Consumer psychology · Data · AI search
Marketing,
reverse-
engineered.
We work out how your buyers think, what they search, and how Google and AI decide who to show. Then we put your budget where the pattern points.
Dan Picken, founderYou deal with me directly, start to finish.One search, four worries. Answer all four and you win the sale.
The follow-up searches are illustrations of the kinds of searches each worry leads to.
Brands I've worked on
E-commerce
This hub is on its way. Until then, the free audit is built around your business specifically.
How people really buy
Buyers don't follow funnels.
They play pinball.
Google, then ChatGPT, then an Instagram ad, then the reviews. Every bounce is a signal. We map them, then make sure you're there, saying the right thing, at each one.
- GoogleSearches the problem, not your name.Relevance signal
- ChatGPTAsks for a shortlist of who to trust.AI legibility
- InstagramSees an ad between two friends' posts.Pattern interrupt
- ReviewsChecks what people like them say.Trust architecture
- RedditLooks for the honest version.Emotional activation
- Your websiteCompares, hesitates, nearly leaves.Message match
- EnquiryDecides, because every bounce pointed the same way.Conversion trigger
Get found. Get chosen.
Prove it worked.
Every service we offer does one of three jobs. Most businesses need help with one before the others.
Get found
Show up when people search, on Google and in AI answers.SEO · AI search · Local SEO · Content marketingGet chosen
Ads and pages that say the right thing at the right moment.Google Ads · Meta · LinkedIn · Landing pagesBehind all three: strategy, buyer research and competitor analysis. All services
Why people
actually buy.
The psychology libraryPeople don't decide like spreadsheets. They take mental shortcuts, and some of the best-known studies about them didn't hold up when run again. The library rates each one honestly. Know which shortcut your buyer is using and you know what to say, what to show, and what to leave out.
Social proof
We copy people like us, especially when we're unsure.Backfires when: reviews feel vague or come from people nothing like the buyer.Try this: show reviews from customers in the same suburb or industry as the visitor.Loss aversion
Losing something hurts more than gaining the same thing feels good.Backfires when: it tips into fear-mongering.Try this: test 'stop losing leads' against 'get more leads'.Anchoring
The first number people see sets what feels like a fair price.Backfires when: the anchor is obviously made up.Try this: show your most complete package first, not last.Choice overload
Too many options and many people choose nothing at all.Backfires when: you cut so far that people can't find what fits.Try this: three clear options, with one marked as most popular.Risk reversal
People avoid a bad outcome more than they chase a good one.Backfires when: the guarantee has so much fine print nobody believes it.Try this: put your guarantee or returns policy next to the buy button.Message match
When the page doesn't match what the ad promised, people feel lost and leave.Backfires when: one generic page serves every ad.Try this: make the landing page headline repeat the ad's main promise.The 8 signals
Every page sends
8 signals.
Before anyone reads a word, your page is already telling them whether to stay. We score every page on the same 8 signals, from the first second to whether AI can quote it.
- 1Pattern interruptDoes it stop the scroll in the first second?8/10
- 2Emotional activationDoes it make them feel the problem?5/10
- 3Relevance signalDoes it look like it is for people like them?6/10
- 4Message matchDoes it say what the ad or search promised?3/10
- 5Trust architectureIs there proof, from people like them?7/10
- 6Friction removalIs the next step easy and obvious?4/10
- 7Conversion triggerIs there a real reason to act now?2/10
- 8AI legibilityCan ChatGPT and Google's AI read and quote it?3/10
Example scores for an example page. Yours will be different.
Data. Behaviour.
Relationships.
Three ways we look at every market. Smart under the hood, plain English on top.
Data
What people actually do.
Search terms, clicks, reviews and sales. Not opinions, not best practice.
Behaviour
Why they do it.
Every search comes with a state of mind: panicked, comparing, or ready to buy.
Relationships
How it all connects.
Which searches lead to which, and which message moves people to the next step.
All three, in one example
The search
'running shoes for flat feet'
State of mind
Comparing. Worried about buying the wrong thing online.
What to say
'Free returns if they don't fit.' Not 'New season range.'
The periodic table
of marketing.
Everything we know, as elements. Industries, methods, buyer psychology and free tools. Pick one and see what it connects to.
- Industries
- Methods
- Psychology
- Free tools
Pick an element to see what it connects to.
How to
start.
Three steps. Take the first one free, and only move on if it's useful.
A free audit
Pick one: your Google Ads account, or how you show up in Google and AI search. A person looks, not a bot. You keep it either way.Get my free auditStep 2 · One-offThe Market Blueprint
Your Search Relationship Map, Buyer State Map and a 90-day plan. Yours to run yourself, or with us.What's in itStep 3 · MonthlyWe run it
Search, paid, or both. Every month: what changed, why, and the next test.How it worksProbably not
a fit if...
- You want the cheapest option going.
- You want results without changing anything on your site.
- You'd rather not see the numbers when something isn't working.
From
the Lab.
Open the LabHow Much Does a Digital Marketing Agency Cost in Australia?
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ReadNo articles on that topic yet.
Who you'd work with
You deal with me,
not an account manager.
I'm Dan. I run SEO and paid media for e-commerce and lead generation businesses, directly and for agencies.
More about meQuestions
people ask.
What does 'marketing, reverse-engineered' mean?
Starting from the end and working back. First, how your buyer decides and how Google and AI choose which pages to show. Then what to say, where to show it and how much to spend. Most marketing starts with the ad. This starts with the decision.
What does The Digital Alchemists do?
SEO, AI search, Google Ads, Meta and LinkedIn ads, landing pages and tracking for Australian businesses. Every service does one of three jobs: get found, get chosen, or prove it worked. See all services.
Can you get my business into ChatGPT and Google's AI answers?
Nobody can guarantee it, and anyone who does is guessing. What I can do is make your business easier to find, understand and quote. Google says the best practices for SEO remain relevant for its AI features, with no special file or markup needed, so the basics come first.
Where are you based?
The Central Coast, NSW. I work with businesses all over Australia, by video call and shared screens.
How do I start?
With a free audit: Google Ads, or search and AI visibility. I do it myself, rank the 3 biggest fixes and walk you through them on a 20-minute call. You keep it either way.
See the pattern
in your market.
Request your
free audit.
Takes a minute. Audits come back within 1 to 2 business days. For anything else, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
What happens next
- 1I'll ask for read-only access, or just your website for a search audit.
- 2I go through it and write up the 3 biggest fixes.
- 3A 20-minute call to walk you through it. No pitch unless you ask.