Fatrank Podcast

James Dooley: If you are a company based in Bristol and you are looking to grow, whether you want to do it via SEO or AI SEO, LLM SEO, GEO, whether it is social media ads or organic social media, there are many different digital marketing strategies that you could be using to grow your business in Bristol. Today I am joined with Kasra Dash. Kasra, to start with, what advice would you give to a business owner who is based in Bristol and looking to grow in 2026? Before we get started on the actual digital marketing strategies, what is one important piece of advice you would give them?

Kasra Dash: I would probably advise anyone watching this to set up some KPIs. Myself and James are going to talk about many different marketing channels such as SEO and PPC. Certain channels might work better for certain types of companies and other channels might not work at all. Having clear KPIs such as how much money you have spent, how much revenue you have generated, how many leads you have received and how many of those leads converted will help you evaluate each strategy properly. James, let’s go into the first digital marketing strategy.

James Dooley: Step number one for me has got to be branding or brand SEO and making sure that you are looking good online and have a strong reputation. Everything needs to start with a positive brand SERP showing who you are and what you do. A SERP stands for search engine results page. Getting your branding right across the board improves other marketing efforts. It increases conversion rates from paid ads and social media. When potential customers compare options at the final stage of their decision, strong branding can be the difference between winning and losing the lead. That is why branding is the foundation of every digital marketing strategy.

Kasra Dash: My next strategy is AI visibility. More and more companies are starting to look into this. What do ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and Perplexity say about your brand or your business? Is the information positive or negative? You should also analyse what these platforms say about your competitors. Some people call this AI SEO, others call it GEO or LLM optimisation. This will be a major strategy in 2026 and in the coming years.

James Dooley: I agree. AI visibility is becoming very important because more people are using artificial intelligence tools. The next strategy I recommend is filling in the form at Fat Rank or Promo SEO, which offer commission based lead generation services for UK businesses that want to grow. Businesses should generate their own leads through marketing, but using external lead generation providers can diversify your lead sources. Visit fatrank.com, complete the form and see if they can supply enquiries with minimal risk. Promo SEO offers a similar performance based lead generation service that may also be worth exploring.

Kasra Dash: The next strategy is Google Business Profiles or Google Maps listings. This is a local SEO strategy where you optimise your profile and build reviews in your area. The advantage is that once you rank well you can generate leads consistently. The challenge is reaching the top positions if competitors already have dozens or hundreds of reviews. That creates a chicken and egg situation because reviews usually require existing leads. Even so, creating and optimising your Google Business Profile is essential for brand credibility.

James Dooley: If you operate locally you should definitely aim to rank in local map results. Businesses also need to be omni channel and omnipresent. Organic SEO is another core strategy. Build your website so that it ranks for your services and locations. For example, if you offer plumbing services, create pages such as plumbing in Bristol or other areas you cover. Produce high quality content, build topical authority and obtain third party backlinks. These steps can strengthen your rankings and increase organic traffic.

Kasra Dash: Organic social media is another strategy. It works best when treated as a numbers game. Many brands post a few times and then disappear for years, which does not generate sales. Businesses should publish useful content such as guides, tutorials and before and after examples. Posting consistently several times a week increases visibility and encourages users to click through to your website and make enquiries.

James Dooley: Paid social ads are also very powerful. I like the small budget strategy where you boost content for a few pounds per day. If you are already creating posts for organic social media, boosting the best ones can amplify their reach. You can promote case studies, awards or testimonials. Retargeting ads are also useful because they show ads to users who have already visited your website. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and Reddit can all be used for paid social campaigns.

Kasra Dash: Another strategy is PPC advertising through Google Ads or Bing Ads. PPC results appear above organic listings and local map results. Many businesses either love PPC or hate it depending on how it has been set up. Poor campaigns waste budget, but well managed campaigns can generate excellent results. Important factors include maintaining a strong negative keyword list, preventing click fraud from competitor IP addresses, building high converting landing pages and ensuring the sales team responds quickly to incoming leads.

James Dooley: PPC certainly has advantages because it can produce instant leads. However, many businesses have spent large budgets without results. While discussing paid advertising we should also mention paid ads on AI platforms. These are not fully released yet, but ChatGPT and other AI platforms may introduce advertising in the near future. Early adopters could benefit from cheaper leads and reduced competition if they adopt these platforms early.

Kasra Dash: Another marketing channel is community forums such as Reddit and Quora. If customers discuss your products or services positively in these communities, it can generate new enquiries. Businesses cannot fully control this, but encouraging satisfied customers to leave recommendations can help build awareness and trust.

James Dooley: Forums also influence AI search results. Platforms like Reddit are frequently cited in AI generated answers. Positive discussions about your brand can therefore improve your AI visibility. The final strategy I recommend is using tradesman platforms such as Checkatrade, Bark, Rated People and MyBuilder. These directories can generate leads if managed properly. Businesses should track KPIs and return on ad spend to determine which platforms deliver the best results. Diversifying lead sources is important so that you never rely on a single marketing channel.

Kasra Dash: Thank you very much, James.