Jesse Cluer

Why it matters

No matter the size of your business, your website should be your most powerful marketing tool. More than 90% of customers search online one way or another, so if your website isn’t bringing in a big share of your work, that work is finding your competitors instead.

I’m Jesse Cluer, and my job is making sure it finds you.

Jesse Cluer, Managing Director & Head of Strategy at Balar Media Group

The journey

I grew up on the Tweed at Fingal Head, and at 10 I volunteered to move to boarding school in the Philippines on my own for three years.

I studied International Business at Griffith University, and in 2005 I left uni when a Gold Coast cruise company sent me around the world to run their international marketing. I was in charge of the inbound tourism market, building relationships with tour operators and wholesalers across Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and every state in Australia. Back home, I’d take high-value clients over to the island resort myself: a 4WD tour I drove, lunch, live music, then back on the seaplane. I travelled with then Mayor Ron Clarke and the marketing managers of Sea World, Movie World, Dreamworld, Tangalooma, the Gold Coast Convention Centre and Sirromet Wines. That’s where I learned that marketing is about relationships and results, not noise.

I was then offered a partnership in an advertising agency, where I learned websites, graphic design, branding and print, and most importantly, real-world consulting and business strategy. From there I managed a hotel owner’s group of fashion retail stores: running the stores, hiring and firing, and running a magazine and its team, selling the advertising to fill every issue. I pitched my employers on investing in a friend’s fashion label, took it around Australia alongside their brands, and landed more than 40 stockists on the first trip. Then I started my own fashion agency, taking almost eight brands to boutiques around the country, backed by a database of every fashion boutique in Australia that I’d built by hand.

When the GFC hit in 2008, I started selling websites alongside the fashion labels. As stores began closing, I saw the opportunity and got as many boutiques online as I could, slashing their overheads so they could keep selling. Around 30 signed up in the first five weeks.

Ahead of the market. I’ve spent more than 20 years spotting trends before they go mainstream. I was building remote teams in the Philippines before Upwork existed, finding talent on Craigslist when nobody I knew was outsourcing. Every site I delivered was custom designed with its own custom-built admin, long before WordPress was up to it. When cheap templates and overseas call centres flooded the market and dragged down what customers thought a website was worth, I never took the template route. I’ve focused on SEO for two decades and moved clients to responsive websites before most agencies had heard of them.

Today it’s digital strategies for small, medium and large enterprises, implementing the most powerful marketing tools available: custom web design and development, organic SEO, social and Google Ads management, and business consulting. We’re at the forefront of getting our clients' websites AI ready for the next search revolution. If you’re serious about your business, get in touch, because we’re ready to blow your business up!

Working with me

Results, not pretty pictures.

We don’t design websites just to look nice. We engineer heavy-hitting websites structured around organic SEO and built to turn traffic into enquiries. We take on the complex projects other companies won’t touch, because we enjoy the challenge and have the experience to deliver. Whether you’re a start-up building from nothing, an established business ready to scale, or a business that needs life breathed back into its marketing and systems, I’ll be as excited about your business as you are.

What a first meeting looks like.

I’ll dig into your business, your systems and your numbers, and you’ll leave with real insight whether we work together or not. If I don’t think I can drastically grow your business, I’ll politely tell you and we’ll both move on. We’re selective, because we do our best work with businesses whose values match our own.

You deal with me.

I personally manage every client from start to finish, I meet people face to face, and you’ll have my mobile. For the last three years, nearly all our clients have come through word of mouth and referrals, from a network I’ve built one handshake at a time, spanning over two decades. That’s why I created our affiliate system, so you can earn 8% simply by referring anyone you know. The team and I have a combined record of 500+ web builds. Our clients range from local businesses to Neumann Steel, Amazonia, True Metal Solutions, Rollsec, EvoHeat Australia and Mr Rental New Zealand, plus Crowne Plaza, InterContinental and Holiday Inn hotels across Australia and New Zealand.

Jesse Cluer skiing, off the clock — Off the clock.

Google reviews

What clients say about working with Jesse

Based on 34 reviews on Google, rated 5.0

“I can’t recommend Balar Media Group enough. Jesse, Inge, and the whole team that built my website over 8 years ago and have continued to support and work with me ever since. They’re always easy to communicate with, super reliable, and genuinely care about my business. …”
Manta MagicGoogle review
“It was a great pleasure to work with Balar Media Group on the design of our new website. Jesse and his team are talented, prompt and reliable. Their proven experience and excellence are the reason why we would recommend Balar Media Group to anyone who is looking to create a customized website.”
Gisele ReidGoogle review
“We recently had our website created by Balar Media and we can't recommend them highly enough, they were amazing. Jesse was awesome and after an initial consultation he knew exactly what we wanted and we were blown away by the final result which exceeded our expectations. …”
Kargostino AustraliaGoogle review
“Balar Media Group recently created us a new website for our tourism business “Cape York Guided Tours”
Jesse & Chanelle were terrific, they listened to what we needed & assisted us by offering suggestions for the new website.
Fantastic customer service, where nothing was too much trouble. …”
Michelle WaltersGoogle review
“Thank you so much Jesse and all the team at Balar Media Group for creating our beautiful and inspirational website. We were so impressed with your dedication and desire to ensure that we received a product that was best for us. …”
Vince KarteloGoogle review
“Belar Media Group built both of our websites. Jesse and the team are very professional very knowledgeable and are at the top of there game. I wouldn’t recommend anyone else when it comes to web design and web hosting.
Vas”
Iconic American ImportsGoogle review
“Jesse and the team provided a comprehensive and quality service. Turn around times great and fully customized site that matched the new web site to our business. Stephen- Woody Marine Fabrication”
Stephen PlummerGoogle review
“If you want your business to stand out above the rest Balar Media Group is where it happens. Jesse and his team are very professional. Highly recommended!!”
Luke DeaneGoogle review
“Jesse does a lot of work for our business. The quality, communication and turnaround are second to none. I highly endorse Jesse and the team at Balar Media”
brendan ClarkeGoogle review
“Jess and the team were absolutely wonderful to work with. Very happy with my website! Highly recommend!”
Catherine WangGoogle review
“After working with Jesse and the team and the end result couldn’t be happier with My choice to use Balar Media Group 🙏”
Natasha StoneGoogle review

“I can’t recommend Balar Media Group enough. Jesse, Inge, and the whole team that built my website over 8 years ago and have continued to support and work with me ever since. They’re always easy to communicate with, super reliable, and genuinely care about my business. …”
Manta MagicGoogle review
“It was a great pleasure to work with Balar Media Group on the design of our new website. Jesse and his team are talented, prompt and reliable. Their proven experience and excellence are the reason why we would recommend Balar Media Group to anyone who is looking to create a customized website.”
Gisele ReidGoogle review
“We recently had our website created by Balar Media and we can't recommend them highly enough, they were amazing. Jesse was awesome and after an initial consultation he knew exactly what we wanted and we were blown away by the final result which exceeded our expectations. …”
Kargostino AustraliaGoogle review
“Balar Media Group recently created us a new website for our tourism business “Cape York Guided Tours”
Jesse & Chanelle were terrific, they listened to what we needed & assisted us by offering suggestions for the new website.
Fantastic customer service, where nothing was too much trouble. …”
Michelle WaltersGoogle review
“Thank you so much Jesse and all the team at Balar Media Group for creating our beautiful and inspirational website. We were so impressed with your dedication and desire to ensure that we received a product that was best for us. …”
Vince KarteloGoogle review
“Belar Media Group built both of our websites. Jesse and the team are very professional very knowledgeable and are at the top of there game. I wouldn’t recommend anyone else when it comes to web design and web hosting.
Vas”
Iconic American ImportsGoogle review
“Jesse and the team provided a comprehensive and quality service. Turn around times great and fully customized site that matched the new web site to our business. Stephen- Woody Marine Fabrication”
Stephen PlummerGoogle review
“If you want your business to stand out above the rest Balar Media Group is where it happens. Jesse and his team are very professional. Highly recommended!!”
Luke DeaneGoogle review
“Jesse does a lot of work for our business. The quality, communication and turnaround are second to none. I highly endorse Jesse and the team at Balar Media”
brendan ClarkeGoogle review
“Jess and the team were absolutely wonderful to work with. Very happy with my website! Highly recommend!”
Catherine WangGoogle review
“After working with Jesse and the team and the end result couldn’t be happier with My choice to use Balar Media Group 🙏”
Natasha StoneGoogle review