Sheffield DM · Talk
Organising Your SEO Workflow with Generative AI
An early talk on practical uses of generative AI for SEO workflows, focused on real process improvement rather than novelty.
Why Cited exists
Cited is where I put eight years of search experience to work for charities, CICs and community teams that would usually be priced out of it.
Explore my full profile: career, community work, writing and recorded talks.
The short version
I am Akash Hashmi, founder of Cited and Head of Organic Search at Evoluted since August 2026. Cited is where I support grassroots organisations alongside that role.
I've spent the last eight years in SEO, from technical work and large sites to workshops with small Sheffield arts organisations. The job I keep coming back to is the same: take something complicated and turn it into a decision people can use.
I started Cited because the organisations with the least spare money are often given the vaguest advice. I wanted a small, direct way to look at the real problem, say what matters, and help fix it without manufacturing a retainer.
I was born in Sheffield and still live here. My route into this work runs through BiGYEC, Carousel, Sheffield City Breakers, Sheffield Active Opportunities and now Sheffield City Opportunities CIC. That community work is part of how I think, not a line added to the website later.
What I've done
- — 8+ years in SEO and technical SEO across a broad range of professional verticals, from community and public-interest work through to commercial, service-led, and larger organisational environments
- — Involved in Sheffield's business and voluntary sector since October 2011 through The BiG Young Entrepreneurs Club (BiGYEC), later serving as a junior board member
- — Carousel director, EU bid writer, and media trainer from 2017 helping people from underprivileged backgrounds build radio and media production skills for employment
- — Worked with Sheffield City Breakers from 2019 onwards before the 2025 rebrand to Industrial Elements under Sheffield City Opportunities CIC
- — Founded Sheffield Active Opportunities in 2020 as a bid-writing company supporting Sheffield projects and organisations
- — Three-time Brighton SEO speaker — October 2024: "Prioritising your needle-moving SEO tasks", April 2025: "Have SEOs Ruined the Internet?", October 2025: "AI for SEO Done Right: Building Brand-Boosting Tools"
- — Brighton SEO AI panel panellist (October 2024) — appearing on "Panel: AI" alongside Travis Tallent, Omar Salah, and Crystal Carter
- — Sheffield DM speaker (2023) — "Organising Your SEO Workflow with Generative AI"
- — Digitaloft Digital PR Summit panellist (2024) — contributing to discussions on the intersection of PR and search
- — Managing Director of Sheffield City Opportunities CIC since March 2025 — supporting a community interest company focused on breaking, hip-hop culture, mural art, and youth development in Sheffield
The point of all of it is simple: make good advice usable by people doing good work.
Why I keep Cited small
Most grassroots teams do not need more marketing. They need a clear answer, a sensible amount of help and enough understanding to carry on without me.
You probably do not need an agency
You may need someone to sit down with you, look at the site and tell you what to focus on. That is a different job, and it should be priced like one.
Good thinking should fit the budget
A smaller organisation should not get a watered-down answer. The scope can be smaller. The care and judgement should not be.
You should not need me forever
I explain the work, leave useful notes and show your team how to keep it going. If I cannot help, I will tell you that too.
The advice comes from doing it
I write bids, manage projects, run a CIC and work alongside Sheffield artists and coaches. I know the difference between a tidy strategy and something a stretched team can really deliver.
The Sheffield route here
Before Cited had a name, there were years of local boards, bids, training, breaking and project work. This is the short version.
October 2011
BiGYEC
My involvement in Sheffield's business and voluntary sector began through The BiG Young Entrepreneurs Club. Over time that included event participation, public speaking, and junior board responsibilities.
2017 onwards
Carousel
Director, successful EU bid writer, and media trainer from 2017, helping people from underprivileged backgrounds build radio and media production skills for employment.
2019 onwards
Sheffield City Breakers
Work with Sheffield City Breakers from 2019 onwards, rooted in breaking culture and later feeding into the 2025 rebrand to Industrial Elements.
2020 onwards
Sheffield Active Opportunities
Bid-writing work through Sheffield Active Opportunities from 2020, supporting projects and opportunities across Sheffield.
March 2025 onwards
SCOCIC, Industrial Elements & Cited
Sheffield City Opportunities CIC launched in March 2025. Industrial Elements now sits under SCOCIC following the 2025 rebrand from Sheffield City Breakers, and Cited is shaped by that same day-to-day Sheffield work.
Read the SCOCIC page →How I work
Start from zero
I do not assume what you know. We start where you are and build from there.
Use it this week
Theory only earns its place if it helps you make a better decision or fix something.
Do not game the person
No dark patterns or tricks. The page should help the person who came to it.
Grounded in the work
I run a CIC too. I know what a small budget, a deadline and a crowded week actually feel like.
Honest assessment
If something will not work, I will say so. If you do not need me, I will say that too.
Talks, panels & videos
A public trail of talks, panels, and appearances across search, AI, and digital PR. The first two Brighton SEO talk videos and both panel videos are embedded here, while the October 2025 talk links out until a public recording is available. Videos only load when clicked, so the page stays quick.
Digitaloft Digital PR Summit · Panel
SEO For Digital PR Panel
Panel discussion with James Brockbank, Sophie Brannon, Akash Hashmi and Hannah Smith on relevancy, team alignment, and demonstrating E-E-A-T across SEO and Digital PR.
Brighton SEO · Talk
Prioritising your needle-moving SEO tasks
A practical framework for identifying the SEO tasks most likely to drive meaningful results, prioritising them properly, and avoiding busywork that looks useful but does not change performance.
Brighton SEO · Panel
Panel: AI
AI panel appearance alongside Travis Tallent, Omar Salah, and Crystal Carter, discussing AI from a practical search and marketing perspective at Brighton SEO in October 2024.
Brighton SEO · Talk
Have SEOs ruined the internet? User awareness of SEO in 2025
A talk on how users are becoming more conscious of SEO tactics, what that means for trust, and why content has to feel genuinely useful instead of obviously engineered.
Brighton SEO · Talk
AI for SEO Done Right: Building Brand-Boosting Tools
The third Brighton SEO talk, focused on building AI-assisted tools that improve search performance without compromising trust, clarity, or brand quality.
Talk page →
Public video not available yet
Sheffield City Opportunities CIC
Before Cited, before the speaking engagements, there were years of Sheffield community and bid-writing work. Since March 2025 I have been the Managing Director of Sheffield City Opportunities CIC, a community interest company creating opportunities through breaking, hip-hop culture, mural art, and youth development in Sheffield.
That role sits on top of earlier work with Carousel from 2017, Sheffield City Breakers from 2019, and Sheffield Active Opportunities from 2020. Within SCOCIC it includes admin, bid writing, promotion, operational planning, and digital visibility, with Industrial Elements sitting under the CIC following the 2025 rebrand from Sheffield City Breakers.
That experience is embedded in everything Cited does. When I work with a grassroots organisation, I'm not guessing what it's like. I've been there. I understand the constraints, the priorities, and the feeling of trying to make something visible in a world that is not designed to notice you.
What SCO CIC does
Want to work together?
No pitch decks, no sales calls, no pressure. Just an honest conversation about whether Cited can help your organisation get found.