Eighteen-year-old blog, founded by Greenock-based SEO Shaun Anderson, recognised.
30/07/2025 – GREENOCK, INVERCLYDE, SCOTLAND, UK – The Hobo SEO Blog, a long-standing resource for the UK search engine optimisation community, has been named the best UK SEO Blog based on analysing “thousands of blogs on the web and ranked by relevancy, authority, social media followers & freshness” by the media ranking platform Feedspot in July 2025.
This recognition marks a return to the top position not seen since the last time it ranked top in 2018, highlighting the blog’s consistent relevance and authority in a changing digital landscape.
Founded in 2007 by SEO consultant Shaun Anderson, the Hobo blog is known for its in-depth, practical, and transparent approach to search marketing.
The platform has become a resource for professionals, attracting a readership that includes over 8 million lifetime visitors and more than 70,000 email subscribers.
The top ranking from Feedspot confirms the blog’s long-term commitment to helpful content.
Understanding Feedspot’s Ranking
Feedspot’s ranking is not a simple popularity contest. It is a major content platform that discovers, categorises, and ranks over 250,000 active blogs and influencers across more than 5,000 niche industries. Its lists are used by marketers and PR professionals to identify credible authorities. The platform uses a combination of algorithmic data and human editing to ensure its rankings are trustworthy.The process involves an expert editorial team of over 50 specialists who review each blog. This human review is combined with data-driven metrics, including:
- Relevancy and Freshness: The quality, consistency, and frequency of posts.
- Authority Metrics: Factors such as a blog’s domain authority, age, and traffic.
- Social Engagement: The influence and popularity of the blog on social media.
Feedspot’s editorial guidelines give higher preference to impartial “industry blogs” over those that primarily promote their own products.
This makes Hobo’s number one position notable. The ranking system is designed to reward the principles Hobo has followed since its start: providing genuine, actionable insights for the community.
This #1 ranking acts as a strong third-party endorsement, placing Hobo at the top of a discovery tool used by industry professionals.
“To be recognised as the number one UK SEO blog by Feedspot again is great,” said Shaun Anderson, founder of Hobo. “It’s not just a list; their team’s editorial review values the same things we’ve focused on since 2007: depth, practical application, and a genuine desire to help the community.”
Hobo, based in Greenock in Scotland, just edges out our friends at Screaming Frog (ranked 2nd) and fellow Scotsman Craig Campbell (ranked 3rd).
The Hobo SEO Blog
The Hobo SEO blog launched in 2007 and quickly gained recognition. In 2012, it was shortlisted for ‘Best Blog’ at the UK Search Awards, a nomination that placed it alongside corporate names like Microsoft’s Bing Ads. It was in a quiet period from 2018-2022, due to family priorities and lockdown.
He began to revitalise the blog around 2022, channelling two decades of knowledge back into its content.
This period saw a return to the first principles of sharing expertise through in-depth articles.
The return to the #1 spot on Feedspot’s list demonstrates that the blog’s core value has endured and strengthened.
| Year | Milestone |
| 2006 | Shaun Anderson registers the hobo-web.co.uk domain. |
| 2007 | The Hobo SEO Blog is launched to share in-depth industry expertise. |
| 2009 | The first version of the popular “A Beginner’s Guide To UK SEO” ebook is published. |
| 2012 | The blog is shortlisted for ‘Best Blog’ at the UK Search Awards, alongside Microsoft’s Bing Ads. |
| 2016 | Anderson takes a step back to focus on family, reducing his output on the blog. |
| 2018 | Named the #1 UK SEO Blog by Feedspot |
| 2025 | Named the #1 UK SEO Blog by Feedspot, reclaiming the top position. |
What others say
The blog’s impact is best measured by its community reception.
For over a decade, the Hobo SEO Blog has earned praise from peers and experts for its depth, practicality, and tangible results.
Readers frequently note the blog’s unique ability to cut through industry jargon. One reader commented, “Your style of writing is easy to read and understand and usually backed up with evidence and personal experience.”
This approach has delivered measurable success for businesses.
The owner of a small online store in Australia reported, “After 12 months part-time research… I decided to use your free booklets and blog articles as the source for my DIY foray into SEO… I have increased my natural search from 2% to 18% of my traffic in 12 weeks.”
Another reader noted the direct business impact, stating, “The Hobo SEO Blog played a big role in helping me build up the SEO side of our business to the stage where it provides as much revenue as the other areas of our business.”
The blog is also praised for its originality in a crowded field. “I have to admit I read a lot of SEO blogs around the net,” one reader admitted. “I find I keep coming back to this one, though. It’s by far the most original and informative. So many people recycle the same old stuff.”
This sentiment is shared by seasoned professionals, including a web developer who said, “I was pretty convinced that SEO and SEOs were all magic smoke and fraud… It’s really made me realise that there exists a sliver of SEO where the people are intelligent and balance logical SEO optimisations against steadily improving content for people.”
This reputation is reinforced by leading industry figures. Blogger Mathew Woodward called a Hobo SEO Tutorial “by far the most complete free SEO tutorial for beginners I can find online”.
Perhaps most powerfully, the praise speaks to the blog’s long-term, career-shaping impact. In a 2025 comment, SEO consultant Serhii Koksharov told Anderson, “BTW, your blog was the first one that inspired me in SEO – about 17 years ago, I think“.
Peers praise its depth and substance. Joshua Hardwick of Ahrefs noted in 2018, “For whatever reason, Hobo-web doesn’t usually get mentioned on such lists, which is a shame. It’s almost certainly one of the best single-author SEO blogs out there.” This sentiment is echoed by many who appreciate its “conjecture-free” and deeply researched articles, a stark contrast to the “recycled same old stuff” found elsewhere. As one SEO professional, using the handle Darth Autocrat, put it, many “should read it instead of Backlinko/Patel/Woodard, etc.”
The blog’s impact goes beyond professional development; for some, it has been life-changing. In a powerful testament, SEO agency owner Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR credited Hobo Web (along with Bill Slawski) as a “guiding light” and a foundational resource that inspired him in his SEO career. He praised the content for being “Boring things but real things,” the ultimate compliment in an industry often filled with hype.
This reputation for quality extends to the site’s free resources. The SEO checklists are lauded as industry-leading, with expert Cyrus Shepard calling the free version “better than 99% out there.” Richard Baxter of Built Visible was similarly effusive, stating the articles are “excellent – well, well worth reading them to build your fundamental SEO knowledge. For Free!”
The Hobo SEO Blog has been featured on many ‘best of’ lists over the years.
Here are some of the most recent:
“Love a juicy, long post? You won’t be disappointed by the no-fluff blogs over at Hobo Web, usually running longer than 5000 words each. Hobo is an SEO consulting agency in the UK, which means they offer SEO advice for a living. We like how the blogs include direct quotes from Google big-shots like John Mueller and Matt Cutts, as well as other SEO gurus and talented content marketers. These provide good references if you want to dive into further reading. Otherwise, you’ll get plenty of practical tips delivered in no-frills language on the Hobo-Web blog itself.” Tanya Dharmapala, Dilate; Best SEO Blogs You Should Be Reading – 2024
“Another great SEO-friendly blog is the Hobo SEO blog, founded in 2007 by Shaun Anderson. The blog offers SEO services that can help you get more sales and website traffic in the right way. It’s one of the most popular UK-based SEO companies, many businesses use worldwide. Here, you can find many insightful and informational posts on SEO that may be useful to you.” PepperContent: Top SEO Blogs to follow 2022
“Hobo Web, a distinguished UK SEO consultancy headquartered in Greenock, Scotland, has been at the forefront of the search engine optimization industry since its establishment in 2006. Specialising in comprehensive SEO consultation and implementation services, Hobo Web has cultivated a reputation for excellence over its 20+ years of operation.” Clickdo: Top 19 SEO Blogs to follow in 2024 2024
“This blog is written by Shaun Anderson who is head of SEO at Hobo Web. He is a search engine consultant with a wealth of experience, having worked on hundreds of websites and online marketing campaigns over the last 15 years, in many industries.” Top 10 SEO Blogs, Easy Space 2015
“Hobo-web is one of the best single-author SEO blogs going, boasting long-form SEO-orientated content. Definitely one to follow for everyone involved in SEO and especially as a digital marketer. Expect long posts exceeding five thousand words, written in an engaging and enjoyable manner.” VizionOnline, The Top SEO Blogs Every Digital Marketer Should Be Reading 2021
“Hobo was founded by Shaun Anderson in 2007. The site offers long-form articles on every aspect of SEO. I’ve never seen any articles published on the site to be less than 2,000 words. They just cover all the important details of the topic they write about. If you have the time to read and apply that knowledge to your site, this site is for you.” Naven Pillai: 28 Best SEO Blogs To Read in 2023, 2023
“Hobo SEO blog covers the topic related to the internet marketing. The blog describes the SEO topics that help the website to rank higher on the SERP.” Rankingbyseo: Top SEO Blogs That You Must Follow in 2024 to Master the Art of SEO 2024
“Hobo specializes in on-page website optimization. Its SEO blog covers all the key aspects of SEO—from keyword research to responsive web design and link building.” Pixelwerker, The 31 best SEO blogs of 2018 2018
“The Hobo SEO Blog stands out as an authoritative source for comprehensive insights into various aspects of search engine optimization. []This platform has established itself as a go-to resource for professionals seeking practical guidance on enhancing their digital presence. The blog’s commitment to offering actionable advice across different facets of SEO has earned it a prominent place in the list of top SEO blogs online.” The Ultimate Guide to Navigating Top SEO Blogs in the UK, 2024
The Philosophy of “Real SEO”
The success of the Hobo blog is the result of a consistent guiding philosophy. This philosophy is based on a commitment to ethical, “white hat” SEO practices that adhere to Google’s official Webmaster Guidelines. The focus has always been on achieving sustainable, long-term results through legitimate means, prioritising quality, relevance, and a positive user experience.
Central to this philosophy is a focus on the principles of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness).
The mission is to empower users by demystifying SEO and providing practical knowledge.
About Hobo
Founded in 2007 by SEO consultant Shaun Anderson, Hobo is a recognised UK SEO blog that has served over 8 million visitors. The blog’s mission is to empower readers with in-depth, practical knowledge, demystifying the complexities of search engine optimisation. Through its extensive library of free tutorials and guides, the blog is dedicated to sharing ethical, quality-first SEO practices based on over two decades of real-world experience.
About Feedspot
Feedspot is a leading content reader and media contact database that helps users discover, categorise, and rank blogs, podcasts, and influencers across more than 5,000 niche industries. Using a combination of algorithmic data and human editorial review, Feedspot curates lists of the most influential and trustworthy resources on the web, connecting creators with audiences and brands.
Media Contact
- Name: Shaun Anderson
- Title: Founder & Author, Hobo SEO Blog
- Website: https://www.hobo-web.co.uk/best-uk-seo-blog/
- X (Twitter): @Hobo_Web
Disclosure: Hobo Web uses generative AI when specifically writing about our own experiences, ideas, stories, concepts, tools, tool documentation or research. Our tool of choice for this process is Google Gemini Pro 2.5 Deep Research. This assistance helps ensure our customers have clarity on everything we are involved with and what we stand for. It also ensures that when customers use Google Search to ask a question about Hobo Web software, the answer is always available to them, and it is as accurate and up-to-date as possible. All content was edited and verified as correct by Shaun Anderson. See our AI policy.