Total Rankers
The Manchester SEO scene is polluted with mediocrity. Absolutely rank. We’re the only SEO agency that bleeds integrity, helping you to dominate the digital domain by delivering high impact strategies, content, technical SEO, and digital PR.
Every other search result for ‘SEO Manchester’ sounds the same. Page 1 is lined with empty promises from soulless agencies, luring you in with paid-for awards and industry buzz words. Before you know it, you’re thousands of pounds deep in a cesspit of SEO services that is draining your bank account and your sanity.
Take a stand against mediocre digital marketing with Dark Horse’s SEO elite by your side.
Good SEO gets you seen; great SEO services give your business access to a whole new level of sales and profits.
Bottom line, you need to show Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. This is Google’s little template for how it ranks websites. No authority means no chance.
Organic search is a piece of the proverbial…when you know what you’re doing. We’ve combined 86+ years of experience to establish a killer SEO agency in Manchester, founded in forensic data and honest actions. No smoke and mirrors – just SEO.
Ready to increase your revenue?
156%
Increase in organic sessions for Rhino Safety
46%
Increase in revenue for Luxe Collective
53%
Increase in organic conversions for Gaugemaster
A unit of the Novanta group, JADAK supply RFID chips and machine vision software to a variety of businesses, helping companies strengthen their delivery of medical research and procedures, among other things.
Dark Horse launched a two pronged approach, with both their PPC and SEO divisions involved.
125%
increase in keyword rankings in the top five positions
Globis are Japan’s largest business school, delivering MBA programs and corporate training as well as investing in startups worldwide.
Their goal is to spread ‘kokorozashi’ to the world; the long-term aspiration to find one’s own mission in life.
Globis were experiencing a serious lack of brand awareness in Europe, and approached Dark Horse for SEO support in sharing their mission and reaching as many people as possible.
813%
increase in organic conversions
New Care Homes is a business centred around expertly designed, high-specification care homes. New Care wanted to increase its search visibility in specific geographical locations. It came to us with the aim to increase conversions and search reach near to where its care homes were based.
In terms of business-to-consumer lead gen, New Care, in the majority of cases, wasn't directly targeting its benefactors of the home, but often relatives of them. Dark Horse developed its strategy considering both the website to create a strong foundation and content to drive intent-based traffic. It was time to get started, it was time for Dark Horse to get forensic.
85%
Growth in keywords
Rhino Safety is a leading safety consultancy group. Rhino came to Dark Horse with a challenge of increasing current search visibility and conversions. Dark Horse was eager to deliver. Firstly, it conducted an audit to see where the issues lay and then developed strategy. This helped to communicate to Rhino Safety what the plan of action was and develop strong lines of communication. Challenge accepted.
156%
Increase in organic sessions
We are very pleased with the services that Dark Horse have provided so far. The team is always available when needed and really delivers on the objectives. We are happy to have Dark Horse as an SEO and Digital PR partner.
The team at Dark Horse were understanding, straight-talking and did not over promise. I would definitely recommend working with the team because of their expertise, good communication style and effective skills in performance marketing.
Delivered on what was asked for, as simple at that. We wanted better ROAS and they smashed it with a 80% increase in all channel ROAS in our first month.
We worked with the Dark Horse team for a year and we built a strong SEO foundation for our website. It was truly a pleasure to work with such a highly committed team.
Staff at Dark Horse are really good at what they do, they helped my business thrive, communicate with me regularly, and provide good levels of growth month on month.
We have worked with the team at Dark Horse for a good period now, and they have driven consistent results for us. The team are exceptionally friendly, and do exactly as they say they will.
I found the team at Dark Horse to be really knowledgeable, proactive, honest (something you can’t say about all agencies!), and great value. They’re also nice people to work with.
The basis of any solid SEO campaign is a strong, functioning website. Our forensic 100-point Technical SEO audit dissects the foundations of your website to find every error holding you back. Then we fix them. Easy as.
On-page SEO is so much more than keywords on a page. Properly optimised content generates better keyword rankings, more organic traffic and, most importantly, more money in your pockets. Ka-ching.
The Digital PR experts at Dark Horse harness our relationships with press and media to target nationwide and industry specific audiences. We proactively seek out opportunities to gain new backlinks to your website whilst reactively seeking out external linking opportunities. Even stealing them from your competition.
If you want to be found first in your local area, a standard SEO strategy ain’t going to cut the mustard. You need to target the local algorithm with precision. Put you on the map. We make you world famous in your area.
An International SEO strategy needs to help Google identify which countries you’re targeting and which languages your users speak so the algorithm can recommend the most relevant version of your website to users in each location.
There’s a lot that goes into SEO website migrations. If one cog doesn’t turn in unison with the rest, the whole machine breaks. That’s a one-way street to losing your organic rankings, traffic and backlinks. Believe us, it’s harder to salvage a website from a botched SEO migration than it is to get it right from the start.
It doesn’t matter if you’re using Shopify, Magento, or any other online store front. Getting your online store set up technically, with all the category pages your users need to be able find and browse your inventory, is the baseline for Ecommerce SEO. Knowing how to execute this with precision is where the Ecommerce SEO specialists come in.
Deliverance from mediocrity
You know your business, and your customers, better than anyone. It’s purely logical that we listen to you first and foremost. We want you to fly high, and getting to know your industry, your customers, and your goals is step zero in creating a bespoke SEO strategy that gets the results you want and need.
There’s no point starting any SEO work until we know what we’re doing. Going in blind is total self-sabotage. Once you’ve signed on the dotted line, we conduct forensic technical and on-page SEO audits to uncover every error and missed opportunity to optimise your website for success. Our findings are then structured into a 4-month strategy, starting with the tasks that will have the biggest impact for your business. We also set our KPIs at the start of the campaign so we know how to measure the success of your campaign.
We use our years of experience to fix the most pressing Tech errors that are sabotaging your website. Error status codes, duplicate or missing metadata and URL redirects are all dealt with swiftly so we can get stuck into the meat of our SEO work.
While the Technical SEO work is continuing to improve the foundations of your website, we get to work optimising your website pages for all the relevant keywords. We carefully craft the tone, length, format and structure of your content in line with an ongoing SERP analysis to ensure your webpages are meeting user search intent.
We’ve optimised your website and increased your organic visibility. Now it’s time to make sure any lurking users are converted into paying customers. We meticulously optimise your website with a commercial eye to ensure that take every opportunity to engage with your audience is grasped and that we encourage them to click that big shiny ‘buy now’ button.
Your website’s speedier than ever and your content is pulling in users left, right and centre. We love to see it. But now’s the time for Digital PR to shine. Proactive link building strategies alongside our reactive ‘always-on’ mentality of grasping every journalist request that comes our way will see your organic presence and authority skyrocket.
Throughout our SEO campaigns, we conduct forensic reports that monitor the impact of our work on the organic visibility, rankings, traffic and conversions of your website. And no, this will absolutely not come in the form of a templated PDF report. We get you on a call and talk you through everything to help you understand the work you’re paying for. No smoke and mirrors. Just the facts. And if you have any questions, we’re right there to answer them.
Be warned, SEO isn’t a one time deal, and complacency can put your hard earned top spots in danger of being snaked by the competition. Search engine algorithms are constantly evolving and the goal posts are always shifting – it pays to be consistent, and our Manchester based SEO experts can make it happen. The team will focus on maintaining your critical top positions, whilst continuously looking forwards and chasing your next target. We won’t let your competition come up the rear.
Want to know what you’re missing?
Our audit will uncover the truth. Fill in your details and you’re on the road to success.
Henry Smith – Head of SEO
With 8 years of SEO experience under his belt, Henry has worked on both agency-side at Candid Sky as well as leading in-house SEO teams to commercial success, from managing SEO for We Buy Any Car growing their organic traffic by 183%, to more recently heading up SEO at American Golf, improving their organic channel and page 1 rankings by 20% YoY.
At Dark Horse, Henry led the SEO strategy for leading safety consultancy group, Rhino Safety. With a forensic approach, Henry’s multi-faceted (wit-woo) SEO strategy gained:
Leader of the pack
Victoria Roscow – Deputy Head of SEO
Starting out leading on the on-page strategy for YELL Websites (yep, Yellow pages do websites apparently), Victoria has gained 7 years of experience leading on-page SEO and content marketing strategies for various organisations.
From heading up the USA and UK markets for global e-commerce brand, MyProtein, to leading on content marketing and digital services for Manchester’s not-for-profit organisation, The Growth Company, supporting the GMCA and Local Authorities to deliver key services across the GM region.
At Dark Horse, Victoria helped to deliver a full-scale Content SEO strategy for pre-owned luxury fashion brand, Luxe Collective. Victoria’s work resulted in:
The word is whatever
she says it is
Alana Claxton – SEO Lead
Alana has 6.5 years of agency side experience in all facets of SEO – her most recent role was in a strategist position at 26PMX. She has worked with a number of national ‘household’ names, with some assuming the position as Sole SEO lead on the account including: Christian Dior Beauty, Anglian Home Improvements & The Set Collection and with others as one of the Primary SEO leads: GHD, Arla Foods.
One thing Alana is proud of is that she increased her primary client’s retainer spend by 677% over 3 years. Through her professional integrity, trust and the relationship she nurtured with the client, she was able to retain and further increase their retainer, preventing the body of work from being tendered during a period of acquisition.
She's already on it.
Izzy Till – SEO Lead
Izzy is an SEO Lead at Dark Horse where she has been a key member of the SEO team since joining in 2022. With over four years’ experience in SEO, Izzy has worked across all core areas including technical SEO, content marketing, and digital PR, helping clients improve their online visibility and search rankings.
At Dark Horse, she leads SEO strategy and collaborates closely with clients and internal teams to deliver effective, data-driven campaigns. A Masters’ graduate of Newcastle University, Izzy is proud of her role in elevating Dark Horse’s reputation and is known for her analytical approach and creative insight.
Makes us better.
Bree Shemilt – SEO Content Executive
After a brief stint as a freelance copywriter, Bree discovered that search marketing was a thing and started an apprenticeship at a digital marketing agency in Macclesfield. She quickly learned the ropes, and eventually stepped up into managing the SEO content department, where she worked alongside the technical and outreach teams to co-ordinate work for 15+ ecommerce and lead gen clients.
Now, Bree is part of the SEO team at Dark Horse, leading on strategies that take clients from 7 to 8 figures. During her 7+ years in SEO, Bree has had her hands on sites across a lot of different niches, including home & garden, insurance, medical supplies, robotic automation, online courses, and more.
Write all the time.
Kate Glynn – Content Manager
Kate has a lifelong passion for reading and writing, which led her to pursue a degree in English, before embarking on her content writing career in 2013. She uses her love of words to create content for different audiences, sectors and purposes, while telling the stories behind brands, products and services.
Kate has worked at several digital marketing agencies in the Manchester area, with her most recent pre-Dark Horse role seeing her responsible for managing a global client’s editorial content production, as well as a small team.
Kate joined Dark Horse in January 2022, where she delivers SEO content and strategies for clients in sectors including technology, education, fashion, and e-commerce. And with previous experience writing for both B2B and B2C clients across the health and wellness, lifestyle, food and drink, recruitment, finance and travel industries, Kate can turn her hand to anything – you name it, she’s written it.
Wordle, write, books, repeat.
Emma Stretton – SEO Content
Emma started her working life buying greetings cards, segued way into marketing for a curtain retailer and eventually realised words were what she was good at. Her first SEO role was for Cedarwood Digital, a small agency in Manchester where she learnt about keywords, internal links and FAQs, and began applying her skills to a range of client work.
Emma started at Dark Horse in February 2023 and writes about everything from Christmas trees and care homes to vintage fashion and fine jewellery. Whether it’s a landing page, blog or PLP, Emma creates useful content and ensures that organic clicks and impressions continue to grow for her clients. She’s also the one you can always rely on for swift client communications.
The industry term is 'shit hot'.
Javier Castaneda – Tech SEO
Javier is a Technical SEO Specialist with deep experience across WordPress, Shopify, and Magento platforms. Before joining Dark Horse in 2022, he led technical SEO efforts at Add People, supporting a large portfolio of clients across diverse sectors. There, he delivered comprehensive audits, tackled indexation and performance issues, and worked closely with account teams to ensure seamless implementation.
At Dark Horse, Javier plays a key role in scaling SEO output for ecommerce and lead-gen websites, specialising in Core Web Vitals, crawl budget optimisation, canonical strategies, structured data, and internal linking. Known for his clarity and precision, he translates complex technical challenges into actionable solutions for both developers and stakeholders.
He also brings a creative approach to automation and AI, constantly testing new methods to improve efficiency across SEO workflows. From generating alt text and categorising large datasets to enhancing audit processes, Javier seeks solutions where none yet exist—anticipating how technical SEO will evolve.
He finds the problems you can't even see.
Adele Halsall – Digital PR Manager
Adele kicked off her digital marketing journey as an SEO copywriter, back in the Wild West days of exact-match keywords and when “penguin” was just a cute bird in a tuxedo. Since then, she’s leveled up through both agency and in-house roles, mastering everything from technical SEO wizardry to crafting content that gets read (and ranked).
Her obsession with backlinks began at Myprotein, the supplement brand behemoth, where she flexed her creative muscles (not just from protein shakes) as Digital PR Manager—whipping up data-fueled campaigns that got journalists talking and Google listening.
She boomeranged back to agency life as a PR Strategist at Journey Further, before landing her dream gig as Digital PR Manager at Dark Horse in January 2024. Here, she uses her triple-threat SEO skill set to head up the digital PR offering for various SEO clients across a range of industries.
Spread the word.
Sam Cobden – Digital PR
After graduating from the University of Central Lancashire in 2018 with an MA in Film and Media, Sam started her Digital Marketing journey as an in-house Copywriter for an e-Learning SME. Recognising the positive impact that link building could have on organic search in a niche industry, she developed a Digital PR process from scratch, leveraging in-house expertise and content to secure coverage.
Realising that Digital PR was definitely the way forward, Sam went all in and joined the Dark Horse Digital PR team in January 2021. Today she uses her experience to win highly relevant links for clients in a number of verticals. Her industry experience includes Health and Safety, Interior Design, DIY, Property, Auto Trade, Fitness and Wellbeing, Outdoor Country Clothing, Second Hand Fashion, Luxury Jewellery and Watches and more.
+100 to link building.
Alexandra Rix- Digital PR Executive
Alex joined Dark Horse in September 2024 from an in-house Brand Content writer position in the lighting industry. She’s fled from the light like whatever the opposite of a moth is (Google says cockroach) and now does DPR at Dark Horse.
Despite being what some would call overly educated in the art of writing, she’s found her place making sense of walls of data and making it palatable for the press.
Her time as a Brand Content Writer has left her keenly aware of the importance of a brand presence, so yours won’t get lost when it goes to press. Promise.
Works faster than you can say 'viral'.
The search is over
The Dark Horse SEO team is known for revealing harsh truths. This is a team of search engine optimisation elites who examine websites and find every error, gap and opportunity. Our ambition is high – we’re not here to make friends. The warm and fuzzies don’t pay the bills. We’re here to right the wrongs in your account and destroy your opposition. One keyword ranking at a time.
We don’t operate on bought awards like other North West agencies. It’s lazy marketing that gives a façade of reliability, but yields no tangible result from SEO. Manchester deserves better. We are vigilant, forthright and meticulous in our strategies that directly impact your bottom line. Read: “more money in your bank account”.
Ready to terrify your competition and drive them down the SERPs? Hell, we’ll drive them out of town, all the way to Preston.
We’re always happy to support and align with your in-house marketing team, from single Marketing Managers to broad teams of marketing specialists. We’re all there for the same goal after all – to make you more money.
We’ll fit in where you need us, whether you need support with SEO content creation, digital PR, or getting the technical aspects of your site up to scratch.
We might look scary, but we can play nice.
To impact your organic performance, we recommend investing in a long term retainer. However, our SEO company in Manchester also undertakes short term projects, including in-depth audits, site migrations and on-page strategies.
We’ll give you the heads up now, though, our clients are usually so impressed with our project output that they end up signing a retainer too.
We love to work with our neighbours and have plenty of Manchester-based clients, but we don’t discriminate. It’d be unfair to deny our skills to those outside the M60.
Wherever you’re based, our Manchester SEO services are available for you. We’ve had clients based everywhere from London to Dubai, and Ireland to Germany.
Expertise, time, resource and cost – there are a lot of reasons to choose an SEO agency in Manchester rather than hire a full-time employee or a freelancer to do the same work. It’s like asking one person to play every instrument in an orchestra – they may be an expert violinist, but you can only master so many instruments, and you can’t play them all at once.
Mostly, though, search marketing is an ever-changing landscape that requires expert knowledge to really impact your organic visibility and traffic. Dark Horse has specialists in each of those verticals to build you a strategy that will crush your competition. The perfect symphony.
When you’re looking for an SEO agency, you should be looking at their experience, their reputation, and their ability to prove the results they’ve earned for their clients. Any SEO agency worth their salt will have a proven track record that they’re showing off above any awards.
Communication and transparency are also key factors to consider when choosing an SEO agency, as you want to work with a team that is responsive, proactive and able to clearly communicate their strategies and results.
Our SEO agency doesn’t just do killer organic marketing; we dabble in the paid stuff as well. You’re more than welcome to boost your sales with our premier league PPC and Paid Social teams who can work alongside our SEO services. That’s called synergy.
As it takes time to reap the rewards of SEO, a typical contract lasts 12 months. Patience can breed profit.
Don’t worry, though, we’re not crooks looking to lock you in unnecessarily. Contracts can vary based on the current performance of your website, the organic opportunity, and how long it will take to see notable results.
Our SEO campaigns start at £1,500 per month, though the fee will vary based on how many hours you invest in. To deliver the best results for you, we’ll recommend a set number of hours based on how long we think it will take to achieve your business objectives.
We then charge a flat hourly fee for those hours, providing projections and options to align with your budgets and goals. Speak to our sales team to discuss our costs further.
We’re not a one trick pony. We’ve worked with a wide range of e-commerce and lead generation clients of all shapes and sizes.
When it comes to which industries we’ll work with – the answer is: literally any. Accounting, fish filters, ear doctors, plasterers, cloud based storage software, crotchless tights… You name it, our SEO agency will welcome the variety and work with whatever industry you bring to our table.
You’ll have taken the first step towards making more money!
We then repeat this process to keep delivering exceptional results
If it’s important to you, we will report on it. After aligning on your business objectives during the onboarding call, we create a personalised report that provides insight on what matters to you, and we won’t waste your time on what doesn’t. Typically, reports start off looking like this:
Not knowing or planning what impact your SEO efforts are going to have and how you will benchmark and measure them is digital marketing suicide.
We take into account where your current rankings, click-throughs, traffic and conversions are and tell you where we see you in 3, 6 and 12 months time with our SEO efforts.
At Dark Horse, data is everything. It informs every decision we make, so we use an array of SEO tools to gather as much information as possible.
Link and mentions tracking: TalkWalker and Google alerts are musts for tracking brand mentions and link acquisition. We also use Roxhill to gain access to journalists, magazines, regionals and more, capturing live coverage and mentions as they come in.
By optimising your website for relevant keywords and ensuring that your website is easy to navigate and user-friendly, you can attract more organic traffic to your site.
When you appear higher in search engine results, you can establish your brand as a credible and trustworthy authority in your industry, boosting sales & ultimately making you more money.
Better website, first on the platter when someone’s looking for your niche.
Because your SEO is poor. There is very rarely one single reason why your website isn’t visible on the SERPs. It could be due to technical issues with your website, such as slow loading speed or improper use of keywords. Your content may not be optimised for search engines, or you may have a lack of quality backlinks pointing to your site. It’s also possible that your website has been penalised by Google for violating their guidelines.
Whatever’s holding you back, our team of Manchester SEO specialists will identify the specific issues causing your website to not rank.
Okay, first things first: keep your cool, panic won’t help us here. Now let’s work on identifying the cause of the penalty. Head over to Search Console and read Google’s notification about the violation. It should give you more information. It should give you more information that you can use to identify the issue, then start rectifying it. You may need to remove spam or low-quality content, fix some technical issues, or ensure your site’s in compliance with Google’s guidelines. It can take some time for the penalty to be lifted, even after the issue has been corrected. So, it’s time to exercise some patience whilst it gets sorted.
SEO and PPC are both search marketing channels but the main difference is the respective cost.
SEO improves your website’s rankings in search engine result pages through organic (read non-paid) means, like optimising website content, link building and fixing any technical errors.
PPC is a paid advertising model where you pay a fee every time one of your ads is clicked. It’s in the name, pay-per-click. Not to be confused with pay-per-view. PC is also in the name, let’s keep it that way.
PPC ads are typically displayed at the top or bottom of search engine results pages, and are a way to quickly drive traffic to a website. However, as soon as PPC activity stops, so will the traffic and revenue associated with it. SEO can take more time to have an effect on your online presence, but you’ll reap the rewards long after any activity stops, assuming you put the right investment and time into it.
A well-rounded digital marketing strategy should combine both, while SEO focuses on building organic traffic over time, PPC helps to drive targeted traffic to your site immediately. Consequently, PPC can help to fill in the gap while you’re waiting for your SEO efforts to pay off, while search engine optimisation can help to improve your website’s visibility and drive more traffic over time, decreasing your reliance on paid channels and increasing your profitability.
Find out more about SEO
18/07/2024
You’re typing away; you’ve searched ‘how to create reciprocal link’ or something to that effect. You’re inundated with information, most of it utter waffle or jargon when all you want is clarity and answers. Well, the Dark Horse collective are here…
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18/07/2024
Content marketing has become an indispensable SEO strategy for businesses looking to build brand authority, engage with their audience, and drive conversions. However, as businesses grow, so does the demand for content. This is where content…
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18/07/2024
In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, the buzzwords are endless. SEO, core web vitals, EEAT – it can feel like you’re swimming in a sea of acronyms. But fear not, we’re here to demystify these terms and explain how they…
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There is no room for mediocrity in the future. We will forensically retire your incumbent agency.
Piece by ickle piece individually wrapped in powerpoint slides.
They haven’t got mortgages so why not take their savings instead of Netflix. Paid Social so startlingly revolutionary that it could make Gen Z vote Tory with Kirsty Allsop as PM.
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PPC results to make you cry tears of joy.
PPC results to make your competition cry. Period. Make a Martini out of them.
