seoBusiness's search engine marketing contracts up 50 per cent in pandemic year

A year of new search engine marketing contract wins has seen Blackburn-based seoBusiness record a bumper year of turnover.

The web development and digital marketing specialist registered one of the best years in its more than two-decade history.

While the number of customers served and the revenue generated showed increases across the business as a whole, it was search engine marketing which was the biggest driver, with a 50% increase in projects undertaken, resulting in a 35% increase in income.

Much of the most recent financial year occurred during the pandemic, but instead of reducing marketing budgets, many businesses instead recognised digital marketing as a cost-effective method of reaching potential customers who were forced by restrictions to stay at home.

Recent projects include helping a gaming supplier increase traffic by more than 500%, and a pair of groundscare machinery suppliers double their online traffic, helping a PPE firm reduce cost of conversion by more than 75% and maintaining top rankings after a customer was acquired and changed its trading name.

seoBusiness began new digital marketing projects with customers including Toro Blanco, Mersey Rod, Multi-i, Athene Legal, BluDesks.com and Rudy & Lou.

In addition to the marketing contracts, the firm has also recently begun web development and ecommerce projects on behalf of two luxury hotels and an interiors supplier, a growing beauty brand, and health and safety products supplier.

Latif Kothia, seoBusiness director, said: “Search engine marketing has really proved its worth over the last year. It’s affordable, campaigns can be targeted to very specific audiences, and it became one of the few remaining ways to reach audiences who had been forced to work, socialise and shop online.

“While the last year has no doubt been a challenge for all businesses, we have been fortunate in that our services have become an invaluable tool in keeping them trading.”

Latif added: “We’ve enjoyed one of our best-ever trading years and as the pandemic only accelerated the growing focus on online communication, we believe this leaves us in a very strong position for the future.”