SEO experience backed by 25+ years of web development.
I’m Ash Mitchell. I have spent more than 25 years developing and coding websites, and more than 15 years focused on internet marketing and SEO. Fresh Bananas brings those disciplines together in one practical service.
Twenty-five years building for the web
I started developing websites long before responsive layouts, app stores and content management systems became ordinary. The tools have changed repeatedly, but the useful habits have not: understand what the user needs, keep the code purposeful, make the content clear and test what actually happens outside the designer’s screen.
That background matters because websites are not marketing posters. They are working systems made from content, code, data, navigation, forms, integrations and hundreds of small decisions that affect whether a customer succeeds or gives up.
Fifteen years in internet marketing and SEO
For more than 15 years I have focused that technical experience on visibility and commercial performance: how people search, which pages should answer them, what makes a result credible, why one site earns attention and another gets ignored, and how to measure whether the work produced anything useful.
Search has changed through major algorithm updates, mobile-first indexing, performance signals and AI-shaped results. The durable lesson is simpler: make the website genuinely useful, technically clear and sufficiently trusted to deserve the position being pursued.
Why the combination matters
SEO consultants often identify a problem and hand it to a developer. Developers often build exactly what was designed without questioning whether anybody searches for it. Designers can create a polished page that has no clear purpose in the search structure. My experience crosses those handovers, so the recommendation and the implementation can be judged together.
How I work
Fresh Bananas is deliberately small. You speak to the person who reviews the website and the same person does the agreed work. Quotes are fixed and itemised, ongoing work runs month to month, and every recommendation comes with a reason that can be understood without translating agency language.
I can work directly in the website, design and develop a replacement, or work alongside an existing team. The responsibilities are agreed before anything starts, so your developer is not asked to interpret a vague audit and you are not charged twice for implementation.
What I believe about SEO and authority
Strong on-site foundations and credible off-site authority reinforce each other. Neither deserves to be treated as a religion. A weak website does not become good because enough links point at it, and a brilliant page in a competitive market may still need external evidence before it can win.
I will recommend the work the gap requires, and refuse the shortcuts I would not be comfortable explaining in public: bulk links, private networks, fake reviews, hidden methods and guarantees over systems nobody controls.
Proof without invented theatre
Claims should be checkable. Reporting uses the client’s own search and analytics data, and examples are shared only where the business has given permission. Until a named case study is ready for publication, I would rather show the thinking on your website than fill a page with anonymous miracles.
Questions people ask
Is it really Ash doing the work?
Yes. Strategy, auditing, design, development, content and reporting within the agreed scope are handled personally by Ash. That is why Fresh Bananas stays deliberately small and quotes only for work that can be delivered properly.
How can one person cover SEO and web development?
The experience was built in that order: more than 25 years developing and coding websites, followed by more than 15 years focused on internet marketing and SEO. The disciplines overlap every day, especially in technical SEO, redesigns and ecommerce.
Will you work with our existing team?
Yes. I can do the work directly, provide implementation specifications, or work alongside an in-house marketer, designer, developer or agency. Responsibilities are made clear before the quote.
Why the name Fresh Bananas?
Because digital advice goes off quickly, and a memorable name is more useful than another consultancy built from initials. It is also a reminder to keep the work current, practical and free of stale formulas.
Do you train clients as part of the work?
Yes, informally as standard. Changes are explained so the knowledge stays in the business. Structured team training can also be scoped where it would be useful.