Based in Southport · Serving Merseyside, Lancashire & the North West

SEO Agency
Southport

We rank #1 in the local pack for "seo southport". We got a client to #1 in Google's AI Overview in 30 days. Here's how both of those happened — and what it would look like for your business.

No fabricated case studies. No invented traffic stats. Real data, published publicly. If you want to verify anything on this page, we'll show you the Search Console.

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Proof of craft

We rank for our own keywords

The simplest test for any SEO agency: do they rank for their own terms? Here's where Churchtown Media sits right now, verified in SEMrush position tracking as of 1 March 2026.

#1
Local Pack
"seo southport"
The primary target keyword — we're in the 3-pack · 590/mo
#2
Local Pack
"seo company near me"
Geo-qualified by Google based on searcher location · 1,300/mo
#1
Local Pack
"technical seo southport"
Consistent for the past week
#1
Local Pack
"seo audit southport"
Consistent for the past week
#2
Local Pack
"seo services merseyside"
Consistent all week
#1
AI Overview
"business growth southport"
Featured in Google's AI-generated answer

The local pack positions mean when a Southport business owner searches "seo southport" right now, we're the first result in the map. Organic web rankings for broader terms are improving — the trajectory is upward. We publish the data here because transparency is the point: if we can do this for ourselves, we can do it for you.

Case Study — Month 1

10 #1 rankings in 30 days. AI Overview on every core term.

Alotek Shelters are a Lancashire manufacturer — bus shelters, covered walkways, outdoor canopies. When we took them on as an SEO retainer client, the site had already been rebuilt on Next.js. Month one was pure SEO work: on-page content restructuring, semantic targeting, and schema. No backlinks purchased. No tricks.

Before the retainer
  • ✗ Averaging position 50 — page 5 on Google for every core keyword
  • ✗ ~200 Google impressions per day across all terms
  • ✗ No page was clearly answering any specific buyer query
  • ✗ £20,000 spent with a previous agency for a flat line
After month 1 of the retainer
  • ✓ #1 in Google's AI Overview for "bus shelter manufacturers" nationally
  • ✓ 10 keywords at position #1, including "bus shelter suppliers" (vol 210)
  • ✓ AI Overview appearances on every core commercial term
  • ✓ Daily impressions grew from 200 to 800+ over 3 months

What month 1 actually involved

Month one was on-page work: restructuring content around the specific search terms their actual buyers use, tightening the page hierarchy, and making sure every product page was doing a clear job. No smoke and mirrors. The AI Overviews followed from content quality — Google's AI pulls from pages that give clear, structured, authoritative answers. That's what we optimised for.

"Bus shelter suppliers" at volume 210 sounds small. But it's 210 searches a month from procurement officers at parish councils and local authorities looking to place an order. One contract is worth £5,000–£50,000. We're #1 for it. That's the point of B2B SEO.

Read the full month-1 data breakdown — every ranking, every position change

Why Southport businesses need to move on SEO now

Two things are about to change search competition in Southport significantly. Both are time-sensitive.

🏗️

The Marine Lake Events Centre

The MLEC is projected to bring 500,000 additional visitors to Southport annually. That means a sustained surge in "restaurant near Marine Lake", "hotel Southport", "things to do Southport" searches — starting from opening day. The businesses that rank well before it opens will capture that traffic. The ones that start their SEO after it opens will spend 6 months trying to catch up.

Read the full Southport growth analysis
⛳

The Open 2026 at Royal Birkdale

The Open Championship brings international search volume to Southport that usually doesn't exist. "Hotel near Royal Birkdale", "restaurants Southport", "stay in Southport for the Open" — these terms spike months before the tournament and the bookings go to whoever ranks. Local hotels and restaurants that have decent SEO in place by spring 2026 will take that business. It's a one-off opportunity that won't repeat for years.

Both of these are 2026 events. SEO takes 3–6 months to meaningfully move the needle. If you start in March, you're positioned by summer. If you start in summer, you've missed the window for The Open and you're late for the MLEC opening period.

What we do each month

Concrete work, not vague "optimisation". Here's what's actually happening on your retainer.

Technical audit & fixes

Month one starts with a technical audit — crawlability, site speed, schema markup, canonical tags, mobile usability. We fix what's broken before we build on top of it.

Content restructuring

We identify which pages should be ranking for which queries, rewrite or restructure them around specific buyer intent, and make sure each page has a clear job. This is what moved Alotek from page 5 to #1 in month one.

Google Business Profile management

For local pack rankings, your GBP is critical. We optimise your listing, keep it updated with posts and photos, and manage the review response process.

Rank tracking & Search Console monitoring

We watch what's moving, what Google is crawling, and what queries are generating impressions vs. clicks. When something changes — algorithm update, competitor movement, ranking drop — we're on it.

Monthly reporting

Plain-English report covering ranking changes (with explanations), Search Console impressions and clicks, what was done that month and why, and what's next. You'll never have to chase us.

Authority building

Citations, local directory listings, and — on higher-tier retainers — digital PR and backlink outreach. We do this properly: no link farms, no purchased links.

We also build and run our own local web properties — SouthportGuide.co.uk and FormbyGuide.co.uk. Building organic traffic from scratch for our own sites is how we stay sharp on what actually works. You can go look at how they rank right now.

Read this before you enquire

Is SEO right for your business?

We turn down enquiries when SEO isn't the right fit. It's worth being honest about when it makes sense and when it doesn't.

SEO makes sense when:

  • ✓ Your customers search Google before buying (most B2B and considered purchases)
  • ✓ You have a long sales cycle where appearing in search at the right moment matters
  • ✓ Your average client value is high enough that one extra enquiry per month covers the retainer
  • ✓ You're prepared to wait 3–6 months for meaningful results and can sustain the investment
  • ✓ You're a local service business (solicitor, restaurant, trade, hospitality) competing for "near me" searches

SEO probably isn't right when:

  • ✗ You need results within the next 30 days (that's a paid ads conversation)
  • ✗ You're a brand new business with very limited cash flow
  • ✗ Your margins are too tight for the retainer to pay for itself within a year
  • ✗ Your customers don't find you through search — they come through referrals or trade relationships exclusively
  • ✗ Your website is too broken to be worth optimising (in which case, fix the site first)

If you're not sure which side you fall on, book a call. We'll give you a straight answer — and if we think SEO isn't the right move right now, we'll tell you that too.

Pricing

Month-to-month after an initial commitment period. No 12-month lock-ins. Cancel when you want.

A rough ROI check: at £500/month you're spending £6,000/year. If one extra client per quarter covers that — and for most service businesses it does — the question is whether Google search is a realistic source of enquiries for your sector. If you're not sure, we can tell you before you sign up.

Local
£500
/month · 3-month minimum

For single-location Southport businesses competing for local "near me" searches.

  • Local pack focus — 1 town/area
  • Google Business Profile optimisation
  • 5 target keywords tracked
  • Monthly local citations
  • Review management
  • Monthly plain-English report
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Most Popular
Regional
£900
/month · 6-month minimum

For businesses serving multiple towns across Merseyside and Lancashire, or with national B2B ambitions.

  • 3–5 city/area coverage
  • 15 keywords tracked
  • Technical SEO audit + fixes
  • Content strategy + on-page optimisation
  • Local citation and directory building
  • Competitor tracking
  • Bi-weekly check-in calls
  • Full monthly report
Get a Quote
Full Retainer
£1,500+
/month · custom terms

For businesses with national reach, large product catalogues, or multi-location operations.

  • Unlimited location coverage
  • 30+ keywords tracked
  • Advanced technical SEO
  • Content production included
  • Digital PR and backlink outreach
  • Schema and featured snippet targeting
  • Weekly reporting
  • Dedicated strategy sessions
Get a Quote

Not sure which fits? Book a free call — we'll be honest about whether SEO makes sense for your business and at what level.

SEO on a slow website is wasted effort

If your site loads in 5 seconds, Google is already penalising your rankings. We build fast Next.js sites designed specifically to support SEO campaigns.

Web Design

Common questions

How long does it take to see results?
Honestly: 8–12 weeks before rankings move meaningfully, 3–6 months before you're seeing a real change in enquiry volume. Technical fixes (crawlability, speed, schema) can show impact in 2–4 weeks. Content and authority building takes longer. We'll show you what's moving every month so you're never in the dark. If nothing is moving after 12 weeks, we'll tell you why and what needs to change.
Do you guarantee #1 rankings?
No — and you should be suspicious of anyone who does. Google's algorithm changes constantly and no agency controls it. What we can control: the quality of the technical foundation, the relevance of the content, and the consistency of the process. We can show you exactly where we rank for our own SEO terms — that's the most honest proof available. If we can rank ourselves, we can rank you.
Why is my competitor ranking higher than me?
Almost always one of three things: their site is faster and better-structured, they have more relevant content that directly answers buyer queries, or they've been doing this longer and have accumulated more authority. We do a competitor gap analysis at the start of every engagement to find exactly where they're beating you — and whether it's a gap we can close quickly or one that takes sustained effort.
Do I need a new website for SEO to work?
Not always. We can work with most existing sites. But if your site is on a slow, bloated platform with poor structure, SEO work on top of it is like painting a broken wall — it'll look better temporarily but the underlying problem remains. We'll tell you honestly whether your current site is a viable foundation before any money changes hands.
What do I actually receive each month?
A plain-English report covering: rankings movement (which terms went up or down and why), traffic and impressions from Google Search Console, what work was done that month and what it was for, and what's planned next. We also flag anything we're seeing in the data that you need to know about — algorithm updates, competitor movements, new opportunities. You'll never have to chase us for an update.
What's the difference between local pack and organic rankings?
The local pack (the map and three listings that appear at the top of Google for location-based searches) is won through your Google Business Profile, local citations, and reviews. Organic web results are won through content quality, technical SEO, and domain authority. Both matter — local pack gets you calls, organic gets people to your site. We work on both.
Can you fix a Google penalty or a traffic drop?
Yes. If your site was hit by a core update or has a manual action, we audit the likely causes — thin content, toxic backlinks, technical issues — fix what's fixable, and track recovery. Algorithm recoveries take time (weeks to months depending on severity) and we'll be straight with you about what's realistic.
Do you work with businesses outside Southport?
Yes — we work across Merseyside, Lancashire and the wider North West. Most of the process works well remotely. But if you're a Southport, Birkdale, Formby or Sefton Coast business, we're your local option and we know this market in detail.

Want to know if SEO would work for your business?

Book a call and we'll give you a straight answer — including if we think it isn't the right move right now.

Or run a free automated audit of your site first.

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Southport · Birkdale · Formby · Liverpool · Preston · across the North West