Ecommerce, SEO & growth consultancy
Your next sale depends on more than another campaign. I help ecommerce and service businesses improve how customers find them, choose them and come back. SEO, conversion, email and practical AI, with hands-on delivery.
Find what’s costing you customers.
Free first conversation. One challenge. A practical next step.
US$1.5M Approx. own-business revenue · 2017–2023 The experience behind it
Website, SEO & growth management
B2B enquiry journeys
Magento ecommerce operations
Ecommerce & technical SEOThe experience behind the advice
The website, the marketing and the operation have to work together. I’ve been responsible for all three.
US$1.5MApprox. revenue from my own portfolio
2017–2023
1,250,000+Leads accumulated in my own database
I built a finance-publishing and lead-generation business across four countries. SEO, email, a custom CRM and a remote team made it work. Its decline taught me what overdependence on one channel can cost.
Read the full story, including the setbacksOwn-business figures. Revenue is cumulative for the period shown; the lead count covers the accumulated database.
Home of Wool / In-house role
Website and SEO management for a WooCommerce business: customer journeys, product-page clarity, technical SEO, merchandising, agency briefs and delivery priorities.
My role: website, SEO and digital growth management.
SOLAL & Juniva / In-house roles
Magento ecommerce operations, product and customer-data migration, payment integration, technical SEO and coordination between developers and day-to-day business operations.
My role: website management, ecommerce operations and technical SEO.
THE REPUTATION / CLIENTS & COLLEAGUES
Clients and colleagues on the commercial thinking, communication and delivery behind the work.
Alex is incredibly talented. We were regularly surprised at the quality of work that he was consistently able to deliver.
On time. On budget.
“The result is a website, user interface and SEO strategy I’m delighted with, on time and on budget.”
The kind of trust that gets passed on.
“I have, and will continue to refer business to him.”
View my LinkedIn profile (opens a new tab) · Full recommendations remain below.
Worked together · LinkedIn recommendation
Alex is incredibly talented. We were regularly surprised at the quality of work that he was consistently able to deliver. What was refreshing was how he took the initiative to determine how his given projects fitted into the macro focus of the group, and adjusted accordingly of his own volition. He is reliable, goal-orientated and is not afraid to think outside of the proverbial box.
Client · LinkedIn recommendation
Alex built a very attractive website promoting one of my businesses. Alex was a pleasure to deal with, understood my requirements immediately and implemented a very stable Silverstripe site well within the time frame. No hesitation in recommending him.
Colin Thomson, Aurum fine Jewellery Ltd
Client · LinkedIn recommendation
After receiving proposals from multiple suppliers, we selected Ardent Interactive and we are thrilled with the end result. Alex worked with us to develop a website that we are proud to drive traffic to. I have, and will continue to refer business to him.
Client · LinkedIn recommendation
I was recommended to Alex by a good friend who had worked with him previously and who knew I wanted a new website, content management system and help with SEO to improve customer traffic...but wanted it all on a tight budget.
From our first meeting Alex was enthusiastic and passionate about the project and made a genuine effort to understand the intricacies of my business. Alex quickly came up with a design concept that was professional but accessible and ideal for my customers. Deadlines were met unfailingly and he was always available to answer my queries or reassure me of progress.
The result is a website, user interface and SEO strategy I'm delighted with, on time and on budget. I heartily recommend Alex to any organisation that wants creative, expert and excellent value website solutions.
Worked together · LinkedIn recommendation
Alex is a skilled designer with a good eye for detail and consistency. He is experienced in user interface design, and works well with the development team to produce great software.
Client · LinkedIn recommendation
Alex is a joy to work with. He is creative, skilled and a great guy. I wish him every success.
Collaborated across companies · LinkedIn recommendation
Ardent proved to be a pleasure to work with, their ideas and creativity were endless whilst brainstorming the new re-design. Their online project management solution allowed us to always be in the loop, monitoring their progress all every step of the way.We will definitely work with the Ardent team again. Thank you for your great service!
Client · LinkedIn recommendation
I have worked with Alex on several web design and development projects and have always found him to be very reliable, able to gain a quick understanding of the brief and deliver to tight deadlines. His creative concepts consistently match my business needs and deliver the look and feel I want to achieve. Alex demonstrates good, clear communication skills, regularly providing updates on progress and asking all the questions he needs to. I enjoy working with Alex and will continue to do so.
Client · LinkedIn recommendation
We have worked with Alex on a number of projects and each time we have been highly impressed with his professionalism, creativity and motivation. His ideas have made a significant impact on our creative thinking and his delivery on schedule and within budget have provided us with a completely stress free project environment. We look forward to working with him again in the near future and would unreservedly recommend him to any company requiring his services.
Worked together · LinkedIn recommendation
Alexander was an excellent web designer and team player. He got on really well with all his colleagues at iSite and was very focussed on his tasks. He dealt with iSite's clients with the ut-most professionalism. He will be a great asset to any company that hires him.
Client · LinkedIn recommendation
Alex has done work for ZORB numerous times and we've always had great results. Alex has completed print, branding and web development work for us.
Worked together · LinkedIn recommendation
Alex is an exceptional GUI and graphics designer. I was teamed with Alex on several projects where I was primarily responsible for the Business Analysis and he was creating software interfaces and artwork. He consistently produced quality outputs that fitted with the corporate guidelines and aligned perfectly with functional specifications. He generally understands business drivers extremely well, and is not afraid to seek confirmation of expected system dynamics if there is any uncertainty. His UI design flair is an extremely rare combination of art and science resulting in software interfaces that look great and can perform well for the user.
During the time we worked together he also made a huge impact on the company’s branding, giving the start-up business a much more professional look, following a theme of “Bleeding Edge Software Development”. As the company's webmaster, Alex totally revamped the look, content and refined SEO of all online marketing collateral. He also updated the templates for business documents, presentations, marketing material, etc. In addition to having excellent business and design skills, Alex has been a great team player. He eagerly participates with the other members of the team, sharing his ideas and expertise. He was always ready to jump in anywhere help was needed. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Alex to any prospective employer. He would be great asset to any company.
YOUR BUSINESS. OUR NEXT CONVERSATION.
See what working together could look like.
01 / Built for growth
For businesses with something to sell and a customer journey to improve. Start with one commercial problem; we’ll agree the work, the owner and the measure of progress.
Start where intent breaks down: the offer, product page, landing page, enquiry form or checkout. I assess the journey, prioritise the friction and lead focused improvements before you commit to a bigger rebuild.
The work: A prioritised conversion review, page and checkout improvements, landing pages or microsites, and a measurement plan tied to sales or qualified enquiries.
Let’s talk about ecommerce & conversionTechnical SEO, content and digital PR help the right people find you. Campaign landing pages and email journeys carry that interest forward. I coordinate the channels, briefs and follow-up so acquisition and retention work towards the same commercial goal.
The work: Technical SEO priorities, content and internal-linking improvements, digital PR planning, paid-search and performance-marketing coordination, email journeys and lead-generation funnels.
Let’s talk about customer acquisition & retentionStart with one process: handling enquiries, researching content, supporting customers or coordinating outreach. I map the inputs, tools, handovers and human checks, then define how we will assess usefulness, accuracy and time saved.
The work: A workflow assessment, practical AI and automation briefs, review controls, implementation coordination and search / AI-discovery readiness.
Let’s talk about AI & workflow planningI help owners and teams decide what deserves investment, turn it into an actionable brief and coordinate the agreed delivery. Your existing developers, agencies and specialists can stay involved, with responsibilities and progress made explicit.
The work: A ranked opportunity plan, scoped projects, team and agency coordination, delivery milestones and reporting against an agreed baseline.
Let’s talk about growth strategy & deliveryOne project. A bigger ambition.
Let’s make the next investment count.
02 / Your free growth consultation
A free conversation about one business challenge. We identify a sensible starting point, the evidence still needed and whether I’m the right person to help.
Your website. One challenge. The outcome you want.
A starting priority, questions to resolve and a clear next step.
A conversation. Paid work only after an agreed scope and fee.
Tell me what you sell, who buys it and where progress has stalled. Your website and the numbers you already use are enough to start the conversation.
We identify a first priority, what needs checking and how we would judge progress. You leave knowing what the next decision is, even if we do not work together.
If there’s a fit, I set out the paid work, responsibilities, deliverables and fee separately. You decide whether to proceed once those are clear.
I’m Alexander Balanoff. I’ve run the websites, built the lead platform, hired the team and carried the commercial risk. My own publishing portfolio generated approximately US$1.5 million in revenue between 2017 and 2023. I’ve also managed ecommerce and SEO for Home of Wool, SOLAL and Juniva. You work with the person who connects the commercial decision to the work it takes to deliver it.
How I work
03 / Before we get to work
What the work involves, how we’ll make decisions and what you can expect from the first conversation.
Find my next growth moveThe strongest fit is a business already selling a product or service, with traffic, enquiries or customers to learn from. I work across ecommerce, services and B2B. Bring a commercial problem and the appetite to act on it. The first conversation establishes whether my experience matches what you need.
I review your goal and reply by email about fit and a time to talk. We agree the consultation time together. Bring your website, one challenge and any relevant figures. The first conversation is free; a detailed audit or implementation project is scoped separately.
The answer can sit in the audience, the offer or the buying journey. I look at how visitors arrive, what they see and where they leave. We use that evidence to prioritise changes to product pages, landing pages, forms or checkout, with sales or qualified enquiries as the measure.
We should understand what the existing spend produces first. Lead quality, conversion, margins and follow-up matter alongside clicks. If the destination is wasting demand, improving it may be a better first investment than buying more visitors.
Often, yes. Crawlability, page structure, internal links, content quality and performance can be improved within an existing platform. I assess the constraints first and separate useful technical changes from a rebuild that the business may not need.
A page is one part of the commercial job. Someone still has to understand the customer, choose the offer, connect the systems and judge the result. I use AI where it helps production or operations, while taking responsibility for the agreed priorities and delivery.
Yes. I can lead a defined project, translate commercial goals into briefs or coordinate the people already delivering. We agree decision-making, responsibilities and reporting at the start so the work has a clear owner.
Yes. A focused conversion review, technical SEO project, email journey, landing page or automation brief can be a useful starting point. The scope should be small enough to manage and important enough to assess. Ongoing support can follow when it serves the business.
The fee follows the scope, responsibilities and complexity. Tell me your constraints early. I’ll outline what is included, what would need separate approval and how we will assess the work before you commit to paid delivery.
We agree the baseline and commercial measure before starting: sales, qualified enquiries, repeat purchases or time spent on a recurring task. We review those figures alongside cost, seasonality and other changes so an improvement is interpreted in context.
Search results, demand and sales depend on factors beyond one person’s control. What I can commit to is an agreed scope, clear responsibilities, transparent reporting and decisions tied to evidence. We define the objective and evaluate the work against it.
For the first conversation, your website and a description of the challenge are enough. If we agree paid work, we identify the access needed for that scope, such as analytics, Search Console or the website. Access is arranged through the relevant account rather than sending passwords in the enquiry form.
Your move.
Put the next investment behind a clear priority. Tell me where growth is getting stuck; let’s work out what deserves action.
Optional Google Analytics measures visits and interactions. It stays off unless you accept.
Your free growth consultation
Tell me what’s holding back growth. I’ll reply by email to discuss fit and arrange a time to talk.
Prefer a call? +359 88 7461044
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