Adam Whittles

Growth & Digital Marketing Specialist - SEO, PPC, Affiliates, Social, Display & CRM

Welcome to my website! Whether you have arrived organically (SEO), from an advertisement (PPC) or from somewhere else (referral link) you can find more information about my skills and experience in digital marketing, here. Throughout my 10+ years experience in digital marketing, I have worked with a number of recognisable brands in different verticals including travel, retail, finance and automotive, among others.

I occasionally use this website to run digital marketing experiments, so don't be alarmed if you see anything out of the ordinary ;) Please feel free to get in touch if you have any job opportunities or requirements for digital marketing consultancy.


Experience

Head of SEO (Digital Marketing)

Auto Trader UK

Spearhead the digital marketing strategy at Auto Trader UK, entrusted with guiding a team of specialists in the execution of meticulously devised strategies. These strategies are meticulously aligned with overarching business and marketing objectives, resulting in the enhancement of rankings, the augmentation of traffic, and the optimization of conversions.

Key Projects Delivered:

  • Digital Retailing: Collaborated extensively with UX, Design, and Product teams to revolutionise customer experience by facilitating essential transactional steps through the Auto Trader website. This project involved implementing a number of A/B tests in order to increase conversions by approximately 15%.
  • Retailer Stores: Orchestrated the launch of the "Retailer Stores" product, the Auto Trader equivalent offering of a Google business profile, to enable local businesses to raise their profile and visibility. This initiative delivered over 3 million incremental website visits, accompanied by an impressive engagement rate of approximately 85%.
  • Eau de New Car: Conceived and executed the launch of the distinctive Auto Trader fragrance as an integral part of a meticulously planned digital PR and Content marketing campaign. The campaign resulted in an exceptional 5 million full-page ad views, coupled with over 2 million social media impressions and a remarkable 173% increase in new car leads.
  • Electric Vehicles: Collaborated with the in-house agency to curate a series of high-impact content assets, meticulously tailored to amplify Auto Trader’s presence in the Electric Vehicle domain. The creation of a UK EV charging point map, in particular, spearheaded notable improvements in EV-related keyword share —propelling the company from 1.86% (14th position) to a commanding 7.8% (3rd position).

August 2019 - Present

Program Manager, EMEIA & Emerging Markets

Apple

Senior point of contact within Apple's digital marketing program in the EMEIA region, covering 22 markets. This involves managing agencies and working with engineering teams adopting agile practices (SCRUM) as the SEO product owner. Current roles and responsibilities include:

  • Driving EMEA strategy and execution
  • Identifying key opportunities in growth markets using a data-led approach
  • Creation of quarterly roadmap/plans
  • Defining and reporting on KPIs using Tableau and Adobe Analytics
  • Communicating overall EMEA performance to senior executives
  • Technical consultant for other areas of the business

July 2017 - August 2019

Head of SEO & Content Marketing

Mindshare

Headed up the SEO department at MIndshare UK responsible for a team of 20 people. Duties included development of the business proposition, management of team financials, hiring of new team members, career development of employees, tools & technology reviews, stakeholder management and new business pitching. Whilst at Mindshare, I helped contribute to a 20% YoY growth of the SEO team revenue, through winning new business and upselling new services to existing clients.

February 2016 - July 2017

SEO Director

Maxus

Promoted to Account Director after a year as Account Manager at Maxus. Increased responsibility included managing a team of 6 people, assisting with developing the content marketing offering, interviewing new team members and pitching for new business. As a senior member of the team, I was asked to represent the agency in speaking engagements at industry conferences (SMX & SES).

October 2014 - February 2016

SEO Manager

Maxus

Hired specifically to work on Maxus' main SEO client, a large consumer electronics company. The role required in-depth technical knowledge, which I had acquired during my time at Ayima. Working at Maxus gave me exposure and experience with a number of large enterprise tools including Searchmetrics, BrightEdge (earned BrightEdge Professional Certification), DeepCrawl, Moz, Majestic, Ahrefs, Linkdex etc.

October 2013 - October 2014

Education

Oxford College of Marketing

CIM Digital Diploma in Professional Marketing
May 2018 - Present

Oxford Brookes University

MSc International Management

Modules: Internet Strategies, Marketing Across Cultures, Risk Management, Financial Accounting, Contemporary Issues

August 2009 - May 2011

University of Reading

BA (Hons) Management & Business Administration

Modules: Marketing, Management, Financial Accounting, Management Accounting, Business Law and Entrepreneurship

August 2002 - May 2006

Skills

Programming Languages & Tools
Workflow
  • Mobile-First, Responsive Design
  • Cross Browser Testing & Debugging
  • Cross Functional Teams
  • Agile Development & Scrum

Interests

It has always been a dream of mine to write a book and in 2020, I was given the opportunity to contribute a chapter to the world's first book published in print for in-house SEO professionals. You can obtain a copy of the book from Amazon.


Apart from being a digital marketer, I am also an avid sports fan and current member of Surrey County Cricket Club. When I'm not watching sport, I'm often found playing (badly) for local clubs. Outside of sport, I enjoy travelling, with a number of destinations yet to tick off my list!

I have a keen interest in Marvel comics, having amassed a collection of vintage editions but I also enjoy watching all the Marvel movies and TV shows. Having worked in media, keeping up to date with all the latest films and TV shows has become somewhat of an occupational hazard :)


Awards & Certifications

  • Winner - Automotive & Transport - Drum Search Awards 2021
  • Winner - Best Use of Search (Automotive) - UK Search Awards 2020
  • Winner - Best Use of PR in a Search Campaign - UK Search Awards 2020
  • Google - Analytics Individual Qualification
  • Google - AdWords Fundamentals
  • BrightEdge - Certified Professional
  • Scrum Alliance - Certified Scrum Master
  • CIM - Level 6 Award in Driving Digital Experience
  • Winner - Best Branded Content - Drum DADI Awards 2016
  • Shortlist - Best Brand Engagement Campaign - Performance Marketing Awards 2016
  • Nominated - Best Non-Paid Search Campaign - The Drum Digital Trading Awards 2016