Currently taking pro bono advisory for charities and not-for-profits

Independent Digital Advisor

Independent counsel for the decisions behind growth

AI can hand you an answer in seconds. Knowing which answers are worth acting on still takes experience. I advise founders and leadership teams on digital strategy, online growth, AI search and automation, and can help implement when you want the extra hands.

Schedule a Zoom or Meet Learn more

Currently Organic Search Lead at BrightLabs.com.au

Counsel & Growth

Clear strategic counsel

Experienced judgement

Ready for the AI era

15+ yrs

Leading growth, search and digital teams since 2010

Advising across

Professional servicesLegal & financial servicesB2BE-commerceDirect-to-consumerTradesEducationGovernmentNot for profit

About

An independent counsel for founders, leadership teams and business owners, here as their markets shift and AI changes the rules, with advice you can act on.

01 Experience

Over 15 years guiding founders and business owners through digital strategy, search and growth.

02 Credentials

Industry-qualified, with senior roles held client-side, in tech startups and agency-side.

03 Market shift

A deep understanding of the market and the shift to AI changing how customers find and choose you.

04 How we work

You work directly with me and your team. No juniors, account managers or handoffs.

Schedule a Zoom or Meet

More than search

Advice across the whole business, in any industry

The problems that actually move growth rarely sit in one channel. I advise on new revenue and growth, digital transformation, AI and automation, oversight of your agencies and vendors, and the bigger calls at an executive level. It cuts across every industry, and I share what I am seeing as the ground keeps shifting.

Across the business

Growth & new revenue

Digital transformation

AI & automation

Agency & vendor oversight

Executive counsel

Cross-industry challenges

The shift

AI is changing how customers find you, and how you operate

AI search, agentic workflows and automation are changing how customers find businesses, and how those businesses run day to day. I sit in that shift every day, with real marketing and industry experience behind the advice, so you have someone who has done the work helping you navigate it.

AI searchAgentic workflowsAutomationHands-on marketing

How buyers reach you now

A buyer asks AI"who's the best near me?"

The agent weighs you upyour data, reviews and the wider web

You get recommendedshortlisted, or skipped over

More of the buying journey now happens inside AI, before anyone reaches your site.

Built on judgement

We diagnose the real problem, then set the strategy

I work out what is really holding growth back rather than just treating the symptoms, then set the strategy and the order to tackle it in. You will know what to fix first and why.

A senior partner the whole way through, not handed down to a junior team.

Calls grounded in real experience, rather than a generic playbook.

A plan you can act on in-house, or with whichever partner you use.

Schedule a Zoom or Meet

How people find answers

~60%

of searches now end without a click

AI overviews & LLM answers Traditional search clicks

Discovery is shifting. Set the strategy now and stay found as it changes.

Insight

Perspectives on digital transformation, business growth and AI search

Bright LabsThe Future
of Search

AI search · 28 May 2026

The Future of Search: from being found to being chosen by the agent

Coming soon

AI & governance · 11 June 2026

Trustworthy AI agents: what boards should ask before they deploy

Coming soon

AI search · 4 June 2026

The two gates of AI search visibility: retrieval and citation

Coming soon

Growth strategy · 21 May 2026

Beyond traffic: building online growth that compounds

Coming soon

Digital transformation · 14 May 2026

Transformation without the theatre: spotting the spend that pays off

Coming soon

Business growth · 7 May 2026

Where to place your bets when you can't fund every channel

Coming soon

Worked example

What it looks like for a real business

Take an electrician running flat out. Invoicing stacks up, leads arrive in fits and starts, the same admin gets done by hand every week, and competitors are starting to show up in AI search. The fix is rarely one tool. I map the handful of changes that free up time and bring in the right work, then put them in the order that pays off first.

Where we'd start · a busy electrician

Invoicing and admin on autopilotquotes and invoices out without the late-night catch-up

Lead generation that fills the diarya steady run of the right local jobs

Automate the repetitive jobsfollow-ups, scheduling and reminders that run themselves

Get found in AI searchshow up when buyers ask AI for an electrician nearby

How I help

Counsel across everything that drives growth

I advise first. When you want the work done, I can implement, or oversee whoever does.

Growth & new revenue

New revenue opportunities, where to invest, and the strategy for sustainable growth across the whole business.

Marketing & AI search advisory

Direction across marketing, search and AI visibility, so the channels work as one plan and you stay found as discovery shifts. Advice and oversight, not campaign delivery.

Transformation & automation

A digital transformation roadmap using emerging tech, data and automation, so the business adapts instead of being caught out.

Advisory & agency oversight

A senior outside voice on the big calls, pressure-testing strategy and budgets and keeping agencies honest.

Strategic foresight

Conditions shift faster than annual plans. An adaptive strategy that moves with the market, not a rigid yearly roadmap.

Executive counsel

Tech, marketing and agency spend should drive business goals. Independent advice keeps every dollar aligned and accountable.

Schedule a Zoom or Meet

Who I work with

Counsel at both ends of the table

Schedule a Zoom or Meet

Growth & marketing advisory

Founders & business owners

You are deciding where to invest for growth and what to build next, and you want a senior, honest read on where things really stand, without an agency retainer in the way.

Perfectly suited for

Owner-led businesses scaling up
Growing trades and e-commerce brands
Founder-led professional services firms

Strategic digital counsel

CMOs, boards & leadership

You are accountable for growth, digital and the investment behind it, and you want an outside view on the big calls.

Perfectly suited for

CMOs, boards and leadership teams
Larger organisations like education groups
Health networks navigating digital change

Ways of working

Why smart leaders keep counsel close

Every engagement is shaped around the decision in front of you: an ongoing advisory seat, a one-off discovery or a focused project. Which one fits depends on what you need rather than a set package.

Ongoing

An ongoing advisory seat

A standing seat at your table. Like having a senior digital strategist in-house, without the headcount.

What's included

Improvement targets we agree and track every month

Constant competitor and market analysis

Advisory on digital strategy, online search and paid spend

An impartial third-party view across your agencies and vendors

Schedule a Zoom or Meet

Start here

A strategic discovery

A focused read on where you stand and what to do next. Usually the best place to start.

What's included

Your position across search and AI

Highest-value growth moves

A clear, prioritised roadmap

A natural lead-in to ongoing advisory, if it fits

Schedule a Zoom or Meet

Defined scope

A focused project

Brought in on one bigger growth, transformation or search problem, for a defined stretch.

What's included

Deeper, hands-on involvement

Clear scope and a clear end point

Scoped to the outcome, not a day rate

Senior throughout, no handoffs

Schedule a Zoom or Meet

Currently taking on pro bono advisory only For charities and not-for-profits. The options above show how I engage when capacity opens up.

Frequently asked questions

What does a digital advisor actually do? +

I give you a senior, independent read across your digital strategy, growth, search, content, channels and the spend behind them. It gets more complex every year, and my job is to cut through that and keep the technology and marketing decisions tied to where the business is heading.

How is this different from an agency or a consultancy? +

I am an independent advisor, not a delivery agency or a reseller. I do not run your campaigns or sell you software, so the advice carries no commercial agenda. You also work directly with me, not a team of juniors or account managers.

Can you help us through a digital transformation? +

Yes. Whether it is moving to new platforms, rolling out AI or rethinking how customers buy from you online, I help you decide where to invest, sequence the work and keep every step tied to a real business outcome rather than technology for its own sake.

How do you stay ahead of fast-moving tech like AI? +

It is the core of the work. I write and speak on where search and buying behaviour are heading, including a recent Bright Labs thought piece, The Future of Search. The aim is to separate genuine shifts from passing hype, so you put effort into what will still matter in a few years.

What does the ongoing advisory seat involve? +

A standing seat at your table, like having a senior digital strategist in-house without the headcount: improvement targets we agree and track, constant competitor and market analysis, advice across strategy, search and paid spend, and an impartial view over your agencies and vendors.

How do engagements start, and are you taking clients now? +

Most start with a strategic discovery: a focused, fixed-scope read on where you stand and a prioritised roadmap for what to do next. From there it can lead into an ongoing seat or a defined project. Right now I am taking on pro bono advisory only, for charities and not-for-profits, so a discovery is the best way to find value while paid capacity is limited.

Start with discovery

A fixed-scope read on your online growth and where you stand in AI search, with a clear roadmap for what to do next. The easiest way to find out whether bringing in a senior advisor is worth it for you.

Schedule a Zoom or Meet or write to hello@oliverwales.com.au