FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Digital can be complicated enough without having to decipher the answers to your questions. Here are a few things you might want to know about Harry Does Digital, how I work and what I can help you with.

Harry Does Digital is my digital consultancy, helping businesses and organisations make better use of their content, information and technology. I’m Gavin Harris, and I work across SEO, content strategy, digital analytics, research and digital knowledge, AI consulting and digital strategy.

My approach is simple: I talk about digital in an analog way. That means explaining complicated things in plain English, focusing on what matters and finding practical solutions that make sense for your business.

I’m based in Cape Town, South Africa. I work with businesses across Cape Town, nationally throughout South Africa, and internationally. Digital does not need a passport. If we can schedule a call, we can work together.


I help businesses and organisations make more of their digital presence through SEO, content creation and strategy, digital analytics, AI consulting, digital strategy, and research and digital knowledge management.

I also help organisations make publications, reports and specialist information easier to find and use online, including work involving metadata, digital archives and scholarly publishing infrastructure.

The starting point is always the same: understanding what you’re trying to achieve and deciding which digital services will actually help you get there.

I don’t believe digital needs to be mysterious, intimidating or unnecessarily complicated. You shouldn’t have to become a technical expert just to understand what your website is doing or whether your marketing is working.

I work directly with clients, explain what I’m doing and why, and focus on practical outcomes rather than impressive-sounding terminology. You get a straightforward conversation, honest advice and work that’s connected to your actual business needs.


Absolutely. Small and medium-sized businesses are an important part of my focus, particularly those that know they need to make better use of digital but don’t necessarily have the time, expertise or resources to manage everything themselves.

I also work with professional bodies, academic institutions, research organisations and other organisations with valuable knowledge that deserves to be more accessible online.

You don’t need a large marketing department or an enormous budget to benefit from a sensible digital approach.

I approach search engine optimisation as a combination of understanding your audience, creating useful content and making sure search engines can properly discover and understand your website.

Depending on your needs, that can include keyword research, on-page SEO, technical audits, metadata, internal linking, content optimisation, Google Search Console and performance analysis.

The objective isn’t simply to attract more visitors. It’s to help the right people find the right information and give them a reason to engage with your business or organisation.


SEO is a long-term investment rather than an overnight fix. Some improvements can have an effect relatively quickly, while building meaningful visibility in competitive search results can take several months or longer.

The timeframe depends on factors such as the condition of your website, your industry, your competition and the work required. I’ll help you understand what needs attention, what a realistic timeframe might look like and how we can measure progress.

I won’t promise you the number-one position on Google next week. Nobody can honestly guarantee that.

Website design and development are not core services at Harry Does Digital. My focus is on making digital work harder through better content, SEO, analytics, strategy and the effective use of AI.

I can help assess an existing website, identify content and SEO problems, improve its structure and make recommendations about how it could better serve your business. If a full redesign or development project is needed, I can help you understand the requirements before you engage the appropriate specialist.


Yes. I create and plan content that has a clear purpose, whether that’s helping people find your website through search, explaining your expertise, building credibility or giving your audience useful information.

This can include blog articles, website copy, thought leadership, social media content, content calendars and broader content strategy. I can also help you get more value from material you already have, rather than assuming that every problem requires another round of content production.

Good content should give people something worth reading, watching or sharing. It should also support what you’re trying to achieve as a business.

AI consulting helps you work out where artificial intelligence could genuinely improve the way your business operates. That might involve selecting suitable tools, developing workflows, improving research and content processes, automating repetitive tasks or helping your team use AI more effectively.

You don’t necessarily need a formal AI strategy, and you certainly don’t need to use AI for everything. The sensible starting point is to identify a real problem, consider whether AI is an appropriate solution and test whether it delivers worthwhile results.

I’ll help you separate practical opportunities from the hype.


I have experience with Google Ads and digital campaign management, including campaign performance and conversion tracking. Whether paid advertising is appropriate depends on your objectives, audience, budget and the condition of your existing digital presence.

My current focus is broader than paid media alone. I’ll help you understand where advertising fits into the bigger picture and how its results should be measured, rather than recommending campaigns simply because advertising is available.

Every business is different. I offer: project-based work, monthly retainers, strategy sessions. The goal is to build long-term partnerships with small to medium businesses that want to grow confidently in digital. No unnecessary lock-ins. Just sensible agreements.


Start with a conversation. We will discuss: your business goals, what is currently working, what is not, what needs to happen next. If you are ready to take digital seriously and do it properly, let’s talk.

Can Harry help with academic research and digital publishing?

Yes. This is an important part of my work with research, academic and professional organisations.

I help make publications and research easier to discover through metadata, content audits, publication data, digital archives and search optimisation. Depending on the project, this can also involve working with scholarly publishing infrastructure, persistent identifiers and services such as Crossref.

The aim is to help organisations make better use of their intellectual output, improve the discoverability of their work and make valuable information easier for researchers and other audiences to access.