Local SEO and marketing for SMEs in York
Make your business easier to discover and impossible to ignore.
One of the things I love most about York is the incredible number of independent businesses operating within the city walls and beyond. I help small businesses in York improve their online presence with local SEO, clearer website copy and practical marketing support.
Perhaps your website isn't bringing in enough enquiries. Your services have changed, but your pages haven't caught up. Or you need someone to turn a list of marketing ideas into work that actually gets done.
I'm a freelance writer and marketing consultant based in York. I combine more than ten years' experience with hands-on support, from reviewing your website and planning improvements to writing the pages and content your customers need to take action.
Tell me about your York business >
Digital marketing support for York’s independent businesses
I help independent businesses in York explain what they offer, get found online and make it easier for customers to enquire, book or buy. You might be starting from scratch, introducing online sales or bookings, or trying to get more from an established website. I can help you identify what needs attention and put the improvements into practice.
Building your online presence
Perhaps you’re a piano teacher in Haxby relying on recommendations, or a sole trader in Acomb whose contact details are scattered across social media.
I can help get the essentials in place: accurate business information, a Google Business Profile, a business email, and a straightforward way for customers to contact you. If you need your first website, I can build one that explains what you offer and gives people the information they need to enquire.
Whether you want a portfolio of your best work, customer stories you can use to win new business, or a mailing list that you can keep in touch with, I can help.
Selling or taking bookings online for the first time
You might be an artist ready to sell work beyond Instagram, or a tour guide who wants customers to check availability and reserve a place without arranging everything by email.
I’ll help you introduce online selling or booking functionality, write the product descriptions or tour pages, and make the process straightforward.
Getting more from an existing website
Perhaps your restaurant’s website doesn’t reflect the care behind the food, leaves visitors hunting for the latest menu, or makes booking a table unnecessarily difficult. Or maybe your online shop attracts visitors, but too few become customers.
I can review how people find and use your site, identify gaps in the information they need, and improve the copy, structure and steps towards an enquiry or purchase. That could mean stronger service pages, clearer product information, better SEO for visibility to York residents, or a more convincing account of what makes your business worth choosing.
Freelance marketing support that fits your business
You might run a professional service, an independent shop, a visitor business or a specialist company whose work needs explaining. You may be managing the marketing yourself or need extra support alongside an existing team.
I'm based in York and work with businesses across the city, North Yorkshire and further afield. We can work remotely or arrange a local meeting where it would be useful.
Ways to work together
A website and local SEO review
A defined review of your important pages and business information, with a prioritised action plan. Useful when you need a clear starting point before commissioning changes.
A website content project
Research, planning and writing for an agreed set of pages. This could cover a clearer homepage, stronger service descriptions, useful FAQs or a more convincing enquiry journey for your York business.
Ongoing SEO content and marketing support
Regular support to implement an agreed plan, publish useful content and review progress. We can shape this around your available budget, upcoming plans, and existing team.
How we'll work together
I’ll go the extra mile to understand your business. I’ll dive into what you offer, the kind of customers you want more of, and where your current marketing falls short.
We’ll agree on the priorities. I'll set out the proposed work, deliverables, fee, timings, and what I need from you.
Create and implement. I'll develop the agreed content, gather your feedback and help get the changes ready for publication.
Review the response. For ongoing work, we'll use available search and enquiry data to decide what’s working, what isn’t, and what to improve next.
Frequently asked questions about my York marketing services
How much does small business SEO and marketing support in York cost?
The fee depends on the work: a review of a few key pages is a different project from rewriting a website or managing regular content and campaigns. I'll provide a quote against a defined scope. For ongoing support, we can agree a monthly arrangement with clear deliverables.
Can you help if I already have a website for my York business?
Yes, I can work with your existing website and focus on the pages, messages and customer journeys that need attention. I work with Squarespace, WordPress and Shopify websites. We'll agree which content changes I can make directly and where your developer's help is needed.
What is the difference between local SEO and website copywriting?
Local SEO considers how people discover your business through relevant local searches, including your website and business information. It’s about raising awareness in and around York for your products and services. Copywriting makes the offer clear and persuasive once someone encounters it. My service combines content planning and writing with practical improvements to your local search presence.
Can you help my business appear in AI search results?
I can improve the content and business information that support discovery, and review an agreed sample of relevant questions. Inclusion in an AI answer depends on the platform and the question; I can't promise a recommendation. The work should also make your website more useful to customers arriving through other routes.
How long will it take to see results from SEO?
We'll agree a delivery timetable for the work itself. Search performance can take longer to respond and depends on factors including your starting point, competition and the changes involved. I'll distinguish completed work from measured outcomes, and we can review progress using available impressions, clicks and enquiry data.
Can I hire you for a one-off project?
Yes. A website review, a set of service pages or a defined content project can be commissioned separately. Ongoing support is available if you need someone to keep the work moving afterwards.
Can you work with my web designer or existing marketing team?
Yes. I can take responsibility for research, messaging and copy while working within your existing design and approval process. We agree who handles implementation so the finished content has a clear route to publication.