out of office | liam hayward

At the end of April 2025, after two and a half years on the agency side, I left my role without having another position lined up. It wasn’t a choice I made without apprehension, and there have been moments since where I’ve wondered if I should have stuck it out, but in hindsight it was definitely the right move.

At the start of the year I’d made the same resolution I’d made every year for the past decade or so - the ambiguous, doomed-to-fail “get healthy”. But 2025 was the point I was officially entering my mid-thirties and poor diet, habits and lifestyle were catching up to me.

The same year I’d joined the agency, my dad had passed away, and he’d had lifestyle-related health problems since his early 40s. I was becoming increasingly conscious that I could end up on a similar trajectory if I didn’t change soon. There’s only so far that buckets of coffee and red leicester mini cheddars can take you before your body starts throwing out error messages.

It was also around this time that I was very uncertain about my future prospects. Both the agency and the industry had changed significantly in a short space of time. One narrative was that soon jobs like mine could be done by AI. But even if that wasn’t the case, there was the secondary risk that AI could make much of SEO redundant.

LLMs and AI overviews were quietly eating away at the traffic and visibility metrics the job used to hold dear. The industry was in a panic, declaring “SEO is dead” and flinging new acronyms like GEO, AEO, LLMO, AIO around as they scrambled to rebrand for the AI era.

One thing was certain amongst all the noise: I couldn’t afford to sit on my hands and wait for the dust to settle. I knew there was more to using this technology than pasting something into an LLM, hitting enter and copying whatever it spat out. I wanted to learn how to use it effectively, working out where it fit and where it floundered.

None of it was going to happen whilst wearing the many hats of my full-time job: not my health, not properly getting to grips with AI, not working out where I wanted to go next.

So in February 2025 I booked some annual leave, spoke to friends and family, touched some grass and fed some ducks, and then gave my two months notice.

I had a plan, or at least part of a plan… like 12% of a plan. I knew I wanted to take at least a year out to focus on myself - not just working out my next move but turning a New Year’s resolution into a lifelong change.

what i’ve been up to

you know, i’m something of a diy expert myself

The timing of my departure worked well; the tenants in my mum’s property were vacating after 5 years and there was lots of work that needed doing - which offered me an ideal base with plenty to keep me busy (and active).

Armed with my B&Q Club card and a playlist of YouTube DIY tutorials, I’ve done a bit of everything: fitting a chimney cowl, laying flags, and even felling trees - it turns out I’m not just magic at SEO, I’m a bit of a DIY wizard too.

you know, i’m something of a web developer myself

Technical SEO and code go together like chips and curry sauce, like badgers and mashed potato, like coffee and red leicester mini cheddars. In my previous role I worked closely with the dev team to fix and improve sites, and I never turned down an opportunity to learn how to sort something myself.

Working on both iterations of this site (originally wordpress, now astro) and the seo handbook (more on that below) has helped me understand the complexity of a codebase and how changes that seem simple can be anything but.

I’ll be transparent: I’ve used AI to help (more on that below too… it’s all very exciting down there) but I’ve made sure to avoid becoming a “vibe-coder”. I’ve taken the approach of using it to collaborate and delegate, not to abdicate. (mic drop)

you know, i’m something of an ai native myself

I knew you could do a lot more with AI than just asking it to make your emails sound more professional, and I wanted the opportunity to explore how I could use it in my work. I started from simple prompt engineering and ended up working with MCP servers, coding harnesses, and other impressive sounding stuff.

I’ve used it to help build seo tools, code websites, explain complex topics and create a delicious Korean BBQ style glaze using ingredients I had in my cupboard.

Diving deep into AI helped alleviate some of the anxiety I had around how it could impact my future. I learned what it’s great at, where it falls short, where it needs double-checking and when it’s best to use my own brain. If your preferred LLM isn’t replying with “Good catch…” at least a couple of times a day, then you need to start triple-checking what it’s telling you.

you know, i’m something of a founder myself

I’m not sure what qualifies somebody as a founder, over on LinkedIn the bar seems pretty low and I’m definitely overthinking the requirements. Tangent aside, I built the SEO Handbook all by myself: a reference guide covering SEO from the ground up. So I’m technically a “Solo Founder”. Here’s why I built it.

you know, i’m something of a traveller myself

I’ve been fortunate to live and work in some incredible countries, but I realised that it had been years since I’d left the UK. I’d been using my annual leave for things like helping family members move house or working as part of the support crew at the Edinburgh Fringe rather than taking actual breaks. I returned to a few familiar places, and ticked off a couple of new ones.

you know, i’m something of a healthy person myself

The big one: I’ve managed to make significant health improvements, not only losing weight, but exercising regularly, eating better and improving my sleep. I’ve also focused on my mental health, deactivating social media and finding a balance between screens. The funny thing is, it’s all the simple stuff that you’ve heard countless times that’s helped, not some random mushroom powder, CBD infused crystal or self-help book with the word f*ck in the title.

you know, i’m something of a writer myself

(When I started this repetitive heading gag, I didn’t anticipate having so many beats - but I’ve already committed to the bit.)

I’ve been writing, right here on this website, and on this very blog - you’re literally reading it. It’s been a fun struggle, finding my voice and any excuse to weave in a pop culture reference. Turns out I have a penchant for alliteration and being self-deprecating: so I’m a simple, subdued scribe rather than a smug, showy storyteller.

I did try getting AI involved, I even wrote a skill just to try and get a first draft: nope, just nope. I guess that’s a positive, either my style is unmistakably human or just so unhinged that no AI can come close.

you know, i’m something of a bookworm myself

(Last one, I promise)

My hoard of unread books is still huge, but in my quest to reduce screentime I started picking up a book before bedtime to help me wind down. I’ve reread old favourites, and discovered new ones. I can recommend anything by Andy Weir (they also make his books into great movies) and the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman.

this ain’t a movie quote, it’s a closing paragraph

I decided to write this because after my planned time out, I’m now looking to return to my career and I know the question about what I’ve been up to needs an answer. Writing things out helps me see my thinking more clearly, just like creating the SEO Handbook has helped me realise how much I know about SEO.

I’ve done and learned a lot during my time out of office, but with sketchy GEO hacks, vibe-coded websites, growing AI search share and an emerging agentic future waiting for me, I’m ready to jump back in.