When someone nearby searches for what you do, you should be the first name they see.
I’m Steve Welsh, a digital marketing consultant in Kilmarnock. I get local businesses to the top of Google search, Maps and AI answers, so the phone rings more often, from the right kind of customer.
Marketing feels busy. Growth stays quiet.
You don’t need more activity. You need a plan. These three gaps are why good local businesses stay invisible while competitors get the calls.
Three services, one outcome: you get found, and you get chosen.
Start with the one piece that will move fastest, or hand me the whole thing. Same method either way.
Google Business Profile optimisation
The quickest route to local enquiries. A full rebuild of your profile, categories, services, photos, posts and reviews. All of it aimed at the top three in Maps.
Website SEO & AEO
Fixing what’s holding the site back, then building pages that match how customers search, in Google, and in the AI answers they now ask first.
The Marketing Package
Everything above, run every month as one strategy, local SEO, website SEO, content, email and paid, with one report that tells you what actually moved.
A plan you can see from week one.
No jargon and no black box. You’ll always know what I’m working on, why it matters, and what it’s meant to bring in.
We talk about your business
A free, straightforward call. I look at your market, your competitors and where you currently show up, before anyone suggests spending a penny.
You get a clear plan
In plain English: the handful of things that will bring in enquiries, in the order they should happen, and what each one is worth doing.
I do the work and report back
Consistent execution, then measurement. Monthly reporting shows rankings, calls and enquiries, not follower counts.
Return on ad spend for a client campaign
Maps placement on core local searches
Typical window before enquiries shift
One consultant. No account handlers, no hand-offs.
Ten years managing and marketing multi-million pound businesses for motor manufacturers. Then nine years building my own print and design company, which I sold. Fifteen years since as a marketing consultant.
So I’ve run marketing at scale, and I’ve also been the owner watching the bank balance on a Friday. That’s why the advice is practical rather than theoretical, and why I still do the work myself, for a small number of businesses at a time.
Based in Kilmarnock, working across Ayrshire and Glasgow, with clients throughout the UK. Local knowledge where it counts, structure everywhere else.
Practical marketing advice, free to use
The five profile mistakes keeping you out of the map pack
Most of them take ten minutes to fix, and one of them is costing you calls every week.
5 min readHow to rank for “near me” searches in your town
What Google actually looks at when it decides which local business to show first.
7 min readAsking for reviews without feeling awkward about it
A simple system that gets steady five-star reviews from customers you’ve already pleased.
4 min readFrequently asked
What is Google Business Profile optimisation, and why does my business need it?+
Google Business Profile optimisation is the work of improving your free Google listing so it appears in the top three results of Maps and local search. It covers your categories, services, description, photos, posts and reviews. For most local service businesses that placement brings in more enquiries than the website does, which is why it’s usually the fastest thing to fix.
How long does it take to see results from local SEO?+
Most businesses see visibility and enquiries improve within three to six months. Profile work can move within weeks; website SEO takes longer. It depends on your competition, where you’re starting from, and how consistently the plan is applied. Anyone promising page one in a month is either lucky or lying.
What’s included in the Marketing Package?+
The Marketing Package includes Google Business Profile optimisation, website SEO and AEO, content marketing, email campaigns and paid advertising, run together as one monthly strategy. You get monthly reporting on rankings, calls and enquiries, plus a strategy call with me rather than an account manager.
Do I need a consultation before signing up?+
Yes. The free 30-minute consultation is always the first step. It lets me understand your goals, your challenges and your market before recommending anything, whether that’s a one-off optimisation or an ongoing package.
What is AEO, and does my business need it?+
Answer Engine Optimisation is the work of becoming the business that AI tools like ChatGPT, Google’s AI answers and Gemini name when someone asks for a recommendation. Increasingly that’s where the search starts. It draws on the same foundations as SEO, clear service information, consistent details across the web, genuine reviews and content that answers real questions, so I build it into the work rather than selling it separately.
Can you help businesses outside Kilmarnock and Ayrshire?+
Yes. I’m based in Kilmarnock and work across East Ayrshire, Ayr, Irvine, Prestwick and Glasgow, with clients throughout the UK. Local work happens in person where that’s useful; everything else runs remotely.
How much does a digital marketing consultant cost?+
I work on a fixed monthly retainer rather than an hourly rate, so you know the cost before the work starts and it doesn’t creep. One-off projects, like a Google Business Profile rebuild, are quoted as a fixed price. The first consultation is free and you’re under no obligation afterwards.
Let’s start with a proper conversation.
Thirty minutes, no charge, no pitch. We’ll look at where you show up now and what would make the biggest difference. You’ll get something useful out of it either way.