SEO Services · Cork
SEO in Cork, done honestly.
You have been told SEO is "essential" by someone trying to sell you SEO. Here is what I tell my clients: it might be, eventually. But for most Cork SMEs, it is almost certainly not where you should be spending money first.
SEO is a long game. The fastest results I have ever seen took six weeks. The average takes four to six months. If you need enquiries in the next 30 days, paid search and paid social are better answers.
So I add SEO for clients I have already delivered results for with paid. Once we have proof that the marketing is working, building compounding organic growth on top makes sense.
When SEO is the right move
For Cork businesses, three specific situations.
You already have a working marketing engine
You are already generating enquiries from paid or referrals. Organic SEO is the next layer to compound on top, not the foundation.
You have a service with consistent demand
People search 'plumber Cork' the same way every week. Local service businesses are where SEO compounds fastest because the searches are predictable and high-intent.
You can wait three to six months
If you can fund the business on existing channels for the SEO ramp-up period, organic is a good investment. If you are running out of runway, it is not.
When SEO is not the right move
- You are brand new and need cashflow in 30 days. Use paid ads first.
- You sell something nobody searches for yet. Use paid social to create awareness first.
- You have under €500 a month to spend on marketing total. SEO is not where that goes.
- You expect to rank #1 for "marketing Cork" in three months. Realistic SEO does not work that way for competitive terms.
What's included
What I actually do for SEO clients.
On-page and local SEO done properly. Off-page (link building) is something I am honest about: it is a specialist discipline and for serious link-building campaigns I will refer to a dedicated agency. What I cover is below.
Technical SEO audit
Site speed, mobile performance, indexability, broken links, redirect chains, structured data, sitemap submission. Fixed before anything else.
Keyword research, properly
Cork-specific terms with real commercial intent. Mapped to your service pages. Search volume and difficulty assessed honestly, not inflated to justify a retainer.
On-page optimisation
Meta tags, headings, internal linking, image alt text, content depth, schema markup. The technical foundation that lets your pages compete.
Google Business Profile management
Critical for local Cork SEO. Posts, photos, Q&A, review responses, NAP consistency across the web. Worth more than most off-page work for local service businesses.
Local citation building
Irish directories that actually matter (Golden Pages, Yelp, Foursquare, Bing Places, plus industry-specific). Done manually, not via spam tools.
Content briefing
I tell you what to write and how to structure it for SEO. Writing the actual posts is either you (with my brief) or me (as a separate engagement).
Monthly reporting
Search Console data, ranking changes for target keywords, organic traffic trends, what we did, what is next.
Honesty about ranking factors
If your domain authority is low and competition is high, I will tell you what to expect and how long it will take. Not what you want to hear, what is actually true.
Tool access (Search Console, GA4, Rank Math)
Free tools used properly beat expensive tools used badly. I will not bill you for €200 a month of Semrush you do not need.
Pricing
What it costs.
SEO retainers are available to clients I have already delivered results for with paid acquisition. New clients start on Google Ads or Social Media. Per-page or per-month options below.
Retainer (recommended)
From €75/wk
All-in monthly SEO work, audit on day one, monthly reporting.
Best for: ongoing compounding growth.
Per-page optimisation
€100/page
On-page SEO for service pages. Homepage from €300.
Best for: one-off fixes on an existing site.
Blog post writing
€80/post
800 to 1,200 words. SEO-optimised. Written by me.
Best for: building topical authority.
The money-back angle.
SEO retainers carry a 120-day money-back guarantee on measurable growth from an agreed baseline (impressions, rankings for target keywords, organic traffic). If we have not moved the needle in four months, you get the retainer fees back for that period. Detail in the contract.
FAQ
Things people ask.
Why won't you take me on for SEO if I'm a new client?
Because SEO is the wrong first move for almost every Cork business. I would rather you spend your first three months with me on Google Ads or Social Media, see real results, and then add SEO on top once we have proven the engine works. Selling SEO to a new client who needs enquiries this month is dishonest.
What's local SEO?
Local SEO is the work that helps you rank in Google's local results (the map pack and 'businesses near you' results) for searches in your geography. Google Business Profile, local citations, location-based content, and review management are the core levers. For Cork service businesses, local SEO is usually more valuable than traditional organic SEO.
How long until I see SEO results?
Realistic timeline: small movement in 6 to 8 weeks, meaningful traffic from 3 to 4 months, compounding from 6 months onward. Anyone promising faster is either selling you on luck or doing something that will eventually penalise the site.
Do you do link building?
I do local citation building (directories, GMB, structured listings) as part of every SEO engagement. I do not do guest posting or industry link building campaigns at scale. If your strategy genuinely needs that, I will refer you to a link-building specialist. I would rather be honest about a weak area than fake competence in it.
What tools do you use?
Google Search Console, Google Analytics 4, Rank Math (WordPress) or built-in SEO settings (Webflow/Squarespace), Ubersuggest for keyword research. I do not currently subscribe to Semrush or Ahrefs because their cost is not justified for the scale of clients I work with. Free tools used properly beat expensive tools used badly.
My competitor is ranking #1. Can you knock them off?
Maybe, depending on who they are, how strong their site is, and how long they have been at it. I will tell you honestly whether it is realistic before you sign anything. Sometimes the answer is yes with enough time. Sometimes it is no and we go after different keywords. Both are valid strategies.
Two ways to start.
Option 1. Book a 20-min call.
We talk. I learn about your business. You learn about how I work. No pitch deck, no pressure. If it is not a fit, I will tell you and point you at someone who is.
Book a callOption 2. Get the free audit.
Tell me your website and your industry. I spend an hour on it and come back with a report telling you exactly where you are leaking enquiries online. No call required. No follow-up unless you want one.
Get the free report