About Plaudit: Witney SEO agency
Built on two decades of doing SEO the right way
The Plaudit story
By Chris, our founder
It started in 2008: I was an SEO intern, manually Googling keywords every Friday and copying rankings into Excel. Watching black hat SEOs get massive gains seemingly with ease, only to come crashing down almost immediately after. Seeing the SEOs who did it the ethical way achieving long-term success.
From 2010 through 2025 I built a career in the industry – an international agency, an exciting startup, and a decade as a freelance consultant – giving me a front seat to every major shift that’s reshaped the industry. For example:
- Penguin and Panda algorithm updates wiping out the black hats
- Mobile-first indexing rewriting big chunks of the rulebook
- Core Web Vitals transforming good load times from nice-to-have to must-have
- Helpful Content Update finally rewarding people-first content
- To name a very small few
I also saw that some success drivers stayed constant through it all. These are at the heart of Plaudit’s operating principles: the hard-won insights from nearly two decades delivering real results in the industry.
The five principles guiding what we do
1. Technical fundamentals matter
Crawlable, user-friendly sites have been the foundation throughout every change that reshaped the SEO landscape
2. Audience first, then search engines
Knowing how your customers actually search and what they’re trying to achieve beats generic keyword research
3. Quality, user-focussed content wins
Whether it’s 2008 or 2025, content that genuinely helps people wins out in the long run
4. Genuine relationships drive results
From long-term client partnerships to earning backlinks from webmasters, authentic connections create sustainable outomes
5. Ethical practices lead to long-term success
The most important one: cowboys might get quick wins, but solid principles consistently applied build lasting results
What this means for you
Who we are
Chris
Founder & Tech SEO Expert
Two decades in SEO taught me what works long-term and what doesn't. I built Plaudit to help business owners avoid dodgy SEO shortcuts & big-agency bureaucracy.
Bethan
New Business Director
Bethan connects with local Oxfordshire businesses and beyond to help them understand how technical SEO can drive real growth.
Gidget
Morale Officer
An expert in stress reduction and unconditional support. Every office should have one.
Our network
We work with a carefully curated network of specialists when our technical SEO campaigns require additional expertise and resource
Steve
Creative director
Steve excels at turning client challenges into clear, effective creative solutions.