Why Most Businesses in Aberdeen Struggle With Digital Marketing in 2026 And How to Fix It

James Dooley: If you are a company based in Aberdeen and looking to grow in 2026 using different digital marketing strategies, but you are uncertain whether you should be teaming up with an Aberdeen-based SEO agency or a PPC company based in the Aberdeen area, or you might be looking at freelance lead generation services to try to grow your Aberdeen-based business, before spending any money, Kazra, what advice would you give to business owners and entrepreneurs based in the Aberdeen area?

Kazra Dash: The number one strategy that I would recommend to Aberdeen-based business owners is setting up KPIs before spending any money. You need to know these figures. First, you want to understand how much money you are spending on digital marketing per channel. Next, you want to work out how many leads have been generated from that ad spend. That could be 10 leads, 50 leads or 100 leads, and you also need to know where those leads have come from. Then you want to calculate the contact rate of those leads. Out of the last 10 leads, how many were contactable? Was it five out of 10 or all 10? Finally, from those contactable leads, how many have turned into paying customers or clients for your business? Once you have all of these figures in place, digital marketing becomes much more predictable. You can scale campaigns that work and turn off the ones that do not. James, for Aberdeen-based businesses, what strategies should they be looking at from a digital marketing perspective?

James Dooley: Branding or brand SEO is the starting point. You need to make sure you are looking good online and have a strong reputation. Everything should begin with a solid foundation of a positive brand presence that shows who you are and what you do. A SER stands for search engine results page, and getting your branding right across that can lead into other strategies. It improves your conversion rates on paid ads and social media. Any leads you generate will convert better because, when customers are making a final decision, branding becomes very important. That is the first thing people need to get right across all digital marketing strategies.

Kazra Dash: The next strategy is AI visibility. More companies are starting to focus on this. What do ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and Perplexity say about your brand or your business? Is it positive or negative? You also need to understand what they say about your competitors. Improving that visibility is important. Some people call it AI SEO, others call it GEO or LLM optimisation. This is going to be a major focus in 2026 and in the years ahead.

James Dooley: That is a huge strategy with artificial intelligence becoming more widely used. The next one for me is filling in the form at FatRank or Promo SEO, which offer commission-based lead generation services for UK companies looking to grow. It is important to generate your own leads, but also to use freelancers or outsourced services to diversify your enquiries. You can go to FatRank, fill in the form and see if they can provide a no-risk supply of enquiries. Promo SEO offers a similar performance-based lead generation service, so it is worth checking both to see if a third-party company can help generate leads for your business in 2026.

Kazra Dash: The next strategy is Google Business Profiles and Google Maps listings. This is local SEO where you focus on getting more reviews and building out your profile in your area. The main benefit is that once you rank, you can generate consistent leads. The challenge is getting there. If you do not have a listing, you may be competing against businesses with 60 or 100 reviews. To get reviews, you need leads, which creates a cycle. It is still valuable for branding, so you should always set one up, but you need to understand the pros and cons.

James Dooley: If you are operating locally, you need to be in those map listings. You should also be omni-channel and present across multiple platforms. Organic SEO is another key strategy. You need to build your website so it ranks well. If you operate in specific areas, create service pages for those locations, such as plumbing in Manchester. Share those pages on your Google Business Profile. Focus on building topical authority with high-quality content and gain backlinks from third-party websites. This helps improve your organic SEO rankings and is a major part of digital marketing in 2026.

Kazra Dash: Organic social media is another important strategy. It is a numbers game. You need to create content that your audience wants to see. Many brands post a few times and then stop, which does not generate sales. You should be creating how-to content, guides and before and after examples. This type of content gets attention and encourages users to learn more about your business and submit enquiries. It is free to do, but it requires consistency. You should aim to post at least three or four times per week.

James Dooley: On the subject of social media, paid social ads are also very effective. Even spending a small amount to boost posts can increase reach. You can promote case studies and awards to build your reputation. Retargeting ads are also powerful, where you target users who have already visited your website. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and Reddit all offer paid advertising opportunities. Paid social media is still an underused strategy.

Kazra Dash: The next strategy is PPC, which can be a love or hate relationship. This includes Google Ads or Bing Ads, where your listing appears above organic results. Some businesses spend thousands without results, while others see strong success. The difference comes down to how the campaigns are set up. You need a strong negative keyword list, protection against click fraud and a high-converting landing page. Your sales team also needs to prioritise these leads. There are many factors involved, and if you are not managing them properly, PPC will not work. However, when everything is optimised, it can perform very well.

James Dooley: There are definitely pros and cons. PPC can generate instant leads, but poor setup can waste budget. Another area to consider is paid ads on AI platforms. This is not fully rolled out yet, but platforms like ChatGPT are expected to introduce ads. Other AI tools may follow in 2026. Early adopters could benefit from lower costs and strong lead generation. It is something to keep an eye on.

Kazra Dash: Another strategy is using forums such as Reddit and Quora. This is not something you can fully control, but it can be powerful. If your customers are recommending your business and speaking positively about you, it builds trust and generates leads. Encouraging reviews and referrals can support this.

James Dooley: Platforms like Reddit are now being cited heavily in AI overviews. If you can get positive mentions about your products and services, it will help your AI visibility. The final strategy is tradesman websites such as Checkatrade, Bark, Rated People and MyBuilder, or working with third-party lead generation companies. All of these can generate leads that produce a positive return on investment. If they are working, you should continue using them. Lead generation companies may use SEO, PPC or social media to generate leads for you. If they deliver a positive return, they are worth including in your strategy. I also want to repeat that FatRank and Promo SEO offer performance-based lead generation services that guarantee a return on investment. You should use these as part of a wider strategy. You should always diversify your lead sources and avoid relying on a single channel. Make sure you explore these options as part of your digital marketing efforts in 2026. Thank you very much, Kazra.