I’m Jan Van Hove (LinkedIn). Since the mid-nineties, I’ve been studying how people search, choose and decide online — long before SEO had a name and long before digital strategy was a recognised field. What started as experimenting with websites and search engines has evolved into over twenty years of hands-on experience centred on one question: what gets seen, what stays hidden, and why.
For over thirteen years, I ran my own digital agency. More than 400 projects across a wide range of sectors made one thing clear: digital marketing doesn’t work in silos. SEO, reputation, content, data, advertising — they constantly influence each other. To do it well, you need to see the whole picture.
Today I work as a senior digital strategist at a major bancassurer, where SEO, paid media, content and AI intersect every single day. That combination of agency experience and corporate reality keeps my perspective grounded and focused: less noise, more decisions that actually move things forward.
AI is changing how people search, compare and decide — faster than most organisations realise. I’m researching how brands stay visible in a world where answers are generated rather than found. LLM Visibility, GEO, structured data, generative engine optimization — these are the areas I’m working on, from within a large organisation that measures this every day.
Working inside a large organisation means SEO, paid media, content, data and AI are intertwined in practice — not just in theory. That blend of agency instinct and corporate accountability makes for a focused point of view: less noise, more choices that actually make a difference.
Groundbase is not an agency and not a pitch deck. It’s a knowledge space: a place where I organise and share insights, experience and observations — calmly, honestly and without the hype.
I believe digital strategy can be explained more simply. That AI is not a magic solution, but an accelerator when you understand what you want from it. And that reputation, findability, content and advertising are never separate exercises — they’re one story.
Digital Strategy 
AI & Search Engines 
Digital Strategy