The Basics

What actually is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimisation, but forget the jargon. It's the work that makes your business show up on Google when someone searches for what you do. When a homeowner types "kitchen fitter worcester" or "blinds near me", Google has to decide who to show first. SEO is how you become that answer instead of your competitor.

What's the difference between SEO and Google Ads?

Google Ads is renting; SEO is owning. With ads, you pay for every click and the moment you stop paying, you vanish. With SEO, you build visibility that keeps working without a per-click bill. Ads are faster, SEO is more durable, and for many trades the right answer is a bit of both: ads for quick wins while the SEO takes root. I'll tell you honestly which fits your situation.

I'm on Checkatrade and MyBuilder. Isn't that enough?

Those directories can be a decent source of work, but think about what you're doing on them: paying to stand in a line-up next to your competitors, often competing on price, on a platform that owns the customer relationship. SEO puts your own business in front of the customer directly. The strongest position is your own website and Google profile bringing in work that's yours alone, with directories as a top-up rather than a lifeline.

Do I even need a website, or is my Facebook page enough?

Facebook is fine for showing off jobs to people who already follow you. It does almost nothing for people searching Google for your trade, which is where most new customers start. A simple, fast website that Google can understand will beat a busy Facebook page for bringing in new enquiries every time. You don't need a big site. You need the right one.

What's a Google Business Profile and why does everyone go on about it?

It's the panel that shows up on Google and Google Maps with your reviews, photos, opening hours and phone number. For local trades it's arguably more important than your website, because it's what appears in the map results when someone searches "electrician near me". Most trades have one that's half filled in and never touched. Properly optimised and fed with reviews, it becomes your hardest-working salesperson.

SEO Costs

How much does SEO cost?

My rates are published on this site, no hidden extras and no locked-in contracts. As a guide, a one-off audit is the right starting point if you don't know where you stand, and monthly SEO suits established businesses that want a steady pipeline of work. What I won't do is quote you a number before I understand your business, because the honest answer depends on your area, your competition and your goals.

Is SEO worth it for a small trade business?

Do the sums with your own numbers. If your average job is worth £3,000 and SEO brings you two extra jobs a month, that's £6,000 of work against a few hundred pounds of investment. The smaller your average job value, the harder that equation is to make work, and I'll tell you if I don't think it stacks up. For most trades doing jobs worth four figures and up, it's one of the best-value ways to win work there is.

Why is SEO a monthly cost? Can't you just fix it once?

Some of it is one-off: technical fixes, page structure, getting your profile right. But Google rewards businesses that stay active, your competitors don't stand still, and reviews, content and local signals need feeding. Think of it like a van. Buying it is the start; it still needs fuel and servicing to keep earning. That said, if a one-off audit and fix is genuinely all you need, that's what I'll recommend.

What happens if I stop paying? Does it all disappear?

No, and be wary of anyone whose work does. The improvements to your website, your content and your Google profile are yours and keep working. What stops is the ongoing gains: rankings gradually settle back as competitors keep pushing while you don't. Everything I build, you own. Your website, your domain, your content, your accounts. If we part ways, you keep the lot.

Can I just do SEO myself?

You could, the same way I could plaster my own ceiling. The information is all out there, and if you've got the time and interest, I'd genuinely encourage you to learn the basics; my blog is free and written for exactly that. The honest question is whether evenings spent learning SEO are worth more than evenings spent quoting, working or with your family. Most of my clients did the maths and decided their time was better spent on the tools.

Timescales & Process

How long until I see results?

Months, not weeks, and anyone who says otherwise is lying to you. Local visibility improvements often show within two to three months. More competitive terms take six to twelve. One of my clients saw enquiries up 30% inside two months because his fundamentals were quick to fix, but I'd rather set honest expectations and beat them than promise the moon and hide when it doesn't arrive.

How much of my time will this take?

Very little, and I've built it that way deliberately because my clients are on the tools all day. Expect a proper conversation at the start so I understand your business, then the occasional photo of a finished job, a quick answer to a question, or a nudge to ask a happy customer for a review. I handle the rest and report in plain English.

What do you actually do each month?

It varies by business, but typically some mix of: improving and adding pages to your website, keeping your Google Business Profile active, building your reviews, creating content that ranks for the jobs you want more of, fixing technical issues, and watching what competitors are doing. Every month you'll know what I did, why, and what it's producing, in enquiries and jobs rather than charts.

How do you measure success?

Enquiries and jobs, tracked back to where they came from. Rankings and traffic are how we get there, and I'll show you those too, but I've sat through enough board meetings to know nobody really cares about impressions. The report you get is the one I'd want if I were paying the invoice: what came in, what it cost, what it returned.

Trust & the awkward questions

I get calls saying my website has problems and I'm losing customers. Are they right?

Almost certainly not. Those calls and emails are mass-sent to thousands of businesses, and the "report" they offer finds the same scary-sounding problems for everyone. It's a fear-based sales tactic, and reputable people don't work that way. If you're ever worried something's genuinely wrong, send it my way and I'll tell you for free whether it's real.

Everyone says they're an SEO expert. How do I know who to trust?

Ask three things. Can I see named results, real businesses with real numbers, not "a client in the home improvement sector"? Will I deal with the person doing the work? And will you tell me if SEO isn't right for me? Watch how they answer the last one especially. Anyone who says yes to every business that can pay is running a sales operation, not a practice. My results, my rates and my face are all on this site, which is rarer in this industry than it should be.

Do you guarantee first page rankings?

No, and you should run from anyone who does, because nobody controls Google. What I guarantee is honest advice, work prioritised by what brings in jobs, and clear reporting on what's improving and why. In practice my clients stay for years, and it isn't because contracts trap them. There aren't any.

Will you work with my competitor down the road?

No. I don't take on directly competing businesses in the same trade and area, because I can't honestly push two firms up the same search results. First come, first served, and if you're on board, your patch is yours.

I already have an SEO company but I'm not sure what they do. Can you take a look?

Yes, and this is more common than you'd think. I'll review what's actually been done on your site and your profile, in plain English, and tell you whether you're getting what you're paying for. Sometimes the answer is "they're doing a decent job, stay put". You'll get the truth either way.

The modern stuff

People say everyone uses ChatGPT and AI now. Does SEO still matter?

More than ever, though it's evolving. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google's AI for a recommendation, those tools pull from the same underlying signals: clear websites, strong reviews, consistent business information, and content that demonstrates you know your trade. The businesses winning in AI results are the ones with their SEO fundamentals right. It's not SEO or AI. Good SEO is how you show up in both.

Why does my competitor rank above me when my work is better?

Because Google can't see your work, only the evidence of it. If your competitor has more reviews, a faster website, better photos and pages that clearly explain what they do and where, Google reasonably concludes they're the safer recommendation. The good news: that's all fixable. Quality of work wins referrals; quality of evidence wins Google. You need both.

I cover several towns. Can I show up in all of them?

Yes, with the right structure. Google shows local results based on where the searcher is, so a business in Worcester won't automatically appear for searches in Kidderminster. The answer is properly built pages for each area you genuinely serve, plus a well-managed Google profile. What doesn't work is stuffing thirty town names into your homepage. I'll build it the right way.

My work is seasonal. Does SEO make sense for me?

It's arguably more valuable for seasonal trades, because SEO's lead time becomes an advantage. The work we do in autumn is what fills your diary in spring. Most seasonal businesses market hardest when they're busy and go quiet when they're not, which is exactly backwards. A steady SEO presence smooths the feast and famine.

Working togther

What trades do you work with?

Joiners, carpenters, blind and shutter installers, kitchen fitters, builders, landscapers, sign makers, and manufacturers who sell to trade or homeowners. If your customers search Google before choosing who does the job, I can probably help. If I don't think I can, I'll say so in the first conversation.

Do you only work with businesses near you?

I'm based in Great Malvern, Worcestershire, and love working with businesses across Worcester and the West Midlands, but I work with trades right across the UK. Everything can be done remotely, and I'm happy to meet face to face when it's practical.

What happens in the free consultation?

We talk about your business, your customers, and what a good year looks like. I look at your website and Google visibility before we speak, so you'll come away with genuinely useful pointers whether we work together or not. No pitch, no pressure, and no follow-up campaign hounding you afterwards.