SEO Specialist Tom Riley Launches HAKKEN to Help Insurers and Startups Win in Search

Tom Riley, a UK SEO and organic growth specialist, has launched into the world of business with his own agency, HAKKEN. The studio is built for insurance and fintech brands competing in some of the hardest, most regulated markets in search.

The launch marks the next chapter for a consultant who has spent his career turning organic search into a serious, revenue-driving growth channel.

Who is Tom Riley?

Tom Riley is a hands-on SEO specialist based in Middlesbrough, in the North East of England. He works with clients across the UK and London and is known for winning visibility in competitive, regulated sectors like insurance, fintech, finance, and health.

He is not a strategist who sits above the work. He gets into the detail himself, from technical SEO and site architecture to content, internal linking, link building, and digital PR, building demand and authority as one connected system.

A track record in hard markets

Tom built his reputation by delivering results where most consultants struggle. He has led organic and AI search inside a major UK insurtech, driven growth for an FCA-regulated pension firm, and co-owned a national dental tourism brand before selling his share.

Across those roles, the pattern is consistent: top rankings for high-intent commercial keywords, large reductions in paid media reliance, and organic growth that compounds rather than spikes.

Why he built HAKKEN

HAKKEN turns years of in-house and consulting experience into a focused, accountable agency. Tom built it for ambitious brands that are tired of underwhelming agency work and want a specialist who has actually delivered in their sector.

Rather than chasing every industry, HAKKEN concentrates on the markets Tom knows best, where competition is fiercest, compliance is strictest, and the commercial stakes are highest.

Who he works with

Tom is a recognised specialist for funded startups that need a reliable growth channel built properly, managing general agents looking to own their demand, and established insurance companies competing for visibility.

These are brands where getting search wrong is expensive, and where senior, hands-on expertise makes a real difference to the bottom line.

Building beyond consulting

Tom is an entrepreneur as much as a consultant. Alongside HAKKEN, he owns VERCORE, a national ecommerce business selling epoxy and industrial flooring paints, co-owns lead generation ventures, and is an active investor with a particular interest in robotics and cryptocurrency.

That mix of advising, building, and investing keeps him close to the commercial realities his clients face every day.

Focused on the future of search

A core part of HAKKEN's offer is AI search. As more customers research insurance and financial products inside ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews, Tom helps brands become the sources those tools cite and recommend.

It is a forward-looking position at a moment when many agencies still treat AI search as an afterthought, and it is fast making Tom Riley one of the names insurance and fintech brands turn to.