What does your business do?

I run Convert Digital, an SEO (search engine optimisation) agency based in Brighton. We help businesses attract customers from Google search. Predominantly we have focused on e-commerce businesses, though we also serve service-based businesses too.

How many on your team and who are they?

My team consists of myself as head of SEO and director, and there are two senior SEO consultants, Mike Essex and Paul Gordon. There is also an extended team who support us with content creation and web development.

Tom's logo

How long have you been going?

I started the business in 2013.

How did the idea for come about?

While at university I had a project to create something which we could do after university. My idea was a site to teach guitar online and I became very curious about how to get the website to rank on Google for certain words – keywords. This opened some doors, as I became quite proficient at ranking that website and was offered internships in Brighton web agencies. After two years in a web agency I decided to go freelance. After quickly realising that the demand for SEO was high, I had to develop a team unless I was willing to turn down work.

How have you coped/adapted during the pandemic?

The pandemic was very challenging for us at first, as our clients had no clue whether to pause everything or try and maximise their visibility during this period of time.

Many service-based businesses temporarily paused their projects with us, before restarting many months later. E-commerce clients had a very different experience. We dug in hard on our efforts to help the e-commerce clients rank higher, as we knew shopping behaviour was changing in front of our eyes. Everyone was spending more online and we continue to do so, so it was just a matter of increasing each of their website’s visibility on Google. Through increased rankings and changes in online shopping volume, we saw some clients get a 280 per cent revenue increase. Our main adaptation has been understanding that during pandemics, having more service-based clients than e-commerce is risky.

• READ MORE: Lost in the Lanes café set to reopen after nine months of closure

We also understood how flexible we needed to be with certain clients to help get them back on their feet and ready to be visible on Google for when their doors reopen. The pandemic also showed me the importance of further diversifying my revenue sources and not relying purely on a service model which can be negatively affected depending on the circumstances of your clients. I began creating my own websites in partnership with Sean Carroll from Vixen Digital. Our first creation was EMF Solutions, a website aimed at awareness around radiation from everyday belongings around us. We also created Travel Bristol, a tourism blog which helps both locals and travellers get the most out of the city. These projects also act as a great way to showcase our skills and illustrate points to our clients. It is early days but we plan to sell the websites in the next two years.

Drusillas

What would you like to tell people about your business?

My business really came from nothing and I like to think we have played a part in helping many businesses in Brighton achieve their goals.

What are your plans/hopes for the future?

I hope to see my business continue to deliver SEO services and develop more as an online publisher with multiple websites. I want to see some of our old loyal clients such as Drusillas Park, reopen with the great success that they deserve.

For more information visit, convertdigital.co.uk, vixendigital.com, emf-solutions.co.uk and travelbristol.org