The 2026 Digital Marketing Strategy That Actually Works for Portsmouth-Based Companies

James Dooley: If you're a business that's based in Portsmouth and you're looking to grow in 2026, what digital marketing strategies should you be doing? There is a lot of noise in the community about AI SEO and whether you should be getting your brand cited in large language models like ChatGPT and Gemini AI Google overviews when trying to grow within the Portsmouth area. Should you be doubling down on PPC or social media ads? Should you be doing organic SEO? There are many questions that Portsmouth business owners and entrepreneurs are asking. Before we get started on the strategies that Portsmouth based companies could use to generate a consistent flow of enquiries, Kasra, what advice would you give to these people?

Kasra Dash: The biggest piece of advice for Portsmouth based businesses, especially the ones that have contacted us in the past, is that you want to make marketing as predictable as possible. Go and set up KPIs. These KPIs should track how much you are spending on each marketing channel and what you are getting back from that spend. Are you generating five leads, ten leads or one hundred leads? From those leads, how many are actually contactable and interested in your service? For example, if you spend £3,000 on Facebook ads and receive ten leads, you need to track how many of those leads actually answer the phone. From the leads that pick up, how many convert into paying customers for your business. Many companies say they are getting hundreds of leads from platforms like Checkatrade, Bark or Bing, but the leads are not contactable. You need leads that answer the phone and are genuinely interested in your service. Once you understand these numbers you can determine how much you should spend on each channel. In some cases you might decide to turn off a marketing channel. For example, you might switch off PPC because it generates leads that never convert. That allows you to scale up or scale down different marketing channels. James, what would be the first marketing channel that you recommend?

James Dooley: Step one for me has to be branding or brand SEO. You need to make sure you look good online and that your business has a strong reputation. Everything should start with the foundations of a positive brand SERP. A SERP means search engine results page. When someone searches for your brand they should see strong, positive results about your business. When you get branding right it improves everything else you do. Your conversion rate on paid ads improves. Your conversion rate from social media improves. When someone is deciding which company to use at the final moment, strong branding makes a big difference. That is why brand SEO should be the first step in any digital marketing strategy.

Kasra Dash: The next strategy is AI visibility. More companies are starting to look at this. What do ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok or Perplexity say about your brand? Is the information positive or negative? You should also check what these AI platforms say about your competitors and look for ways to improve your own visibility. Some people call this AI SEO, others call it GEO or LLM optimisation. Regardless of the name, this will become a major factor in 2026 and in the years ahead because more people are using AI to research companies before making buying decisions.

James Dooley: Another strategy is to fill in the form at Fat Rank or Promo SEO. These companies offer commission based lead generation services for UK businesses that want to grow. It is important to generate your own leads through digital marketing, but outsourcing lead generation can diversify your enquiries. Go to fatrank.com and fill in the form to see if they can provide a no risk supply of enquiries. Promo SEO also offers a similar performance based lead generation service. Working with third party lead generation companies can help top up your enquiries and support business growth in 2026.

Kasra Dash: The next channel is Google Business Profiles, also known as Google Maps listings. This is a form of local SEO where you build out your Google Business profile and collect reviews within your local area. The biggest advantage is that once your profile ranks well it can generate consistent leads. The challenge is that ranking from zero can be difficult because competitors may already have dozens or even hundreds of reviews. You need leads in order to generate reviews, which creates a chicken and egg situation. Despite this, every business should still create and optimise a Google Business profile because it supports branding and visibility.

James Dooley: If you operate in a local area you should aim to dominate those local map listings. Businesses also need to be omnichannel and omnipresent. The next step is organic SEO. You should build your website so that it ranks for services you offer. If you operate in specific locations you can create service pages targeting those areas. For example, a plumbing company could create a page for plumbing in Manchester. That page could also be linked through the Google Business profile. Organic SEO allows businesses to capture search demand from people actively looking for services. The strategy involves publishing high quality content, building topical authority and earning third party backlinks that strengthen your website. Strong organic SEO rankings can generate consistent traffic and enquiries.

Kasra Dash: Another important channel is organic social media. This is largely a numbers game. Businesses need to create content that their audience actually wants to see. Many brands publish a few posts on Instagram and then stop posting for years. That approach will never generate sales. Instead you should post useful content such as how to guides, case studies and before and after examples. That type of content encourages people to learn more about your business and submit enquiries. Organic social media is free, but it requires consistency. Businesses should aim to post at least three or four times per week.

James Dooley: Paid social media advertising is another strategy that businesses should consider. A small daily budget can help amplify the reach of your organic posts. Case studies, awards and reputation content can all be promoted through boosted posts. Businesses can also run retargeting ads that show advertisements to people who have already visited their website. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Reddit all offer paid advertising opportunities. Paid social media remains an underused channel for many companies.

Kasra Dash: The next channel is PPC advertising through Google Ads or Bing. These appear as sponsored results above the local listings when someone searches for a service. Some businesses love PPC while others hate it. The difference usually comes down to how the campaigns are set up. Successful PPC campaigns require a strong negative keyword list, protection against click fraud and a high converting landing page. Businesses also need a responsive sales team that contacts leads quickly. If all of these elements are in place PPC can perform extremely well. Without them PPC can burn through large budgets without producing results.

James Dooley: While discussing paid advertising it is also worth mentioning paid ads on AI platforms. These are not widely rolled out yet, but companies like ChatGPT and other AI platforms are exploring advertising options. Businesses that become early adopters may gain access to cheaper leads or enquiries. Paid AI listings could become an important opportunity as these platforms continue to grow in popularity.

Kasra Dash: Another strategy involves brand mentions on forums such as Reddit and Quora. This is often outside your direct control because it depends on what customers say about your business. If your customers are recommending you and sharing positive experiences online, those mentions can generate additional enquiries. Encouraging satisfied customers to recommend your business to others can be extremely valuable.

James Dooley: Platforms like Reddit also appear frequently in AI search results and AI overviews. Positive discussions about your products or services can indirectly improve your AI visibility. The final strategy involves tradesman platforms such as Checkatrade, Bark, Rated People and MyBuilder. Businesses can also partner with third party lead generation companies. Regardless of the platform used, every marketing channel should be measured against KPIs and return on ad spend. Business owners need to track how much time and money they invest in each marketing channel. If platforms like Checkatrade or Bark generate profitable leads, businesses should continue using them. The same applies to lead generation companies that generate enquiries through SEO, PPC or social media. Fat Rank and Promo SEO offer performance based lead generation that guarantees a return on investment. Businesses can fill in the form to explore whether these services can provide additional enquiries. These channels should complement your own marketing efforts because businesses should never rely on a single source of leads. Diversifying marketing channels ensures a steady flow of enquiries and supports business growth in 2026. Thank you very much, Kasra.