.

  • The audit itself is focused on insight and strategy. If you’d like support implementing the recommendations, we can absolutely discuss ongoing SEO support.

  • An audit gives you the roadmap - results come from implementing the changes. Some improvements can have a quick impact, while others take time to build.

  • 100% Yes.

    In fact, it’s often one of the best places to start. It helps you avoid wasting time on the wrong things and gives you clarity on what will actually drive results.

On-Going SEO Services

  • Essentials typically includes around 6–8 hours, Growth around 12–15 hours, and Authority around 18–22 hours.

    But honestly - you’re not buying hours, you’re buying outcomes.

    The time simply reflects the level of work involved and the size or complexity of your website.

    What really matters is that we’re focusing on the right things to move your SEO forward and get results.

  • If we’re working together on an ongoing basis, yes - everything starts with a full audit and strategy in month one.

    It means we’re not guessing or jumping straight into tasks. Instead, we’re building your SEO on a solid foundation and focusing on what will actually make a difference.

    If you’d prefer to implement things yourself, you can also book the audit as a one-off.

  • SEO isn’t an overnight fix - but it is worth it.

    Most businesses start to see improvements within 3–6 months, depending on your website, industry, and starting point.

    The real value comes from building steady, long-term growth that keeps working for you.

  • Yes - all packages require a 6 month commitment.

    This gives us enough time to implement changes, create content, and start seeing meaningful results. SEO works best when it’s consistent.

  • I mainly work with small businesses, founders, and growing brands - especially those who want a straightforward, no-jargon approach to SEO.

    If that sounds like you, we’ll likely be a good fit.

  • You might have seen people talking about AI SEO, AIO, or GEO - but really, it’s just about making sure your website can show up in AI-generated answers (like Google’s AI Overviews or tools like ChatGPT).

    The good news? It’s not a completely separate thing.

    The fundamentals are the same as good SEO has always been — clear, well-structured content, useful information, and a website that’s set up properly.

    If your SEO is done well (which is exactly what I focus on), you’re already putting yourself in a strong position to be included in these newer types of search results.

    So no - it’s not something you need to worry about separately or pay extra for. It’s simply part of doing SEO properly today.

  • Yes.

    Search is evolving, and I’ll make sure your content is structured in a way that works not just for Google, but for emerging AI-driven search experiences too.

  • That’s completely fine - most people don’t (and shouldn’t have to).

    I keep everything clear, simple, and jargon-free, so you always understand what we’re doing and why.

  • The best place to start is by getting in touch.

    From there, we can chat about your business, where you’re at, and which option makes the most sense for you.

SEO Content Writing

  • SEO content writing is about creating content that’s designed to rank in search engines and genuinely connect with your audience.

    It’s not just about keywords - SEO has evolved. It’s about producing useful, engaging content that answers real questions and delivers real value.

  • I specialise in website content, landing pages, and blog posts - all written with SEO best practice in mind.

  • Yes! That’s a big part of the process. I take the time to understand your tone of voice so the content feels like you, not generic SEO copy.

  • Yes. Keyword research is built into the process to ensure your content is targeting the right terms. I’ll also carry out competitor analysis to understand what’s already performing well in your space, so we can create content that stands out and competes effectively.

  • Turnaround times depend on the scope, but most pieces are delivered within 5–7 working days.

  • Absolutely. If you’ve already got content that’s underperforming, I can refresh and optimise it to give it a better chance of ranking and connecting with your audience.

  • Pricing starts from £100 per page. I offer flexible, ad hoc support, so there’s no need to commit to an ongoing contract - you can get support as and when you need it.

Let’s Work Together

If you’re ready to grow your website traffic, improve your visibility, and create content that truly connects with your audience - I’d love to help.