The No-Nonsense Digital Marketing Checklist for UK Business Owners
Most digital marketing advice is either too vague to act on or assumes you have a full marketing team. This is for the UK business owner doing it themselves or overseeing someone who is. Work through this checklist, answer honestly, and you’ll know exactly where to focus next. No waffle, no jargon — just clear questions and clear actions.
Website Basics
These are non-negotiables. If any of these are a “no”, fix them before spending a penny on anything else.
Is your site mobile-friendly?
Check it on your phone right now. Is the text readable without zooming? Do buttons work without accidentally hitting the wrong one? Can you complete a contact form easily?
_If no:_ This is urgent. A non-mobile-friendly site is penalised in Google and turned users away before you get a chance. Speak to your web developer or get in touch with me.
Does it load in under 3 seconds?
Test at pagespeed.web.dev — it’s free. Check both mobile and desktop scores.
_If no:_ Read my article on WordPress speed fixes, or book a performance audit.
Is there a clear call to action on every key page?
What do you want visitors to do? Call you? Fill in a form? Buy something? Is that obvious within a few seconds of landing on the page?
_If no:_ Add a prominent CTA — button, phone number, or form — above the fold on your homepage and key service pages.
Is your contact information easy to find?
Phone number and/or email in the header or prominently on the homepage. Not buried in a footer link.
_If no:_ Move it. This is a five-minute fix that directly affects enquiry rates.
Is your SSL certificate active?
Look for the padlock in your browser’s address bar. If it says “Not Secure”, you have a problem.
_If no:_ Contact your host. SSL should be free via Let’s Encrypt and most decent hosts set it up automatically. A site without SSL is losing trust and rankings.
SEO Essentials
Is your Google Business Profile set up and verified?
Search for your business name on Google. Does a profile appear with your correct address, phone, hours, and website?
_If no:_ Go to business.google.com and claim or create your profile. This is the single highest-impact free action for local businesses.
Do your key pages have a unique title tag and meta description?
These are the text that appears in Google search results. Check in your SEO plugin (Yoast, Rank Math) or ask your developer.
_If no:_ Write them. Your title tag should include your primary keyword and location where relevant. Meta description should be a genuine summary that makes someone want to click.
Are you listed in key local directories?
Yell, Thomson Local, Yelp UK, and any industry-specific directories. Consistent name, address, and phone number (NAP) across all of them.
_If no:_ Start with the big three free ones and work outward. Inconsistent NAP data confuses Google and hurts local rankings.
Is your site indexed by Google?
Search for `site:yourdomain.co.uk` in Google. Do your pages appear?
_If no:_ Check Google Search Console (see Analytics section below) for any indexing issues.
Content
Does your site have a blog or news section that’s been updated in the last 90 days?
Regular fresh content signals to Google that your site is active and relevant.
_If no:_ Write one article per month minimum. It doesn’t have to be long — 600–800 words of genuinely useful content on a topic your customers ask about. Consistency beats volume.
Are you answering the questions your customers actually ask?
Think about what prospects ask you before they buy. Those are your content topics.
_If no:_ Write down the five most common questions you get asked, and write a page or blog post answering each one.
PPC (Paid Advertising)
If you’re running Google Ads, is conversion tracking set up correctly?
This is the most common mistake I see. Businesses spending money on PPC with no way of knowing which clicks are turning into enquiries.
_If no:_ Do not spend another pound on PPC until this is working. Set up Google Ads conversion tracking via Google Tag Manager, or get someone to do it properly.
Do your ads send traffic to a relevant, dedicated landing page — not just your homepage?
An ad for “emergency plumber in Preston” should go to a page about emergency plumbing in Preston, not a generic homepage.
_If no:_ Create a specific landing page for your key ad groups. Relevance improves Quality Score, reduces cost per click, and improves conversion rates.
_Note: if you don’t have a budget for PPC yet, that’s fine — skip this section and focus on the organic foundations above first._
Social Media
Are you on the right platform for your audience?
B2B businesses need to be on LinkedIn. Consumer-facing businesses may need Facebook or Instagram. You do not need to be everywhere.
_If no:_ Pick one platform where your customers actually are, and commit to it. Being absent from everywhere but consistent on one is better than being present everywhere poorly.
Are you posting at least once a week?
Consistency matters more than frequency. Irregular posting looks worse than a steady, manageable cadence.
_If no:_ Block out 30 minutes each week and batch three to four posts at a time. Schedule them using Buffer or Meta Business Suite (free).
Email Marketing
Are you collecting email addresses from your website and customers?
Your email list is an asset you own — unlike your social media following, which can disappear overnight if a platform changes its algorithm.
_If no:_ Add a simple sign-up form to your site. Offer something useful in exchange — a guide, a discount, early access to something. Use Mailchimp or MailerLite (both have free tiers).
Do you have even a basic nurture sequence for new subscribers?
Even three emails — a welcome, something useful, and a gentle introduction to what you do — is better than silence.
_If no:_ Write three short emails. Set them up as an automated sequence. This takes a few hours once and runs indefinitely.
Analytics
Is Google Analytics 4 (GA4) installed and tracking correctly?
This should be on every page. Check by visiting your site and watching for real-time traffic in GA4.
_If no:_ Install it via Google Tag Manager. If you don’t have GTM set up, now is the time — it makes managing all tracking far simpler.
Is Google Search Console connected to your site?
Search Console shows you which search terms people are using to find you, which pages are indexed, and any technical errors Google has found.
_If no:_ Go to search.google.com/search-console, add your property, and verify it. It’s free and gives you data you can’t get anywhere else.
The Bottom Line
You don’t need to tick every box today. But if you’ve worked through this list honestly, you now know exactly where the gaps are. Start with the website basics and the Google Business Profile — those two areas alone will have a disproportionate impact. Then work down the list methodically. Digital marketing isn’t complicated when you break it into clear actions, one at a time.
Want someone to run through this checklist with you and give you a prioritised action plan? That’s exactly what I do — christaplinassociates.co.uk/#contact
