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Practical marketing advice for founders and small teams, in plain English.

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Claim check

Claims about marketing, checked against the evidence

Every Claim check series, newest first

Sale prices and urgency, checked

October 20266 claims

Marketing myths, checked

September 202612 claims

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AI search5 min read

Is your website on the pages that mention you?

Every page that mentions your business should point to your website. Social profiles, directories and listings all have a field for it, and most take five minutes to fill in.

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In-house teams7 min read

How to set up agile in a marketing team, and what to do when it isn't working

Start with one cycle, one board and one review, and treat the setup as a project with an end date rather than a permanent transformation.

Painted wooden blocks laid in rows like bricks, each a different colour

In-house teams7 min read

Squads, scrums and agile: what they actually are, and whether a marketing team needs any of it

The vocabulary comes from software, and the most copied model of all was a snapshot that its own authors warned you about.

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Strategy4 min read

I defined innovation in 2018, and I'd keep the definition. The word is the problem.

Any new activity that adds value to your business counts. The definition has held up, even though almost nobody uses the word any more.

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AI search6 min read

What AI actually changes about marketing your business

AI changes why you do your marketing more than what you do. You still need to be easy to find, clear and well reviewed, but now for a new reason.

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Strategy5 min read

What I got wrong about online marketing in 2018

In 2018 I wrote that you shouldn't try to do your own marketing. I was partly selling, and I'd now tell you the opposite.

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Strategy5 min read

AI isn't the problem, humans are

Stop worrying about which AI tools to buy. Time one task you already do, try it with AI, and decide what the saved minutes are for.

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Analytics8 min read

GA4 tells you nothing useful? Set up key events, step by step

A column of zeros under key events means nothing is marked as one, so GA4 can't see your enquiries. Four steps put it right.

An old, corroded tap with a single drop of water about to fall, in black and white

Paid ads8 min read

Google Ads spending without returning? An audit checklist, in the order to look

Google Ads spending without enquiries? Check who controls the account, what it tracks and what it pays for before you touch the ads.

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SEO8 min read

Google Business Profile: how to set one up properly, in the right order

Set up a Google Business Profile in the right order and you won't be redoing it, or appealing a suspension. Reviews come last, not first.

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Analytics7 min read

Google Consent Mode, explained: what is settled and what is not

Consent Mode's basic setting is fine in the UK. The advanced one, sold as a way to get your lost data back, may not be.

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Content8 min read

Is blogging worth it for your business?

For most small and medium businesses, blogging isn't worth it if it means posting and hoping. We sell content plans, so we've argued against ourselves.

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Strategy6 min read

Marketing for a small local business: what to do first, and what can wait

Most marketing advice was written for someone selling nationally to strangers. If your customers live nearby, your order is different.

Wooden rubber stamps beside a red and black ink pad on a white table

Brand7 min read

A messaging framework for your business: who you are for, why you, and how to say it

A messaging framework fits on one sheet: who you're for, why they should pick you, and how you say it. Here's how to fill one in.

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Strategy6 min read

A one-page marketing plan for your business, with a free template

A marketing plan that fits on one page actually gets opened again. It's eight boxes, filled in one at a time, and the template is free.

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Websites7 min read

The launch checklist: what to check before a new website or campaign goes live

Before a new website goes live, check that search engines can get in, forms arrive, enquiries are measured and old links still work.

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AI search8 min read

Bing's AI Performance report: how to see where Copilot cites your website

Bing now shows which of your pages Copilot cites, and the searches behind them. The report is free and takes fifteen minutes a month.

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Strategy7 min read

Fractional marketing director: what one does, what it costs, and when it is worth it

A fractional marketing director brings senior judgement for a few days a month, without a full-time salary, as long as someone does the work in between.

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SEO6 min read

How to get your business on Bing, Bing Maps and Copilot

Microsoft's Copilot uses Bing to find what it tells people, so if Bing can't find your business, Copilot probably can't either.

SEO6 min read

Google Business Profile suspended? Why it happens and how to get it back

A suspended Business Profile means Google thinks you've broken one of its rules. Find out which one, fix it, and only then appeal.

An hourglass with pink sand on a pale table

SEO5 min read

How long does SEO take? An honest answer for UK businesses

Nobody can honestly tell you when SEO will work, but it does happen in a set order, and you can watch each stage as it arrives.

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Paid ads9 min read

How much do Google Ads cost a UK business?

Google Ads cost whatever budget you set, plus a 2% UK fee and whoever runs the account. Your own numbers tell you what a fair test costs.

Rough watercolour sketches of website page layouts, side by side on paper

Websites9 min read

How much does a business website cost in the UK?

What a website really costs over three years, not just to build. Ours run from £3,500 to £15,000, with the prices published up front.

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SEO11 min read

How much does SEO cost for a UK business?

SEO quotes differ because they're for different work. Find out what's holding your site back before you pay anyone by the month.

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Websites6 min read

How to choose a web designer: questions to ask and red flags to spot

Decide what the site is for, judge portfolios on results, and walk away from anyone who registers your domain in their own name.

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Strategy6 min read

What an independent, founder-led marketing agency is, and when it beats a bigger one

In a founder-led agency, the person whose name is on the door does the work. It beats a bigger agency on judgement and loses on volume.

Black desk calculator on brown wooden table

Paid ads5 min read

Is Google Ads worth it for your business? Do the break-even sum first

Google Ads is worth it if each customer brings in comfortably more than they cost to win, and you can check that before you spend a penny.

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SEO6 min read

Is SEO worth it for your business? How to work it out

Whether SEO pays comes down to three questions, and you can answer all three for free before you spend a penny.

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Strategy7 min read

Questions to ask a marketing agency before you sign, and the answers to listen for

Before you sign with a marketing agency, ask who'll do the work, who'll own the accounts and what they'd tell you not to do.

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SEO10 min read

Why is my website not showing up on Google or Bing? A step-by-step diagnosis

A website that isn't showing up on Google could have any of five problems, each with its own cause. Work out which one is yours before you fix anything.

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SEO9 min read

What an SEO audit should include, and how to judge the one you are given

A competent SEO audit says what stops the right people finding your site and what to fix first. A tool's export with a logo on it does neither.

Two stacks of British coins on a wooden table

Strategy10 min read

What marketing costs in the UK: a price guide for small and medium businesses

Every service we offer has a published price, and here they sit beside what hiring someone in-house really costs.

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Analytics9 min read

Who owns your Google Ads, analytics and domain? Check before you switch agencies

Your domain, ad accounts and analytics should be in your business's name, with suppliers given access. Check now, before you need to leave.

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Strategy10 min read

Agency, consultant, freelancer or fractional? How to choose marketing help

An agency sells capacity, a freelancer one skill and a consultant a diagnosis. If you can't say which you need, start with the diagnosis.

A brass pocket compass lying open on an old map

AI search3 min read

Do small and medium businesses need to worry about AI search yet?

There's no need to worry yet, but an hour asking four AI assistants about your business shows where you stand, and the fixes help ordinary search too.

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Analytics8 min read

How do I know if my marketing agency is doing a good job?

Judge a marketing agency on the customers it wins you and what each one cost, not on impressions or how good the monthly deck looks.

Printed planning sheets and a gold pen on a grey desk

Strategy7 min read

What does a fixed-price marketing project actually include?

A fixed-price project needs a written scope, a price that doesn't move, agreed dates and a split of who does what. Without all four, it's an estimate.

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Strategy8 min read

How much does a marketing consultant cost in the UK?

Of our fixed-price projects, only a website can cost more than £8,000. What moves the price most is how much has to be discovered.

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Strategy8 min read

Do you actually need a digital marketing strategy? Seven signs you do

Three or more of seven common signs mean a marketing strategy is worth writing, and a first version takes an afternoon.

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Strategy8 min read

How much should a business spend on marketing, and how should it be split?

Skip the percentages. Work your marketing budget out from what a customer is worth, then spend it on being found before being noticed.

A metal OPEN sign hanging in a shop window

SEO9 min read

Local SEO for UK businesses: the complete checklist

Five things decide whether local customers find you: your Business Profile, your reviews, your listings, your website and the local sites that mention you.

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Paid ads8 min read

Why your Google Ads aren't working: no impressions, no clicks or no conversions

When Google Ads aren't working, either nobody sees them, nobody clicks, or the clicks don't become enquiries. Find out which before you add budget.

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Paid ads7 min read

Meta ads vs Google Ads: which is right for your business?

Choose Google Ads if people already search for what you sell, and Meta if they don't yet know they need it.

Hand-drawn wireframe sketches of web pages on white paper

Websites6 min read

Nine homepage mistakes that quietly cost you enquiries

Nine common homepage mistakes quietly cost you enquiries. Nearly all of them can be fixed without a new website, and checking takes half an hour.

Sketches and pens scattered across a wooden table

Websites8 min read

Landing pages that convert: the structure, section by section

A landing page that converts has seven sections, one audience and one action. Anything that doesn't serve that action comes off.

A squared spiral notebook and a lilac pen on a white desk

Content8 min read

Content strategy on a small team: publish less, earn more

A small team wins by publishing less: fewer pieces, on the questions customers actually ask, each one made to work in more than one place.

Brand7 min read

Can you explain what you do in one sentence? How to fix your messaging

If customers can't repeat what you do, they can't recommend you. One sentence, built from a simple formula, fixes that.

Orange and blue columns of different heights standing on a grid, like a bar chart in three dimensions

Analytics9 min read

GA4 without the headache: the only five reports you need

Get four settings right, and five GA4 reports will answer the questions a business actually asks. The rest can wait.

Wooden chess pieces lined up on a board in low sunlight

AI search2 min read

Is ChatGPT recommending your competitors instead of you?

Ask ChatGPT to recommend a business like yours. If it names a competitor and not you, here's why that happens and what to fix.

A teal jigsaw puzzle with a single piece missing

Partnerships8 min read

How to find and pitch the right brand partners

The best brand partners sell something different to the same customers. Start small, pitch plainly and agree everything in writing.

Prints of flowers laid out in rows on a dark wooden table

Social6 min read

Choosing a social media agency: the questions to ask first

Before you hire a social media agency, ask how it measures success, who does the work and who'll own your accounts. The answers tell you more than the pitch.

Every piece in a series

Sale prices and urgency, checked 6 pieces

Marketing myths, checked 12 pieces

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