Entity Profile · Person
Bradley Leese
Senior Technical SEO & AI‑SEO/GEO Lead — turning technical SEO and Generative Engine Optimization into pipeline for B2B teams.
Summary
Twenty-year SEO veteran and organic traffic expert who has worked in the trenches with Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies, Inc. 5000 businesses, and startups — taming out-of-control organic traffic, cultivating brand awareness, and building communities of faithful devotees.
Today, that work centers on turning Technical SEO and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) into pipeline. Core focus: AI-SEO maturity scoring and playbooks across OpenAI ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, and DeepSeek; site architecture (physical and virtual), content categorization, and redirect/migration governance; GA4/GSC source-of-truth analytics; and cross-channel execution spanning Executive, IT, DevOps, Web Dev, SEO, GEO, Vendor, Data Analytics, and Paid teams. The operating mode is student-first — rapid prototyping of tools, methods, and frameworks — paired with a futurist, big-picture lens, so bottom-up fixes ladder up to strategy.
Experience
Present
Senior Technical SEO & AI‑SEO/GEO Lead
DirectiveGroup Digital Marketing Agency
Kingman, AZ
- Own enterprise technical SEO, AI-SEO maturity audits, and GEO strategy across multiple brands; translate findings into developer-ready tickets and executive roadmaps.
- Built an AI-SEO Maturity framework across 8+ models (Gemini, Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, DeepSeek, Google AI, Bing AI) to benchmark branded/non-branded visibility and guide content, schema, and IA.
- Designed site architecture and canonical policies (protocol/host/trailing-slash/lowercase), IndexNow and LLMs.txt adoption, robots.txt parity, and XML sitemap standards.
- Drove Core Web Vitals improvements via performance budgets, caching/header hygiene, image/video handling, and template refactors; integrated CrUX and PSI guardrails into QA.
- Implemented large-scale redirect programs and consolidation with collision checks, analytics annotations, and post-cutover monitoring.
- Led log-driven diagnostics and WAF/rate-limit policies to reduce bot noise while preserving good traffic.
- Standardized Organization/Website/WebPage/Breadcrumb/LocalBusiness/Product/VideoObject schema, lifting AI Overview/answer capture and rich-result eligibility.
- Built executive reporting tying AI search visibility and classic SEO to pipeline, with weekly status, risk flags, and before/after deltas.
Jul 2023
Senior SEO Content Analyst
Advanced Recovery Systems, LLC
Orlando, FL
- Planned and implemented local and national SEO campaigns to improve site traffic, rankings, and conversion rates.
- Managed keyword ranking campaigns, audited competitor sites, and partnered with technical teams on on-page and off-page strategy.
- Wrote SEO-friendly content, built content calendars, and ran on-page audits — while adhering to HIPAA guidelines and regulations.
Oct 2022
Senior SEO Analyst
Leverage Marketing
Austin, TX
- Strategized SEO campaigns spanning high-quality unique content, site-architecture optimization, site speed, and link acquisition.
- A mid-level client saw a 76.5% increase in goal completions from architecture improvements and consistent content expansion.
Apr 2021
Advanced SEO Specialist
Ark Behavioral Health
Glendale, CA
- SEO team lead for an inpatient and residential drug detox and rehab center.
- Acquired new qualified leads by driving organic traffic through content siloing, high-quality content, and link acquisition.
- New website saw 3,300% organic traffic growth within six months on forward-thinking, white-hat strategy.
May 2020
President
Search Strategy
Thousand Oaks, CA
- SEO strategy, content strategy, technical SEO, and link-acquisition strategy for client engagements.
- Site audits and link audits (pruning and disavows); WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal development; site-speed optimization.
Mar 2020
Search Engine Optimization Manager
Scale Media, Inc.
Sherman Oaks, CA
- In-house SEO manager for a health and beauty DTC company, delivering content, on-page, and off-page strategy.
- Launched a 200+ page health-guide strategy that reversed a YMYL content penalty and recovered organic traffic.
Nov 2018
SEO Project Manager (Contract)
Playboy Enterprises, Inc.
Los Angeles, CA
- Contributed to large-scale, forward-thinking white-hat SEO campaigns with cross-functional teams.
- Delivered a 200% organic traffic boost after removing a negative SEO attack.
Apr 2018
Senior SEO Consultant
Bruce Clay, Inc.
Simi Valley, CA
- Ran and maintained multiple SEO projects in a fast-paced team environment, coordinating developers, designers, marketers, and executives.
- Client projects averaged 400% growth from forward-thinking, white-hat strategy.
Jan 2017
Senior Manager, Earned Media
The Search Agency
Greater Los Angeles Area
- Senior account manager at a mid-sized LA agency servicing Fortune 500 clients on white-hat SEO.
- Led strategy and presented findings to senior executives; a 50-million-page client saw +200% organic traffic in 12 months.
Jul 2015
Senior SEO Manager
Wpromote
El Segundo, CA
- Collaborated with designers, marketers, and executives to grow organic traffic and goal completions via advanced, white-hat SEO practice.
Jun 2014
Senior Consultant → Senior SEO Analyst (11 years)
Bruce Clay, Inc.
Simi Valley, CA
- Led multi-year Fortune 50 and Fortune 100 engagements, coordinating client developers, designers, marketers, and executives.
- Client projects averaged 400% growth in organic traffic, goal completions, and revenue.
Earlier career — 1996 – 2003
Skills & Industries
Top skills
- Management Consulting
- Strategic Planning
- Site Architecture
- A/B Testing Mastery
- User Research
Technical
- AJAX
- CSS
- HTML/XHTML
- JavaScript
- Python
- PHP
- XML/XSL
- MySQL
- SQL
- AIX/Linux/UNIX
- Apache/Tomcat
- WebSphere
- IIS
- Excel (expert)
Industries served
- B2B
- B2C
- SaaS
- Healthcare
- eCommerce
- Real Estate
- Education & Learning
- Employment & Career
- News & Media
- Automotive
- Health & Fitness
Continued education
Udemy coursework in Data Science A-Z, R Programming A-Z, UX & Web Design Master Course, SQL, Python Bootcamp, and Google Ads Training.
Licenses & Certifications
- Google Analytics Certified
- Search Metrics Certified
- BrightEdge Certified
- Certified Bruce Clay SEOToolSet® Analyst
- SEOToolSet® Advanced Certification
- A/B Testing Mastery
- User Research; Strategic Research for Experimentation
- AMA Situational Leadership
- CSET — Multiple Subjects, Exam Subtest III (Primary Education)
Education
-
B.A., Art (Fine Art) — California Lutheran University
-
M.Ed., Masters in Education — Mount Saint Mary’s University
-
Agoura High School
Testimonials
“Bradley is a real SEO guru who understands the business side as well. Very talented, creative and focus on results. I highly recommend him if you want an SEO expert. Superlative work, from concept to final output!”
Xenia Jones
“Bradley’s quality of work, attention to detail and overall knowledge of Search Engine Optimization has provided positive results for a number of Turner properties.”
Dan Perry — SEO Director, Turner Broadcasting
“Bradley’s SEO knowledge & strategy made him an asset to the company’s marketing strategy. On a personal note, working with Bradley early in my career in search engine marketing and optimization helped to shape the SEO I am today. Bradley not only explained the building blocks of an industry & technology, but his insights pushed me to explore all aspects of search.”
Kevin Doory — Director of Search and Social
Publications & Speaking
- AuthorGoogle TV: Your TV Experience Is About to Change
- AuthorFeature Focus: Building a Web Site Theme with Silos (Parts One, Two & Three: Folder/Directory Structure)
- ContributorSEO for Dummies
- AuthorSearch Engine Journal
- AuthorWilson Web
- AuthorBruce Clay Blog
- ContributorSEM Synergy
- SpeakerSES New York · SES San Francisco · SES Chicago · SMX San Jose