SEO Agency in Manchester | 27 Award-winning Years in Search

First by name, first by nature

We aren’t the only SEO agency in Manchester, but we’ve probably been around the longest. Established back in 1998 (alongside the dawn of Google itself), our name lends itself naturally to the results we’ve provided. We’ve helped hundreds of clients achieve success with websites. Over these 27 years, we’ve grown up with the industry, learning from mistakes and victories, helping us hone our services the search-focused digital marketing agency it is today.

As AI starts to position itself in the world of search, we’re passionate for our approach to SEO being human-first. We focus on your commercial goals first and foremost, keeping our delivery straightforward and transparent.

What is SEO in 2025?

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is still all about optimising a website to boost its visibility in search engines – but there’s no denying things have changed. In 2025, with AI and large language models (LLMs) reshaping how content is discovered, interpreted, and ranked, staying visible means staying curious.

Our SEO service is curated from a passionate team of technical and creative experts with years of experience increasing rankings, driving meaningful traffic, and boosting presence. While traditional components of SEO still matter greatly, the world of search now demands content that’s deeply relevant, semantically rich, and aligned with how search engines powered by LLMs process language and context.

Yes, SEO can feel overly complex at times – it’s certainly nuanced. But at its core, it still revolves around three pillars: authority, relevance, and quality. First has evolved and changed with the times more than any other SEO agency in Manchester, so you’re in good hands to rise above the noise in your niche – even as AI creeps into the market.

Start with an audit

Why is SEO Important?

Imagine you’re searching for a product/ service, the websites at the top of search results are always the ones that get your hard-earned money. We can’t overstate the importance of SEO for a Manchester-based business trying to succeed online. We’ve seen some amazing results over the years and huge increases in client revenue.

There are millions of websites competing for attention online, and as you know attention means money. It’s crucial for your business to find a way to stand out above the rest and be found by users. This is where SEO comes in, by appealing to search results we can stand out and be found by potential customers. The higher you rank on SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages) the more traffic you’re going to get, consequently, more conversions and sales. The benefits don’t end there, solid SEO isn’t some kind of trick, it usually just means genuinely trying to help end users. So, it can also help you build real credibility and trustworthiness in your field. SEO is an investment in the future of your business, improving longevity and visibility, in a marketplace that is getting more and more competitive.

Initial SEO Audit

We start our SEO journey with a thorough website audit. Finding chances for growth and areas that require improvement requires taking this first step. We examine a number of factors, such as the organisation and content of the website, the use of keywords, and technical features like mobile friendliness and load speed. This audit provides the basis for a bespoke plan made to meet your company’s needs while also assisting us in understanding your present SEO performance.

Keyword Research

The foundation of any good SEO campaign is keyword research. It entails figuring out the words and phrases that prospective clients use to look for goods or services similar to yours. To identify high-volume, low-competition keywords that will send focused traffic to your website, our team performs in-depth research. Long-tail keywords are more precise and lengthy phrases that have the potential to draw in a higher volume of qualified leads. We can tailor your content to your audience’s search intent and raise your search engine rankings by learning what they are searching for.

On-Page Optimisation

The process of improving individual web pages to rank better and attract more relevant traffic from search engines is known as “on-page optimisation.” This involves making a page’s HTML source code and content more efficient. Internal linking, headers, meta tags, and URL structure are important components of on-page SEO. Every page on your website will be fully optimised by us to target the appropriate keywords and offer a flawless user experience. This raises your website’s general usability in addition to helping you rank higher.

Content Marketing

A vital part of our SEO strategy is content marketing. Creating captivating, high-quality content is crucial to drawing in and keeping your target audience. We produce a range of content kinds, suited to the requirements and interests of your audience, such as blog entries, articles, infographics and even videos. Our material is made to add value, respond to enquiries, and resolve issues so that your website becomes the industry standard for information. We assist you with establishing authority and trust with people and search engines by continuously generating new and pertinent content.

Technical SEO

Technical SEO is making your website’s technical components as efficient as possible so that search engines can crawl and index it. This entails enhancing the speed of the website, making sure it is mobile-friendly, repairing broken links, and adding structured data. A well-built website is essential to getting and keeping high search engine rankings. To make sure your website satisfies the most recent SEO guidelines and offers a seamless user experience, our Manchester team does an extensive technical audit and makes the required adjustments.

Link Building

The process of obtaining high-quality backlinks from other websites to raise the authority and search engine rankings of your website is known as link building. Backlinks serve as votes of confidence, informing search engines about the relevancy and trustworthiness of your website. We use a variety of techniques, like as outreach, guest blogging, and producing shareable content, to develop a solid backlink profile. Getting organic, high-authority links is our aim in order to increase traffic and search engine visibility for you.

Local SEO

Local SEO is critical for companies who want to reach customers in their area, such as Manchester. It entails making the most of your internet presence to draw in more customers from pertinent local searches. This entails handling online reviews, creating local citations, and optimising your Google My Business listing. We assist you in connecting with local clients and increasing foot traffic to your physical presence by concentrating on local SEO. Regardless of the size of your company, our local SEO tactics will make sure that prospective clients in your area can find you.

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Reporting

All of this wouldn’t be complete without a solid reporting strategy. We build custom dashboards using Google-affiliated tools, presenting your data in the best way. You can decide what you want to see or be led by our Manchester team of SEO experts.

Blackhat VS Whitehat

There are different approaches achieving SEO results, two of the main types are referred to as Blackhat and Whitehat. First Internet is one of Manchester’s Whitehat SEO agencies, we focus on tactics that are recommended by Google and other search engines, rather than trying to trick the system.

Blackhat SEO

Unethical methods used to raise a website’s search engine results are known as “blackhat SEO.” These strategies are against search engine policies and can lead to serious consequences, such as being removed from search engine rankings. Keyword stuffing, cloaking, link farming, and the use of private blog networks (PBNs) are examples of common blackhat practices. Although these techniques could bring in money quickly, they come with a lot of hazards and can negatively impact the long-term success and reputation of your website.

Whitehat SEO

Whitehat SEO, on the other hand, focuses on utilising sustainable, moral methods to raise your website’s search engine ranks. These methods concentrate on giving visitors value while adhering to search engine criteria. Whitehat SEO tactics encompass producing top-notch content, refining on-page components, constructing organic backlinks, and guaranteeing a favourable user experience. We assist you in establishing a credible internet presence and long-term, steady growth while upholding whitehat standards.

What is Search Intent and Why is it Important?

Search intent (AKA user intent) is the underlying purpose behind a user’s search query. Understanding this intent and servicing it correctly is one of the most crucial things when it comes to optimising your site. There are four main types of search intent:

Informational: This Is when users are looking for answers to their questions, searches like “How to change a tyre”.

Navigational: This is when users are trying to navigate somewhere on the internet, searches like “Instagram login”.

Transactional: This is when users are searching for products to buy online, searches like “Long sleeve gym tops”.

Commercial: Like commercial but users are still in the research phase, searching things like “Best laptops 2024”.

By understanding search intent and the types of results search engines are favouring for each type, we can create content that best aligns with the algorithm. This also increases user satisfaction as they are getting exactly what they want.

User Experience (UX)

UX plays a vital role in SEO. Solid UX ensures that your visitors can easily find the information they need and complete whatever action they desire. This involves creating a visually appealing and easy-to-navigate website. It’s also important that the site loads quickly and functions well on all devices. Key elements of UX include:

Responsiveness: Making sure your website functions and looks good across a range of devices, including tablets, smartphones, and PCs, is known as responsive design.

Load-times: You should optimise your website’s speed to cut down on load times, as slow websites can irritate visitors and hurt their search engine rankings.

Navigation: Creating user-friendly navigation menus that make it simple and quick for people to find what they’re looking for is known as clear navigation.

Content: High-quality, pertinent information keeps users interested and motivates them to explore your website more. This is known as engaging content.

Optimising UX can benefit your website two-fold, by increasing rankings and conversion rates. An all-round win for your SEO Manchester. People are much more likely to convert into business if your website looks and feels good.

Start an SEO Audit

Mastering the Algorithm: EEAT, Relevance, and More

E-E-A-T, which stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, is an important component of Google’s algorithm. These components are used to assess the reliability of websites and the calibre of their material. Here’s how we make sure your website satisfies these requirements:

Expertise: Creating content written that conveys expertise, citing real world experience and knowledge.

Authoritativeness: We create your brand as a leader in your field and obtain high-quality backlinks from reliable websites to increase the authority of your website.

Trustworthiness: We enhance your site’s trustworthiness by ensuring it is secure (HTTPS), transparent (clear contact information and privacy policies), and user-friendly.

Trust

Establishing trust is essential to creating a strong online presence. Consumers are more inclined to interact with and make purchases from trustworthy websites. Through open and honest business dealings, superior content, and satisfying user experiences, we establish trust. Keeping an eye on internet reviews and answering consumer enquiries can contribute to building and preserving audience confidence.

Relevance

Making sure your content corresponds with user searches is what relevance is all about. This entails producing content that specifically responds to the wants and concerns of your intended audience. We can create pertinent content that appeals to people and performs well in search engine results by carrying out in-depth keyword research and comprehending search intent.

Staying Ahead of Algorithm Updates

Google adjusts its algorithm frequently to enhance user experience and search results. It’s essential to keep up with these changes if you want to keep your search ranks high. Our passionate Search team keeps a close eye on algorithm modifications and modifies our tactics as necessary to keep your website compliant and competitive.

Questions about SEO?

How long does SEO take to work? ▼

SEO is an investment, so we would expect SEO to take six to nine months before showing serious results. This can vary dramatically, however, and can be accelerated by putting extra resource into your project. If your website is already set up well, you can expect to start seeing results quicker. If you’re further behind the competition or starting from scratch, it may take a little longer before you see real growth.

Ultimately, SEO is a game of patience and consistency. As you continue doing the right things, you will see your traffic and website revenue increase. The important thing is to avoid making rash decisions and focus on making continual, incremental improvements initially.

SEO vs. SEM ▼

SEO is an aspect of SEM, but they are not the same thing. While SEO focuses solely on driving traffic through organic listings, SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing and is marketing on search engines as a whole, including PPC and other channels of advertising your business through digital search.

How much does an SEO project cost? ▼

Quite simply, it completely depends on the size of the task at hand.

Here at First Internet, we understand that every search and market is different, in order to get you where you want to be digitally we need to thoroughly assess factors such as; on-page SEO, technical SEO, backlink profile, core web vitals (Site-speed) and then conduct competitor analysis to help identify gaps to gain traction. The best place to start is with a quick audit, at which point we can recommend the resource needed to get your website growing.

If you’re in the market for SEO in Manchester, be wary of SEO agencies that offer out of the box solutions to gain higher visibility within the rankings as there is no, ‘One-size-fits-all’ solution to digital marketing.

Do I need to be based in Manchester? ▼

Not at all, the beauty of digital marketing is that we can work with companies all over the country and internationally.

Whilst we do work with companies on Local SEO around the Manchester area, we're able to support your website and business no matter where you’re based and you’ll receive the same service and professionalism as you would if we were working in the office with you.

PPC Vs. SEO - which is best? ▼

With PPC, you’re paying every time someone clicks onto your ad, and once your budget has been depleted you will lose all visibility.

SEO is focused on ranking your website in search results organically, below the paid ads, where the majority of searchers tend to click when looking for a result. With SEO, you’re not paying for each click onto the website. So the question should be whether PPC or SEO is right for your digital goals.

In some industries, the CPC per keyword is extremely high, so it simply wouldn’t be cost-effective to pay £20, for example, per website visitor. PPC can afford better targeting for your ads, deciding exactly what keywords you want to appear for, where they should appear and who they appear to which is extremely useful especially for those looking to market time-sensitive promotions.

On the flipside with SEO and appearing on the organic listings you’re granted far more scope with the keywords you could potentially be found for if Google deems you relevant enough.

As 15% of searches made on Google per day are completely new, SEO can help your product/service ro appear in searches that you never knew could be important for your business.

SEO and PPC isn’t a case of either / or, many companies utilise both to maximise the visibility of their website.

What is on-page optimisation in SEO? ▼

On-page SEO encompasses all the individual amendments that need to be made in order to make the individual web page as search engine friendly as possible.

This includes specifying to Google and other search engines what you want to be found for by including keywords in your website’s metadata such as ‘Title tags’,‘H1 tags’ and ‘Alt tags.’

The page’s content, URL and crawler accessibility also factor into on-page search engine optimisation among a host of other factors.

Don't I just need backlinks? ▼

Acquisition of links pointing back to your website is called link-building, and the subsequent result is a 'back-link'. This is what's known as off-page SEO and certainly is an important factor for ranking highly.

Link building has a chequered past in the industry, with several underhanded tactics int he early days subsequently squashed by algorithm updates. SEO professionals have come a long way since then, and off-page efforts are much more tactical. The strategy and effort to acquire good quality backlinks can be quite demanding (hence many people try to shortcut here), so we always recommend working on off-page SEO as a supplementary project. We're also able to offer this service as ad-hoc and according to your budgets.

Good quality links are an important piece of the puzzle, but without the other pieces, your project won't be built properly.

An SEO Agency in Manchester