Driving Digital Growth | Ben Foster from SEO Works

Lukas Haensch: In today’s episode of the Pathmonk Presents podcast, I have a very interesting guest here with me today. I’m with Ben and he’s heading over from the folks at SEO Works. They’re digital growth experts and help your company to basically get more customers online. That’s what it’s all about. And yeah, we’re looking forward to talking growth with Ben today. So welcome to the show.

Ben Foster: Hi, glad to be here. Thanks.

Lukas: Sure. So maybe give people a brief overview—what is SEO Works all about, in your own words, of course?

Ben: Yeah. So like you said, we’re digital growth experts. Our mission is to have our clients grow online. As simple as that, really. We’ve been in the industry for around 15 years, which is a long time in digital and agency time. Over that period, we’ve grown to become one of the leading search marketing companies in the UK with clients all across the globe. We’re not a fluffy marketing agency; we’re a very ROI-focused marketing agency. It motivates us to help our clients grow. We’ve won lots of awards for our work and have great client reviews, so we know our stuff. And I suppose we’re not just about results; I’m very conscious that it’s a service-led business. The people are what make it, so we focus massively on a strong working culture that provides opportunities for learning, growth, and a positive, respectful environment for everyone who works here.

Lukas: Very cool. So maybe share with us the types of organizations you’re working with.

Ben: Yeah, we describe our clients as either leading brands—big brands you’ve heard of—or prospering SMEs. SMEs, probably more on the medium side, who may not be as well-known but are doing exceptionally well in their own right. They understand the value of marketing, have a budget to invest, and want to work with the best. In terms of sectors, the work we do in digital is relevant to all sectors now. But some of our key areas are education, health, manufacturing, professional services, and e-commerce. Ultimately, people come to us because they need more exposure or growth. They may have worked with an agency before and didn’t get the results they expected, or they’re growing rapidly and need external support to take it to the next level. We don’t just offer SEO, although that’s where we started. Over the years, we’ve broadened our services to include digital PR, paid search, paid social, and we even have a web team that builds SEO-focused websites for clients.

Lukas: Yes, very good. Now, how do these people learn about SEO Works?

Ben: It’s a range of channels, really. Historically, it’s always been through organic search. We started out with SEO and have invested years into our own SEO. We have great rankings for lots of different phrases. Ever since I led SEO Works, I wanted to bring in a marketing manager to broaden that range, and near the end of 2020, we did. Having someone dedicated to marketing has had a huge impact on expanding our lead sources. LinkedIn is huge for us, along with paid search and directories where people search for B2B providers. We’ve also built a big organic following on LinkedIn—over 20,000 followers. We share our expertise through free guides, webinars, and white papers, and it gets great engagement. So, lead acquisition comes from various channels—organic, paid, events, and things like this podcast to raise our brand profile.

Lukas: Really very cool. How do you think about the website? What role does it play in the journey, and what’s your take on it?

Ben: The website is super important. It’s where most of our conversions happen. We’ve experimented with dedicated landing pages for ads versus dropping people into the main site. We found it works better to let people explore the site and learn more about us. The site needs to tell a story, showing our expertise and offering value through case studies, reviews, and resources. We have a dedicated SEO manager working on the site every month to ensure it’s up to date and optimized. But it’s a work in progress. We’re planning to update the homepage soon and want to incorporate more video content to add impact.

Lukas: Very cool. Now, tell me a little bit about your role. I want to switch gears a bit and talk about what you’re up to in your daily business. Tell us more about that.

Ben: Yeah, of course. As CEO, I’m responsible for the overall success of the business—the vision, mission, and strategy. But it’s not about me; it’s about the team. They lead and deliver everything. We focus on culture, transparency, ownership, and responsibility. Day-to-day, you’ll find me looking at cash flow, client wins and losses, and business performance. I also keep an eye on the wider industry to see what competitors are doing and the latest trends. I work with the leadership team on strategy and act as the face of the company for interviews, podcasts, and similar activities. Championing the company’s values—drive, adaptability, passion, integrity, loyalty—is very important to me.

Lukas: Very cool. Now I have some rapid-fire questions for you. Are you ready for them?

Ben: Yeah, go ahead!

Lukas: What was the last book you read?

Ben: The last book I read for fun was North Wind by JD Kirk, which is a Scottish crime thriller, kind of like Jack Reacher. For work, I read Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, which offers a powerful perspective on finding purpose in life.

Lukas: Very cool. If you had a magic wand to fix one thing for your role as a marketer, what would it be?

Ben: Full-funnel conversion attribution. Each platform claims the conversion credit, but getting precise data on where in the funnel each channel contributed is still tricky. There are tools, but they’re enterprise-level and expensive. If you could just click your fingers and get full attribution, that would be amazing.

Lukas: What’s the one thing your company is focused on the most at the moment?

Ben: Recruitment. We’re a growing company, and we want to recruit the best talent. We have an ongoing recruitment strategy, even when there’s no open role, to build a continual pipeline of talent.

Lukas: And the very last question—if today were your first day as a marketer, what advice would you give yourself?

Ben: I’d say learn Google Analytics, especially GA4. If you can demonstrate how your marketing efforts translate into pounds for the business, you’ll add massive value. Also, work hard, have the right attitude, and learn from your mistakes.

Lukas: Awesome. I appreciate you joining us today for the Pathmonk Presents podcast. I’ll give you the last word—if someone forgets everything we discussed, what’s the one thing people should remember about SEO Works?

Ben: If you want to grow online, come to SEO Works. We’ll give you a free audit and show you how you can do it yourself or how we can help.

Lukas: Thanks a lot for being a guest on Pathmonk Presents.

Ben: Thank you.