all
about
me

from writing code to optimising websites - 25+ years later

 

tell me what you need help with

 

I've been working with websites since 1999, but my interest in computers and programming goes back much further.

I studied Software Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University from 1995 to 1999, just as the internet was starting to become something businesses were taking seriously. I graduated during the dot-com boom and naturally found my way into web development.

I spent the next decade building websites and applications at Fujitsu, MMC Learning and Gencia before deciding I'd taken development as far as I wanted to. I was looking for a new challenge, and became increasingly interested in why some websites performed better than others in Google.

from development into seo

SEO looked very different then. There was a lot of focus on links and content, but as search became more sophisticated, technical SEO became increasingly important. My development background turned out to be a natural fit.

In 2009, I joined Return when it was still a small Manchester agency with just two or three people.

Over the next eight years I saw it grow into a team of around 30, while digital marketing itself changed significantly. What had once been a much broader discipline became increasingly specialised across technical SEO, content, PR, paid media and social.

My own role developed with it, eventually becoming Head of Web Performance. It gave me the opportunity to combine what I already knew about building websites with SEO, analytics, reporting and understanding how websites actually perform.

why i went freelance

By 2017, the obvious career progression would have taken me further into management and leadership. That wasn't what I wanted.

The part I'd always enjoyed was being hands-on: auditing websites, investigating problems, configuring platforms, working with data and implementing changes that actually improve how a website performs.

So I went freelance.

I've worked independently ever since, combining my development background with SEO, analytics and tracking to support businesses, marketing teams, developers and agencies that need experienced technical help.

i used to be organic digital

For most of my freelance career, I worked under the name Organic Digital.

In 2026, I rebranded the business around my own name - Dave Ashworth. The business had always been me, and the new name better reflects how I actually work: clients deal directly with the person doing the work.

Find out why I rebranded from Organic Digital to Dave Ashworth

manchester to brisbane

Also in 2026, I moved from Manchester to Brisbane with my partner and our two young daughters.

There wasn't a complicated business reason behind it. It was a family move, a new chapter and, really, why not?

The location has changed, but the work hasn't. I continue to work with businesses and agencies in the UK and internationally from Australia.

More than 25 years after starting out as a junior web developer, I'm still doing the part I've always enjoyed most: getting into websites, understanding how they work, finding what can be improved and making them work better.

what clients say about working with me

 

tell me what you need help with