About Lawrence

AI SEO consultant based in Melbourne. Chief of Staff at StudioHawk. From Junior SEO with no experience to building Australia's most awarded SEO agency.

Lawrence Hitches

The short version

I joined StudioHawk as a Junior SEO in 2018 with no agency experience. In the years since, I've grown from General Manager (2021-2025) to Chief of Staff, building a 115-person agency across Melbourne, Sydney, London, and the US, winning 45 industry awards and scaling to over $20 million in global revenue.

I built the team, created the systems, engineered the culture, and hired the specialists who have delivered SEO campaigns for Officeworks, QuickBooks, Kathmandu, New Balance, Kogan, Mecca, and hundreds more. Now I make that same engine available to businesses directly as a consultant.

I write about SEO and AI search at lawrencehitches.com, host Beyond the Fold (StudioHawk's podcast), and speak at industry events about the intersection of AI and search.

The longer version

How it started (2018-2019)

I applied for a Junior SEO role at StudioHawk because I was curious about how search worked. No formal training, no marketing degree. Just a conviction that search was going to matter more, not less.

StudioHawk was founded by Harry Sanders in 2015 when he was 17 years old. By the time I joined, it was a small but ambitious agency. In 2019, we won Semrush's Best Marketing Agency and launched StudioHawk London.

COVID and growth (2020)

The pandemic hit and we lost roughly 20% of revenue almost overnight. Instead of cutting, we invested in the team and the product. By the end of 2020, revenue had grown over 70%, the team doubled, and we won four Semrush awards in a single year. We also launched Hawk Academy, which now has over 3,500 students globally.

General Manager (2021-2025)

I stepped into the GM role in 2021, from Junior SEO to leading the agency in three years. That same year, I was named Young Search Professional of the Year at the Semrush Awards, and StudioHawk won Best Global Large SEO Agency at the Global Search Awards.

Rebuilding (2022)

2022 was the toughest year. Months of negative revenue growth. Staff turnover spiked. I rebuilt the entire organisational structure, created Head of Learning and Development and Head of SEO Performance positions, moved to a performance-based bonus system, raised base salaries, and deliberately invested in retention even when profitability took a hit.

Staff turnover dropped. We won Best Large SEO Agency at the APAC Search Awards for the first time.

Expansion (2023-2024)

Launched StudioHawk Sydney in late 2023 with two people. Within a year: 12 team members and significant MRR growth. Built a digital PR team from scratch. Launched a web development division.

2023 was our biggest awards year: 10 wins including Semrush Best Marketing Agency for the second time, Best Agency Culture at Global Agency Awards, and SEO Agency of the Year at Global Digital Excellence.

2024 continued the momentum: three consecutive years winning Best Large SEO Agency APAC and a 125% increase in closed deals.

Chief of Staff (2026-present)

Stepped into the Chief of Staff role. Expanded to the US (Atlanta). Won Best Large Agency of the Year at Global Agency Awards and Standout SEO Agency of the Year. StudioHawk hit $20M+ in global revenue with 115+ team members.

We're now building an AI/LLM visibility R&D arm, made AI SEO Certification mandatory for all staff, and launched EarlyBird, our AI-powered SEO monitoring product serving 100+ clients.

At the APAC Search Awards 2026, we won 7 awards including Best Large SEO Agency for the fourth time and Best Use of Data for our own SEO campaign, ranking #1 for "SEO agency Melbourne".

Speaking and Media

Lawrence Hitches speaking at SEO Summit 2025

Podcast

  • Beyond the Fold: Host, Season 1. StudioHawk's podcast on growing brands through search.

Upcoming

Previous speaking events

Full speaker profile on SEO Conferences →

Featured in

  • Moz: "How to Secure an SEO Leadership Role"
  • Semrush: StudioHawk customer story
  • Add to Cart: Masterclass, SEO in the AI Era
  • SEOtesting: StudioHawk customer story
  • Mi3: "StudioHawk ventures into podcasting"

Work with me

You get me directly as your consultant and the full StudioHawk operation as your flexible resource. Let's talk.