Tyler Hakes is founder of Optimist, the SEO and AI search consulting firm for B2B technology and SaaS companies that he started about a decade ago after leaving his last full-time role. A journalist by training and a writer by trade, he says he has advised more than 100 B2B SaaS and technology companies, including Gusto, Superhuman, ZoomInfo, and Semrush.
From Journalism to Content Strategy
Hakes's about page says his background is in journalism and that he has spent nearly 20 years in content marketing, working across consulting firms, in-house corporate roles, and a venture-funded startup. He watched content move from blogging and SEO fundamentals to thought leadership and demand generation, and now to what he calls an AI-shaped, algorithm-driven landscape.
Clarity for Marketing Leaders
He describes his consulting as stepping a marketing team back from day-to-day execution so it can decide what matters and where to spend limited time. Of the field he says, "SEO and AEO are crowded with jargon, trends, hot takes, and conflicting advice. My job is to cut through all of that."
His stated goal is to give marketing leaders confidence in their strategy and priorities, so they can trust that their organic growth program is grounded in business outcomes.
Pipeline as the Measure
Optimist's Stampli case study reports a fivefold increase in inbound pipeline and twenty times the organic traffic value over seven years for the accounts payable software company. The firm's AEO and GEO case studies apply the same measure to AI search, reporting revenue from LLM referrals for B2B clients.
Talks, Podcasts, and Press
His page lists a 2026 AirOps roundup of 11 experts on where search leverage lies, a Search Engine Journal article on building links with data-driven content, and a Sprout Social piece on LinkedIn video. He has also appeared on The Long Game, Optimize, and Evolving SEO podcasts, the last on growing from zero to 100,000 monthly visitors in one year, and he has spoken at the DFWSEM conference.