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Yesterday at the Portsmouth Business Expo, we spent the day on Stand 1, speaking with business owners, directors and marketing leads from across the region.
Alongside the conversations the team and I were having on the floor, I also delivered a seminar, How to Get Found Online in a New Digital Era, which led to plenty of follow-up questions throughout the day. As those conversations unfolded, it became clear that what stood out most wasn’t the variety of challenges being discussed, but how often different SMEs were circling the same issues from slightly different angles.
Most of the people we spoke to were active online and, in many cases, investing more time and budget than they had a few years ago, yet confidence around what was actually driving visibility, enquiries and growth felt lower than it used to. The questions weren’t coming from a lack of effort or ambition, but from a sense that the rules had shifted and the old reference points no longer felt as reliable.
This follow-up post brings together the questions that myself, Anders and Danielle were asked most on the day, and shares the themes behind them so that businesses who weren’t able to attend, can still take something practical away.
Who We Spoke To, And What They Were Really Trying To Solve
Over the course of the day, it became clear that while the businesses we spoke to differed by size, sector and stage, the pressures behind their questions were strikingly similar.
The types of businesses we spoke to most
- Business owners and directors trying to steady lead flow after putting time and hard-earned marketing budget into their website, SEO, ads and social, without really knowing what’s generating sales
- Marketing managers under pressure to explain ROI internally, often working with messy data, unclear reporting and support that doesn’t always help them make confident decisions
- Service businesses across Hampshire fighting for attention in busy local markets, where competitors look increasingly similar online and standing out feels harder than it used to just a few years ago
- Growing teams starting to feel unsure whether their agency has the experience to guide them through a changing online world, communicates clearly enough or is adding to the confusion rather than reducing it
The commercial pressure behind the questions
- Enquiries feel inconsistent, even where activity and spend have increased
- Competitors appear stronger online, despite offering a weaker real-world service and/or product
- There’s genuine uncertainty over what to prioritise going into 2026, particularly with AI and constant platform changes adding confusion
- Visibility no longer translates cleanly into sales, with traffic, rankings and engagement offering little insight on lead quality
- Uncertainty around how the business actually appears online now, with AI summaries, zero-click results and third-party platforms shaping first impressions before a website is ever seen
The 4 Themes Under Nearly Every Question
As the day went on, I found myself grouping the questions we were being asked into a small number of recurring themes. People weren’t actually framing them this way themselves, but stepping back, most conversations sat around the same four areas.
Looking at them through the lenses of Presence, Authority, Conversion and Agency Experience became the simplest way for me to make sense of what people were really trying to solve. Below, I have put some of the frequently asked questions we had throughout the day, and advice I’d give anyone in a similar position.
Theme A: Presence
“Should we focus on Google, paid ads, TikTok or all of it?”
I’d start by mapping out how your customers actually find and choose suppliers like yours, then making sure you’re present at the key points along that journey. In most cases that means a small number of channels working together (like Google Maps, Instagram, a UX-led website etc) rather than betting everything on one, because discoverability now builds through repeated exposure, not a single touchpoint.
“How can we stay visible if people are seeing the AI bits at the top of Google and not clicking through to our website?”
Focus on making sure the business is being referenced, understood and trusted before the click, because AI systems and large language models pull from patterns, consistency and credibility rather than just keyword rankings. That means tightening how services are described, reinforcing authority signals and answering real questions clearly so your website is more likely to be surfaced and trusted in those summaries.
“Is local SEO and Google Maps still worth putting work into?”
For most service businesses we work with at boxChilli, it’s still one of the strongest sources of high-intent enquiries, especially where location plays a role in the decision making process. The difference now is that local visibility on Google Maps and regular organic results, depends on regular attention, consistent information and visible proof of credibility, rather than setting up a profile once and expecting it to carry on working. My advice would be to keep putting effort into it!
Theme B: Authority
“Why is my competitor above me on Google?”
In my experience it’s rarely because they’re better at what they do, but because Google can understand them more easily. To close that gap, I’d start by comparing how clearly each service is explained, whether experience is backed up with real evidence and whether authority signals like reviews, links and mentions consistently reinforce the same message, then fix the weakest of those first rather than chasing technical tweaks.
“Do things like reviews and links still matter?”
They do, but only when they support something real. I’d focus on earning reviews that mention specific services, securing mentions from relevant sites in your space, and cleaning up any inconsistent or low-quality signals that muddy the picture. Top tip! If you’re a service based business, something cheap like a business card with a QR code on or automated follow up email asking for a review works wonders!
“How do we actually show we’re good at what we do?”
I’d replace claims with proof as quickly as possible. That usually means adding clear examples, short case studies, FAQs that answer real buyer questions, and visible signals of experience so someone can understand your credibility within the first minute on the page.
Theme C: Conversion
“We get loads of traffic, but it’s not turning into leads.”
When I see this, it’s almost always a confidence issue rather than a traffic issue. I’d review the key landing pages and ask three questions: is it immediately clear who this is for, why this business can be trusted and what action should the user to take next, then remove anything that distracts from those answers.
“How can I speed up my website?”
The technical SEO and website support team at boxChilli treat speed as a priority on pages that matter commercially, not the whole site at once. I’d start by testing your main service and landing pages, then address slow hosting, heavy images, unused plugins and bloated scripts that add weight without helping users decide.
“Do you think I should up my PPC budget?”
Only once you’re absolutely confident the pages people land on are converting reliably and that your tracking is accurately capturing what’s happening. I’d check conversion rates, bounce rates and page behaviour first, because scaling spend before fixing the journey or the data usually just increases waste rather than results.
Theme D: Agency Experience
“I’m hearing things like AI SEO, GEO and acronyms like that from other agencies. What actually are they?”
These terms do describe real shifts there’s no denying that (you’re not being led up the garden path!), but in practice, they’re an evolution of SEO rather than something completely separate. I’d be wary of hype and ask any agency to show how their AI SEO or GEO work actually improves understanding, authority and visibility, and whether they can evidence impact beyond rankings, such as mentions or referral traffic from AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT and Copilot.
“The communication with my current agency isn’t ideal, any advice you can give me?”
Communication gaps can happen, especially as digital marketing becomes more complex. Rather than making any rash decisions, I’d start with an open conversation about what would help you understand their work better, give the agency the opportunity to improve how they explain priorities and outcomes, and see whether that leads to more confidence over the next few months. If the same issues persist after this period, it may be time to explore other options.
“Is it just you guys, or is there a bigger team behind boxChilli?”
At boxChilli there’s a team of over 30 specialists behind the work, even though most clients will have a dedicated account manager day to day, supported by a wider team in the background. Having a single point of contact isn’t a problem in itself, it’s often exactly what businesses want. However, where I’d encourage a bit more curiosity is when an agency talks about a wider team, but you never have visibility of who’s actually involved or any physical interaction beyond that one person, because that’s often where accountability and continuity start to get blurry.
What To Do Next If These Questions Sound Like You
If you recognised yourself in any of the questions above, the next step doesn’t need to be a big strategy overhaul or a shiny new tactic. In most cases, I’d start by sense-checking the fundamentals, because small, marginal improvements in the right places tend to outperform chasing whatever feels new or urgent.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a big believer in the marginal gains philosophy popularised by Dave Brailsford, and how consistent, incremental improvements can compound into something far more meaningful over time… the same thinking applies to digital marketing, especially when confidence and predictability have started to slip.
Step 1) Presence check
I’d search your key services the same way a potential customer would, across the locations that matter most to you.
Look at where you actually appear across Google results, Google Maps, AI results, TikTok and any key directories or platforms your audience might use. Pay attention to where you’re missing entirely, and where you do show up but the message feels unclear, inconsistent or easy to overlook.
Step 2) Authority check
I’d ask a simple question: if someone spent 1 minute scanning your website, products, services, reviews and public presence, would they feel confident enough to trust you with their money?
Look for visible proof such as reviews that mention specific services, short case studies, credentials, recognisable clients or clear signals of team expertise. Then be honest about whether your content demonstrates real experience, or whether it relies on generic language that could apply to almost anyone in your space.
Step 3) Conversion check
I’d pick your most important landing page and look at it purely from a buyer’s point of view – more often than not, it’ll be your homepage.
Is it immediately clear what you do, who it’s for and why you’re a safe choice? Is the next step obvious, easy to take and supported by trust signals, or does the page make people work too hard before they feel comfortable getting in touch?
Main Takeaways From the Day
Stepping back, the biggest takeaway from yesterday’s Portsmouth Business Expo wasn’t a new platform or tactic, but how often different businesses were wrestling with the same underlying questions around visibility, confidence and what to prioritise next. It reinforced that many businesses in the area aren’t short on effort, but are trying to make sense of a digital world that’s changing faster than the reference points they’re used to.
A genuine thank you to everyone who stopped by the stand, shared their experiences and came along to the seminar. Those conversations are always the most valuable part of days like this, helping us better understand the challenges businesses are facing, how we can improve our client services, and hopefully giving people clearer ideas on how to adapt and stay visible online.
If you want to go deeper into the thinking behind these themes, How to Get Found Online in a New Digital Era is a good place to start. And if questions around agency support, communication or direction have come up while reading this, The Real Cost of Choosing the Wrong Digital Agency may also be useful.
If you’re looking to get found online and want to work with an experienced agency that understands how digital discovery is changing, get in touch and we can talk things through.
