I’m an online marketing specialist based in Portsmouth, Hampshire. This site is designed to help you learn a little more about me, to exhibit my work and hobbies. I’m known online under the aliases moonklash and Stuseo (Stu + SEO).
Summary
I’m currently Head of CRO at the Performance division of GAIN, having previously run this service at Vertical Leap
I joined Vertical Leap in 2010 as an organic search marketing specialist. In June 2013, I left to manage the SEO services at Folk Digital in Poole but returned a year later. In 2020 I became Head of CRO at Vertical Leap. In 2025, Vertical Leap became GAIN. Prior to Vertical Leap / GAIN, I supported the Email Reaction email marketing platform at Smart Focus (now owned by Actito).
I have worked my through various internet related environments and acquired a unique collection of skills. Having a background in creative, technical and marketing sectors helps me determine not only what marketing activities are needed, but also if they are possible and how to achieve them. With content being the key to an effective online marketing campaign my interests in video production, graphic design are an added bonus.
Biography
My experience in digital media began in 1997. I developed an interest in multimedia authoring including graphic design, digital video, website design and 3D. My professional life focused on the technical aspects of online marketing including support, email marketing and search engine marketing. My creative projects still occasionally continue both for work and regularly as a hobby, and you can watch some of my earlier projects on this website.
I worked for a number of years at SAQ, an independent internet service provider where I offered technical support and design services. Following this I joined the Email Reaction division of Smart Focus who developed a software as a solution (SaaS) email marketing platform.
I started at Email Reaction in a support role, however I soon began to specialise in email deliverability, analysing problems with campaign broadcasts that were preventing emails from reaching their intended destinations. It was also my responsibility to investigate and report bugs within the user interface.
In 2010 I joined Vertical Leap as an SEO specialist in the SMB department. In this role I specialised in improving the online performance of start-ups, small businesses and niche websites through ethical SEO, social networking and online marketing. In November 2011 I joined the full service SEO team, where I project managed larger campaigns where there were no limits to the number of hours spent on campaigns each month.
In 2013 I joined Folk Digital in Poole as the company SEO Manager where my work involved optimising client websites and putting in place processes to ensure future web development projects were built in a search friendly manner.
In 2014, I returned to Vertical Leap, taking with me a range of new skills and experience. I joined the SMB SEO team where I concentrated on SEO for small businesses, with specialisms in technical SEO, WordPress and the Property Sector. I also branched out, become responsible for data analysis and developing interactive reports for the department using Looker Studio.
In 2020, I became the head of the Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) service at Vertical Leap. This involved growing the department and developing the service. I still retain a SEO portfolio and find the two areas work well together. In 2025, Vertical Leap became GAIN. I also still develop Looker Studio reports for use by various teams within GAIN.