Ecommerce, SEO & growth consultancy

Your business has more in it. Let’s prove it.

Win more customers. Convert more demand. Grow customer value. I connect ecommerce, SEO, growth marketing and practical AI—and lead the work from strategy through delivery.

Direct access to Alex. Clear priorities.

Free consultation. Direct with Alex. No obligation.

Alexander Balanoff, ecommerce, SEO and growth marketing consultant

Experience behind the confidence

  • Home of Wool
  • Marveltech
  • SOLAL
  • Juniva

Experience, with the story behind it

Built it. Grew it.
Learned the hard way.

$1.5M+My affiliate-business journey

1,250,000+Leads in my own database

SEO, email and lead generation helped me build an affiliate business. Its rise—and decline—shaped how I think about sustainable growth.

Read my account: the growth and the lessons

Historical figures from my own business.

THE REPUTATION / CLIENTS & COLLEAGUES

Trust earned.
In their words.

From commercial thinking to dependable delivery: what clients and colleagues say about working with me.

12LinkedIn
recommendations
Initiative. Quality. Delivery.LinkedIn recommendation
Alex is incredibly talented. We were regularly surprised at the quality of work that he was consistently able to deliver.
Dr. Howard SnoymanColleague · LinkedIn recommendationRead in full

On time. On budget.

“The result is a website, user interface and SEO strategy I’m delighted with, on time and on budget.”
Stephen HartClient · LinkedIn recommendation

The kind of trust that gets passed on.

“I have, and will continue to refer business to him.”
Mark TaylorClient · LinkedIn recommendation
Commercial thinkingClear communicationReliable deliveryRepeat business
Read all 12 recommendations

Dr. Howard Snoyman

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.

Colin Thomson

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

Mark Taylor

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.

Stephen Hart

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.

Tony Fendall

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.

Craig Horrocks

Client · LinkedIn recommendation

Alex is a joy to work with. He is creative, skilled and a great guy. I wish him every success.

Venetsian Jakimov

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!

Adam McGregor

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.

Ivailo Jordanov

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.

Sanjay Jagannath

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.

Gavin Young

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.

Chris Skilton

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.

Find my next growth move

01 / Built for growth

Find the bottleneck.
Unlock the growth.

Better sales. Better leads. More useful capacity. Choose the business problem; I’ll connect the work needed to solve it.

  1. Ecommerce & conversionMake more of every visit.Traffic is arriving. Too little of it is converting.

    Find the friction between interest and purchase. I review the offer, product pages, landing pages and checkout, then prioritise the changes most worth testing.

    The work: Conversion reviews, ecommerce optimisation, landing pages and focused website improvements.

    Let’s talk about ecommerce & conversion
  2. Customer acquisition & retentionBuild demand. Keep customers.Win better enquiries and give customers a reason to return.

    Connect search visibility, paid acquisition and email around one commercial goal. We look at lead quality and customer value, then improve the journey from first click to repeat business.

    The work: SEO, SEM and performance marketing, email journeys, lead generation and campaign microsites.

    Let’s talk about customer acquisition & retention
  3. AI & workflow planningPut AI to useful work.Free your team from the work that slows it down.

    Find the repetitive work where AI or automation has a practical business case. I define the workflow, data inputs, human checks and implementation brief, with a clear way to judge time saved and output quality.

    The work: AI workflow reviews, use-case prioritisation, search and AI-discovery readiness, human review processes and implementation briefs.

    Let’s talk about AI & workflow planning
  4. Growth strategy & deliveryGive growth a clear owner.Turn competing ideas into priorities, decisions and delivery.

    Get direct access to the person setting direction and leading the agreed work. We put opportunities in order, define the scope and keep decisions tied to commercial outcomes.

    The work: Growth strategy, prioritised test plans, specialist delivery and ongoing marketing support.

    Let’s talk about growth strategy & delivery

One project. A bigger ambition.
Let’s make the next investment count.

Find my next growth move

02 / Your free growth consultation

One conversation.
A sharper next move.

A free, focused conversation with me. Bring one business challenge. Leave knowing what deserves attention and whether we should work together.

Bring

Your website. One challenge. The outcome you want.

Leave with

A starting priority, questions to resolve and a clear next step.

Your commitment

A conversation. Paid work only after an agreed scope and fee.

  1. Put the bottleneck in focus.

    We discuss your offer, your customers and the point where growth gets stuck. Bring your website and any numbers you already have; there’s no presentation to prepare.

  2. Know what to tackle first.

    We identify the strongest starting point, what needs checking and the measure that would tell us it’s working. You get a practical direction for the next step.

  3. Decide with your eyes open.

    If there’s a fit, I scope the paid work, deliverables and fee separately. You choose whether to proceed. The consultation creates no obligation.

Find my next growth move
Alexander BalanoffIndependent growth partner

I’ve had skin
in the game.

I’m Alexander Balanoff. Designer, builder, business owner—and the person you work with directly. I’ve built businesses of my own, led delivery and learned what happens when growth depends too heavily on one channel. I bring that experience to your offer, your customer journey and your next investment. Clear priorities. Hands-on work. Accountability from the first conversation.

How I work

  1. Question.
  2. Prioritise.
  3. Deliver.
  4. Improve.

03 / Before we get to work

Big ambition.
Straight answers.

What you’re buying, how we’ll work and how we’ll judge progress. Get clear before you commit.

Find my next growth move
Why hire you when AI can build the website?

AI makes production faster. Someone still has to choose the right problem, shape the offer, connect the systems and judge whether the work makes commercial sense. That is the responsibility I take on. Tools support the work; your business outcome sets the direction.

Who is this for?

Business owners and teams with an offer to sell and a clear ambition to grow: ecommerce, service businesses and B2B companies. You may need better conversion, stronger acquisition, repeat business or a useful AI workflow. Bring the problem; the first conversation establishes fit.

We have traffic. Where are the sales?

Start with the journey. Is the audience right? Is the offer clear? Do the product page, trust signals and checkout support the decision? I look for the point where interest loses momentum, then scope the changes worth testing.

Should we spend more on advertising?

First, make sure the offer and destination deserve more traffic. We review the campaign, conversion path and lead or sales quality together. Then we can decide whether the next investment belongs in reach, the website or follow-up.

Can you help us use AI properly?

Yes—starting with a defined business process. We identify useful opportunities, the information required, the review steps and how to judge the result. A workflow review and implementation brief establish what to build and what it will need to operate.

Can you work with our existing team or agency?

Yes. I can provide direction, own a defined project or work alongside the people already delivering. We agree who owns decisions, what I’m responsible for and how progress is reported before starting. You get clear accountability without adding another layer of confusion.

Do we need a new website?

Only if the current one is holding back the work that matters. A focused improvement to the offer, product pages, search structure or follow-up may be the stronger first move. We assess the existing setup before discussing a rebuild.

Can we start with one project?

Yes. Start with a defined problem, an agreed scope and a clear next step. That could be a landing page, ecommerce review, email journey or workflow brief. Ongoing support is available when the business needs continued direction and delivery.

What happens in the first conversation?

Bring one business challenge and your website. We discuss the bottleneck, identify a sensible starting point and agree what would need checking next. You leave with direction and an honest view of fit. It is a free conversation, not a full audit; any paid work is scoped and agreed separately.

What will it cost?

The scope sets the fee. We agree what needs to happen, what is included and how the work will be assessed before paid work begins. Share your budget constraints early so we can focus on a realistic next move.

How do we know the work is paying off?

Agree the outcome and baseline before starting. That might be qualified enquiries, sales, repeat purchases or time spent on a recurring task. We review the relevant measures alongside costs and business context, then decide what to improve next.

How quickly can we get moving?

Send a short outline of your goal and the problem. I’ll review it and reply about fit, availability and a time to talk. Once we agree a scope, we set milestones and start with the highest-priority work. You won’t be asked to commit before you know what is included.

Your move.

Scared money
doesn’t make money.

Ambition needs a next move. Let’s identify yours in a free growth consultation.