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Mark McNeece

Founder & Managing Director

Kettering, Northamptonshire

Mark McNeece, founder of 365i, in his office
About the Author

Mark McNeece

Mark brings more than 30 years of hands-on experience in web technologies, infrastructure, and performance optimisation. His career spans from early internet infrastructure through enterprise consulting to contemporary WordPress hosting platforms.

He founded BSolve IT Limited in 2001 and subsequently created 365i Hosting as a specialised managed hosting platform for WordPress and web hosting. Mark created the AI Visibility Definition and the AI Discovery File Specifications (10 machine-readable files that make websites discoverable by AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity), with the AI Visible Directory tracking adoption. His AI Discovery Files WordPress plugin lets site owners generate all 10 files directly from their dashboard. He is a published author at The Financial Executives Journal, writing on AI and technology strategy.

Practical advice, honest answers, and systems that simply work. Prioritises structure, performance, and clarity.

Mark McNeece, Founder & Managing Director
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At 25, Mark received the Freedom of the City of London (1993), admitted as "A Computer Analyst/Programmer". It is one of Britain's oldest civic honours, recognising his early professional standing in the technology sector. Through the mid-1990s he ran Boots Board, a bulletin board system that grew into a worldwide community of thousands of users. The operation expanded into a full internet service provider with banks of modems in hunt groups, leased lines, and a dedicated Class C IP block. He sold the business in 1997. He holds a BSc (Honours) in Computer Science and has been at the forefront of web technology evolution since the early days of the internet. Creativity runs in the family. His father John McNeece was the world famous interior designer and CEO of McNeece (London, Paris, Miami), best known for transforming cruise ship interiors including the QE2 and Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas. His mother Margaret Sandeman, a Glasgow School of Art graduate, also a talented interior designer and opera singer.

Areas of Expertise

Managed WordPress Hosting WordPress Plugin Development Cloud Server Architecture Performance Optimisation Core Web Vitals AI Visibility & Site Identity Technical SEO Database Design & Normalisation PHP & Modern CSS CDN & Edge Caching
Career & Background

Career Timeline

Mid-1990s

Boots Board BBS & ISP

Built and operated Boots Board, a bulletin board system that attracted thousands of users worldwide. Expanded into a full internet service provider with banks of modems, leased lines, and a dedicated Class C IP block. Sold the business in 1997.

Late 1990s

Enterprise Consulting

Worked with major Microsoft partners including QA Consulting and Anite Systems on enterprise-level projects.

2001

Founded BSolve IT Limited

Established a consulting and development company (Company No. 4607330), delivering bespoke solutions for businesses across the UK.

2010s

Created 365i Hosting

Launched a specialised managed hosting platform with WordPress hosting, web hosting, VPS, and managed cloud servers with expert support.

2025

365i Web Design

Launched a premium web design service combining performance engineering, technical SEO, and AI visibility expertise.

2026

AI Visibility Definition

Created the AI Visibility Definition and AI Discovery File Specifications, an open standard for AI-readable site identity.

2026

Published Author

Became a published author at The Financial Executives Journal, contributing articles on AI strategy and technology for business leaders.

2026

AI Discovery Files Plugin

Released AI Discovery Files, a WordPress plugin that generates 10 machine-readable files so AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity can discover, interpret, and cite websites correctly.

Education & Qualifications

  • BSc (Honours) in Computer Science (began 1992)
  • Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate
  • ScotVec qualifications in IT disciplines including COBOL and electronic engineering
  • IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) qualified advanced motorcycle rider
  • Holyrood Secondary School, Glasgow

AI Visibility is not about being found. It is about being understood.

Mark McNeece Founder & Managing Director, 365i AI Visibility Explained, April 2026
Creator & Maintainer

AI Visibility Definition

Mark created the AI Visibility Definition: the degree to which a website can be discovered, interpreted, and cited by AI systems. The accompanying AI Discovery File Specifications define 10 machine-readable files (including llms.txt, ai.json, identity.json, and brand.txt) across three implementation tiers.

The Q2 2026 Adoption Study crawled 1,905 domains across the top 1,000 global and top 1,000 UK websites. Just 7.2% had any AI Discovery File (up from 6.5% in Q1), and 85% had no AI-specific policy in their robots.txt. The llms.txt file saw the strongest growth, nearly doubling from 35 to 61 valid implementations. All datasets are published as open data under CC BY 4.0, tracking adoption rates, readiness scores, and crawler blocking policies across 15 AI user agents.

For WordPress sites, Mark built the AI Discovery Files plugin, which generates all 10 files directly from the WordPress admin with auto-detection, live preview, and validation. No coding needed.

The AI Visible Directory tracks verified implementations. The specifications and all research are open source on GitHub under CC BY 4.0.

AI Visibility Definition document showing the open standard for AI-readable site identity

Is Your Website Visible to AI?

Most aren't. Mark built the AI Visibility Checker to fix that. Paste any URL and it scans your site against all 10 AI Discovery File specifications, scoring your readiness for ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. The whole thing takes about 15 seconds.

He also created free downloadable templates for every AI discovery file type, available right on the checker page. Scan your site, grab the templates, swap in your business details, and you're done.

No account needed. No email required. Just paste your URL.

112 Articles Published
9 Topics Covered
30+ Years in Tech

Latest Articles

Security 15 May 2026

Avada Builder Just Patched a 1M-Site SQL Injection. The WooCommerce Deactivated Trap Is the Buried Lead.

Wordfence disclosed CVE-2026-4798 in Avada Builder this week, affecting over 1,050,000 WordPress installations. The headline is patch to 3.15.3. The buried lead almost nobody covered is the WooCommerce-installed-then-deactivated precondition that turns the SQL injection from a "1M sites at risk" panic into a much narrower exploit window. We have held Avada licences for years and patched our portfolio first. Here is what actually matters.

7 min read Read

WordPress

WordPress tips, plugins, updates, and best practices for getting the most from your WordPress hosting.

24 articles
WordPress 13 Apr 2026

WordPress vs Webflow vs EmDash Compared

Webflow locks your CMS content to their servers. Cloudflare's EmDash only runs its security features on Cloudflare. WordPress lets you host anywhere. Here's the honest comparison nobody else is making.

8 min read Read

Hosting

Web hosting, VPS, cloud servers, and infrastructure insights to help you choose and manage the right hosting.

23 articles

AI Visibility

AI discovery files, AI site identity, and optimising your website for AI-powered search and chatbots.

22 articles
AI Visibility 26 Feb 2026

$1B Bet Proves AI Visibility Is No Longer Optional

Profound just closed $96 million at a billion-dollar valuation to track what AI says about brands. Fortune 500 firms are already using it. Here's what this means for UK businesses that can't spend thousands on enterprise AI tools, and the free steps you can take today.

7 min read Read

Security

Website security, SSL, DDoS protection, malware prevention, and hosting security best practices.

13 articles
Security 15 May 2026

Avada Builder Just Patched a 1M-Site SQL Injection. The WooCommerce Deactivated Trap Is the Buried Lead.

Wordfence disclosed CVE-2026-4798 in Avada Builder this week, affecting over 1,050,000 WordPress installations. The headline is patch to 3.15.3. The buried lead almost nobody covered is the WooCommerce-installed-then-deactivated precondition that turns the SQL injection from a "1M sites at risk" panic into a much narrower exploit window. We have held Avada licences for years and patched our portfolio first. Here is what actually matters.

7 min read Read

SEO

Search engine optimisation strategies, Google updates, and practical tactics to improve your rankings.

9 articles

Domains

Domain name guides covering registration, transfers, DNS, and choosing the right extension for your business.

7 articles
Domains 24 Feb 2026

How to Check if a Domain Name Is Available

Most guides start at the search bar. This one starts at the trademark office. Here's how to check domain availability properly: avoid front-running traps, check for blacklisted history, match your social handles, and secure the right extensions before someone else does.

8 min read Read

News

Company announcements, product updates, platform improvements, and industry news.

6 articles

Web Design

Web design trends, CMS comparisons, UX insights, and building effective business websites.

5 articles

Business

Business tips, digital marketing, and online strategy for growing your web presence.

3 articles

Work With Mark McNeece

Ready to discuss your hosting or web project? Get in touch to explore how 365i can help your business succeed online.