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SEO Consultant · Eastbourne, East Sussex

SEO built around your business, not a template.
I help growing businesses in East Sussex rank higher in search and generate more qualified traffic. Technical SEO, local SEO, and ongoing optimisation handled by one senior consultant.
Why SEO underperforms

Most SEO problems are technical or structural, not about content volume.

When a business comes to me saying their site isn't ranking, the issue is almost never that they haven't published enough pages. It's usually one of three things: search engines can't properly crawl the site, the pages target the wrong keywords, or the content doesn't clearly answer what users are actually searching for.

Generic SEO retainers miss this because they apply the same checklist to every site. I start with a proper audit of your specific situation before recommending anything.
The audit is where the real work starts not as a deliverable, but as the diagnostic that shapes everything that follows.
Start with a conversation
Signs your SEO needs attention

Does any of this sound familiar?

Your site gets traffic but very few enquiries or conversions from it
You want the same person planning the strategy and doing the technical build
Local competitors with weaker businesses appear above you in search
You've paid for SEO before without being able to see what changed
You don't know which pages or keywords are driving your current traffic
Your Google Business Profile gets low views and generates no calls
You are looking for a long-term working relationship, not a project to hand off and forget about
What I do

Proper SEO. Not just the easy parts.

Technical SEO

I audit and fix the technical issues that prevent search engines from properly crawling and ranking your site. This includes Core Web Vitals, mobile performance, page speed, indexing errors, duplicate content, broken links, redirect chains, and structured data markup. Most sites have more technical issues than they realise and fixing them is often the fastest route to meaningful ranking improvements without writing a single new page.
Core Web Vitals
Schema markup
Core Web Vitals
Indexing
Canonicalisation
Core Web Vitals

On-page SEO & Content Strategy

Getting the right keywords in the right places, with content structured to match how people actually search. I work on keyword research, page-level optimisation, heading hierarchy, internal linking, and metadata. I also build focused service and location pages one clear topic per page, key information surfaced early, and written to be genuinely useful rather than designed to game rankings.
Keyword research
Content strategy
Core Web Vitals
Internal linking
Canonicalisation
For businesses targeting local customers in Eastbourne, across East Sussex, or in specific UK towns, local SEO is where the most immediate results often come from. I optimise Google Business Profiles, build accurate local citations, create location-specific pages, and ensure your site sends consistent geographic signals to Google. I've helped businesses in East Sussex move from invisible to first page for their most important local search terms.
Google Business Profile
Bing Places
Local citations
East Sussex SEO
Location pages
Map pack

SEO Audits

A focused, actionable audit of what's working, what isn't, and what to fix first. Not an automated 60-page report with every possible issue listed a clear document that explains what's holding your site back, why it matters, and what the priority order should be. Delivered using GA4 and Google Search Console data alongside specialist crawl tools. Useful as a standalone piece of work or as the starting point for ongoing support.
Technical audit
Competitor analysis
Priority roadmap
GA4 & GSC
Proof it works

Real results from real clients.

Each number below comes from Google Search Console or GA4 data from a real client engagement. The improvements are the result of technical fixes, content strategy, and ongoing optimisation not shortcuts.
Web Design · SEO · Hastings, East Sussex
48% more clicks · Google visibility in 3 months
Full website redesign for a commercial and domestic heating and plumbing company, with local SEO built in from day one.
SJ Feist & Co Ltd.
Web Design · CRO · Hailsham, East Sussex
60% increase in form submissions
WordPress redesign with SEO and conversion rate optimisation for a sports therapy clinic in East Sussex.
IMP Sports Therapy
E-commerce · SEO · California, USA
245% increase in e-commerce sales from organic traffic
WordPress build with Nexternal e-commerce integration, technical and content SEO improvements over 12 months.
Jeff Runquist Wines
The bigger picture

SEO is still SEO. But where answers appear has changed.

Google's AI Overviews, Bing's Copilot, and tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are increasingly surfacing answers directly before users reach any website. The content that appears in those answers comes from sites that Google and Bing have already crawled, indexed, and trusted.

Both Google and Bing published official guidance on AI search optimisation in 2026. Their shared conclusion:
"The best practices for SEO continue to be relevant because our generative AI features on Google Search are rooted in our core Search ranking and quality systems." Google Search Central, 2026
There are no new hacks. No llms.txt files, no content "chunking," no "AEO" or "GEO" tactics. What gets you into AI responses is the same as what gets you into traditional rankings: original content, a clean technical structure, and genuine authority built over time.

One important measurement shift: Bing's guidelines note that a decline in clicks doesn't always mean a loss of visibility. Your content may be appearing as a citation or grounding reference in AI responses without generating a traditional click. Impressions and indexing status matter more than ever alongside click volume.
See if we're a fit

Original content with a genuine point of view

Both Google and Bing explicitly favour content that goes beyond restating what's already online. First-hand experience, specific case studies, and original perspective are what AI systems select as sources. Generic "tips" content doesn't qualify.

Fully crawlable, technically sound site

AI models use publicly accessible, indexed content as their source material. A site with crawl errors, blocked resources, or poor Core Web Vitals won't appear in AI Overviews or Copilot results regardless of content quality. Technical foundations come first.

Self-contained, verifiable content

Bing's 2026 guidelines specifically flag this: content selected for grounding and citations should stand on its own. Facts must be explicit, key statements shouldn't rely on implied context, and important information should be visible on the page itself not buried or assumed elsewhere.

Ignore the tactics that don't work

Google explicitly states you don't need llms.txt files, content chunking, or inauthentic mentions. Bing flags keyword stuffing and artificially engineered language as grounds for reduced visibility. The fundamentals are the strategy.

How I approach SEO

No hand-offs. No black boxes.
No mystery.

I handle all the SEO work myself. There is no account manager relaying your questions to a specialist you never speak to, no automated reports dressed up as strategy, and no vague explanations of what has been done and why.

Every month you get a clear picture of what I worked on, what changed in your rankings and traffic, and what I am focusing on next. If something is not working, I will tell you and change direction rather than continue billing for an approach that is not delivering.
SEO is a long game. The businesses that see sustained results are the ones who treat it as an ongoing investment, not a one-off fix.

Understand your business and your market first

Before looking at a single keyword, I need to understand who you are trying to reach, what you offer, who your competitors are, and what success looks like for you specifically. This shapes every decision that follows.

Diagnose what is actually happening

A technical and on-page audit using GA4, Google Search Console, and specialist crawl tools. The goal is a diagnosis identifying the specific issues holding your site back not a generic checklist of things to fix.

Fix the technical foundations before anything else

There is no point building content on a site that search engines cannot properly crawl and understand. Indexing issues, speed problems, and structural errors get fixed before content or authority work begins.

Build visibility consistently over time

Content, local signals, and ongoing optimisation shaped around what the data shows each month. Rankings and authority compound the longer we work together, the more durable the results become.

How AI tools improve this work
I use AI tooling throughout the SEO process analysing search intent at scale, identifying content gaps, running technical audits faster, and building reporting pipelines that surface what actually matters. The strategy and judgement are mine. The tools help me work faster and test more thoroughly.
Ongoing SEO

SEO as an ongoing partnership.

A one-off audit or technical fix can move the needle. The businesses that see sustained, compounding results are the ones who treat SEO as a continuous discipline monitoring, testing, and building on what works every month.

Most of my SEO clients work with me on a retainer basis. That means consistent monitoring of your rankings and traffic, new content and optimisation each month, and a direct line to me when something changes or needs attention without needing to start a new project every time.
The longer I work with a business, the better I understand it and the more precise the SEO strategy becomes.
See if we're a fit
Signs your SEO needs attention
Monthly rankings, traffic, and impressions reporting in plain language
Ongoing technical monitoring and fixes as issues arise
Content strategy and page-level optimisation each month
Google Business Profile management and local signal building
Competitor tracking and keyword opportunity identification
Algorithm and AI search update monitoring and response
Direct access, no account managers, no ticketing systems
Local SEO · East Sussex

Helping East Sussex businesses show up locally.

I am based in Eastbourne and work with businesses across East Sussex who want to appear when local customers search. The Google map pack, local organic results, and Google Business Profile are where the fastest wins come from for most growing businesses.
I have helped businesses in Hastings triple their Google visibility within three months of a site launch, and moved service businesses across East Sussex from invisible to first page for their most important local terms.
I also work with businesses across the wider UK, France, and the US local expertise does not mean a limited scope.
Eastbourne
Hastings & St Leonards on Sea
Hailsham & Polegate
Lewes & Seaford
Bexhill-on-Sea
Brighton & Hove
Wider East Sussex & UK
Why local SEO matters now

Your customers are searching for you right now.

Most service business searches include a location : "heating engineer Eastbourne," "web designer East Sussex," "solicitor near me." If your business does not appear in those results, a competitor is getting the enquiry instead.

Local SEO puts your business in front of people who are actively searching for what you offer, in the area you serve, at the moment they need it. That is the highest-quality traffic you can get from search.

It also feeds directly into Google's AI search features. Google uses local business data from your GBP, your location pages, and your citations to populate AI Overviews and map results for location-based queries.
Start with a conversation
Common questions

Things people usually ask.

How long does SEO take to show results?

Technical fixes can show results within weeks. Content and authority building typically takes 3 to 6 months to compound meaningfully. I give you a realistic picture at the start, based on your specific situation and competition not a promise designed to win your business.

Do you offer one-off work or only retainers?

Both. A standalone audit or a specific fix is a legitimate starting point, particularly if you are not sure whether ongoing work makes sense. Many clients start with an audit and move into a retainer once they have seen how I work.

Do you outsource any of the work?

No. Everything is done by me. No junior team members, no offshore writers, no black-box processes. You know exactly who is working on your site and what they are doing.

Do you work with businesses outside East Sussex?

Yes. I work with clients across the UK, France, and the US. Location is not a barrier and if you are in East Sussex, you also get someone who understands the local market from firsthand experience.

Can you work on my existing site without rebuilding it?

Yes, regularly. A new site is not always the answer often the issue is structural or content-based. After the audit I will tell you honestly which is the case, and what the most cost-effective path forward looks like.

How do you report on progress?

Monthly reporting in plain language covering rankings, traffic, impressions, and what I am working on next. I track impressions alongside clicks as AI search grows, content may drive citations and visibility without generating a traditional click, and that matters too.

Let's start a conversation.

Tell me where you are and where you want to get to. We will work out together whether MARS is the right fit.
See if we're a fit
07307 687790
hello@marswebsites.co.uk
78 The Beacon, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 3NW
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