Creative Digital MediaPaul James · Digital consultantBook a call

Consultancy

Independent digital consultancy.

Paul James · Independent digital consultant · Based in Venhuizen, North Holland — working across the Netherlands

Digital advice with nothing to sell you. I help SMEs and ambitious small businesses make better decisions about websites, SEO, e-commerce, digital growth and AI — and only then decide what needs building.

Digital strategySecond opinionWebsite adviceSEO consultancyE-commerceAI & automation

Advice kept separate from delivery.

01
What it is
What it is

Consultancy here means: understand first, decide second.

Advice with nothing to sell

Most digital advice comes from people who already know the answer. An agency that builds websites recommends a new website. An SEO company recommends more SEO. An ads agency recommends more budget. All understandable, and all a problem when nobody has established what is actually wrong.

As an independent digital consultant I am not selling a package. I am paid for the thinking, not for the delivery that follows it. That makes it possible to tell you your website is good enough, that your SEO budget belongs somewhere else, or that the problem is not digital at all but commercial.

Diagnosis before solution

Almost every enquiry arrives as a solution: we want a new website, we want to rank higher, we want to do something with AI. My first job is to take that back to the question underneath it. What is working, what is not, and which assumption sits in between?

That diagnosis means looking at what you already have: the website and how it was built, the search demand in your market, the numbers you report on, the tools you pay for and the work your team still does by hand. What comes out is a decision you can defend to whoever approves the budget.

Who this works for

I work best with businesses where the decision-maker is reachable: owners, directors and marketing leads at small and mid-sized companies, and smaller businesses that are growing and finding their digital setup was not built for it.

  • You have an investment decision to make and want an independent read first.
  • You have already spent on digital and cannot see what it returned.
  • You have several suppliers each recommending something different.
  • You want to know where AI and automation would actually save you time or money.
02Opening questions
Opening questions

Bring the problem, not the solution.

These are the questions businesses arrive with, and where I would start.

“Do we really need a new website?”

Websites

Often the answer is no. Usually one specific part is underperforming, and that is cheaper to fix than a rebuild.

“Why is our SEO not producing enquiries?”

SEO & search

Visibility and demand are not the same thing. I look at which searches actually carry commercial intent.

“How should we be using AI?”

AI & automation

Start with the repetitive work that costs you time now, not with the tool everyone is discussing.

“Are we spending our digital budget in the right places?”

Digital growth

I look at what each channel genuinely contributes before anything is added or cut.

“Should we move off WordPress?”

Platform choice

Sometimes. More often the platform is not the problem — the way it was built is.

“How do we know what is really working?”

Measurement

Measurement should answer business questions. Most reporting answers platform questions.

You do not have to diagnose the problem yourself before getting in touch. That is part of the work.

03
Approach
Approach

How an engagement runs.

01ConversationOne hour, no charge. You describe what is going on; I tell you whether I think I can help and where I would start.
02DiagnosisI look at the website, visibility, numbers, technology and process. No template report — specific questions instead.
03FindingsWhat is happening, what it costs if it stays, and what it returns if it is fixed. In language you can forward.
04DecisionA recommendation with priority and sequence, including what you should deliberately not do.
05Delivery or handoverI build it, guide your current supplier, or hand it over with a brief that is clear enough to quote against.

The first question is never “what are we building” — it is “what is actually going on here”.

04
Engagements
Engagements

Ways of working together.

Consult

From one session

A contained conversation about one decision: platform choice, budget split, a supplier proposal or a quote you have no way to judge.

  • Preparation on your own material
  • 60–90 minute session
  • Written summary with a recommendation

Digital review

Fixed fee

An independent read on your website, visibility and measurement. Built to establish where your money has the most effect.

  • Website, technology and speed
  • Search demand and competition
  • Measurement and reporting
  • Priority list with reasoning

Strategy engagement

4–8 weeks

For businesses making a larger decision: new website, new platform, expansion into a new market, or a digital direction for the year ahead.

  • Research and interviews
  • Scenarios with cost and risk
  • Reasoned plan and sequence
  • Support choosing a supplier

Digital Advisor

Ongoing

A standing point of contact for digital decisions through the year. For businesses without a digital role in house.

  • Fixed monthly availability
  • Review of proposals and quotes
  • Quarterly view of priorities

Everything starts with the same conversation. Only then do we work out which format fits — and whether it is needed at all.

05
Disciplines
Disciplines

What I advise on.

01

SEO & visibility

Which search demand carries commercial weight, what is holding your site back, and whether SEO is the right investment in your market.

SEO consultancy

02

Websites & e-commerce

Platform choice, rebuild or improve, speed, technology, and whether your store is ready to grow.

Website advice

03

Digital growth & AI

Where budget and attention return the most, what to measure, and where automation genuinely saves time.

Digital Advisor

06
Coverage
Coverage

Locally reachable, working nationally.

I work from Venhuizen, between Hoorn and Enkhuizen, which means businesses in North Holland can simply get me around a table. A conversation in Hoorn, Enkhuizen, Alkmaar or Amsterdam is a drive, and for a first diagnosis that is often faster than three video calls.

For the rest of the Netherlands I work remotely, with the same approach. Most of the work — research, analysis, building out scenarios — happens outside the meeting room anyway. What local presence does change is context: I know the market many regional SMEs operate in, and the difference between local demand in North Holland and national competition in Amsterdam.

Coverage

Based in
Venhuizen, North Holland
Region
Hoorn, Enkhuizen, Alkmaar, Zaanstad
Randstad
Amsterdam and surroundings
Nationally
All of the Netherlands, remote
Languages
English and Dutch
07
Questions
Questions

Frequently asked.

What does a first conversation cost?

Nothing. An hour in which you describe the situation and I tell you whether I think I can help. If the answer is no, I say so.

Do you build as well, or only advise?

Both, but not automatically. Advice and delivery are separate: you can take the recommendation to your own supplier. If it makes sense for me to build it, I build it.

Do you work with small businesses?

Yes. For smaller companies I work through short consults and focused reviews rather than multi-week engagements. Same approach, different scale.

We already have an agency. Is this useful?

Often especially then. A second opinion exists to judge whether a proposal is worth the investment and whether it answers the right question.

How quickly can you start?

A conversation usually within a week. A review or diagnosis typically starts within two to three weeks, depending on current work.

Do you work in English or Dutch?

Both. Reports and recommendations come in whichever language your team reads most easily.

What do you want to solve?

Tell me what is going on. I will tell you whether I think I can help — and where I would start.