Catalyst

18/08/2026

Perudo came to us after a bad experience with a previous agency. They didn't want another retainer built on promises, so we started small: a defined piece of work with a clear scope.

We began with a proposition. Once that was right, we moved into a rebrand, then a new website, and now we're into ongoing lead generation together.

A year on, that's built into a relationship covering the full breadth of what we do, at a pace Perudo were comfortable with rather than one we pushed for.

If you've been burned by an agency before, this is usually the better way in. Start with something small and specific, see whether it delivers, then decide what comes next.

If that sounds like where you are, get in touch and we can talk about a starting point that makes sense for you.

14/08/2026

More of your customers have stopped Googling and started asking. Ofcom's latest Online Nation report found ChatGPT received 1.8 billion visits from UK users in the first eight months of 2025, nearly five times the year before, and OpenAI now puts weekly users above 900 million.

The problem is that ranking in ChatGPT isn't the same as ranking in Google. Every AI platform trains on different data, crawls the web differently and decides what to cite in its own way. Profound's analysis of 680 million AI citations found only 11% overlap between what ChatGPT and Perplexity cited for the same prompts. Optimise for one and you haven't optimised for all of them.

We have written a full breakdown of what actually seems to influence AI search visibility, why SEO still matters more than ever (Semrush found AI search visitors convert at 4.4 times the rate of traditional organic visitors), and what to prioritise if you want a better shot at being mentioned.

Link in comments if you want the full read.

12/08/2026

Nine extra enquiries every working day.

That's what you see when you compare FreshGround's lead generation performance with last year's (June 2025 compared with June 2026).

This has worked because of Anthony Hare, Marketing Manager at FreshGround's willingness to adapt.

"Things were going well. We didn't need to 'fix' anything, but we didn't want to get complacent."

SEO was performing well, but we were well aware that, if we ignored AI search, we ran the risk of falling behind or disappearing from search engines entirely.

This is why we factored in both GEO & AEO best practices into our ongoing strategy. And the results so far? Fantastic.

We provide the research and direction; FreshGround manage the content writing. A perfect match!

Want to read the full case study? Find the link in the comments👇

11/08/2026

Forrester's 2026 study of nearly 18,000 business buyers found 94% now use AI somewhere in their buying process, up from 89% the year before. More buyers now rate generative AI and conversational search as their most useful research source than any other channel, including business websites and sales conversations.

That means your buyers may already be asking ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity about businesses like yours before they ever land on your site.

Try it yourself: ask an AI tool a question a prospect might ask about your industry, and see whether your business comes up.

If it doesn't, we run a free GEO audit that shows you exactly what to fix. Get in touch to book one in.

07/08/2026

August goes quiet for most SMEs. According to insolvency practitioners Liquidation Centre, two-thirds of B2B businesses experience a summer sales slump, with 75% reporting a drop in sales of 20% or more.

The quiet weeks are useful if you use them properly. Before things pick back up, it's worth taking stock of what's actually worked this year and making sure you're set up to convert when demand returns.

Here's what we'd go through before September:
1. Audit your H1 performance. Which channels, campaigns or content actually drove leads, and which just drove traffic?
2. Check you're getting the right leads. Don't focus on volume alone, look at what's actually closed, not just what's come in.
3. Realign budget to what's working. Once you know what's driven results, shift spend and focus toward it, and cut or reduce the rest.
4. Shorten your lead time. Look at the process between first contact and close. Where are leads sitting longer than they need to?
5. Improve your conversion rate. Website, content and sales enablement all affect how many of your visitors and leads actually convert. Small fixes here often outperform chasing more traffic.
6. Get up to speed on GEO and AI search. Buyers are increasingly researching through AI tools before they reach your site. Make sure you show up when they do.

Contact us for a free business growth check.

06/08/2026

July is often a quieter month as people start to take summer breaks, but it has been a busy one for us, with new client work landing alongside a few personal milestones.

We presented Holme Tree with their full marketing strategy this month, built off the research and audit work from earlier in the year. Great to see the plan come together and start to implement the next steps.

We also had four brilliant students join us on work experience this month: Max, Phoebe, Nia and Lilly. Always good to have fresh energy in the office, and a reminder that everyone needs a first chance somewhere.

Kicked off a new client relationship this month too, with TNBL joining Catalyst. Early days, but a strong first meeting and plenty to get stuck into.

Congratulations to Simon, our web developer, on the arrival of his baby girl. Wishing the whole family well.

That was July. August is already underway.

04/08/2026

Our co-founder, Paul Houston, spent more than 20 years working alongside and with medical device manufacturers and bidding on NHS frameworks.

In his latest piece for Building Better Healthcare, he explores how AI is reshaping procurement, why traditional SEO is no longer enough, and what manufacturers, contractors and healthcare suppliers need to do to stay visible.

The below AI prompt takes an NHS procurement manager about ten seconds to type.

“Suggest five UK manufacturers of walking aids who are ISO 13485 certified and have experience supplying NHS trusts.”

ChatGPT then replies with a shortlist of logical suppliers, all without any visits to websites, and with no calls to your category manager.

If you're on that list, you'll have a chance to quote. If you're not on the list, you won't get a look in.

In short: if you're not visible to AI, you're less visible to procurement teams.

You can read the full article by clicking the link in the comments 👇

Paul Houston, co-founder of Catalyst Marketing Agency, argues that being an approved NHS trust supplier is no longer the guarantee it used to be

03/08/2026

ESS enter their fifth year with Catalyst this month 🙌

The packaging specialists have been with us since 2021, and our work together has consistently focused on search, building and maintaining their visibility in a competitive market over the long term.

Five years is a long time in digital marketing. Thank you to Nathan Lunn and the team for trusting us all these years. Here's to another great five years! 🥂

24/07/2026

Last week, we welcomed Lily and Nia to Catalyst for a week of work experience.

Lily has just finished Year 12 at Heart of England School, while Nia has completed her first year at Bath Spa University. Over the week, they got hands-on experience across a wide range of marketing disciplines, from social media, email marketing and SEO to design, copywriting and the processes that keep our clients' campaigns running behind the scenes.

Work experience is about more than seeing what a job looks like. It's about understanding how a team works, asking questions and building confidence for whatever comes next. We're glad we could play a small part in that.

The whole team enjoyed having you both with us. We wish you all the best with the next stage of your studies and whatever comes next!

20/07/2026

Two milestones this month.

Alfie is celebrating one year at Catalyst. He first came to us on work experience during his degree in 2023, joined the team a few years later, and has already picked up a promotion in his first twelve months.

Liv is celebrating two years. She first joined us on work experience back in 2018, returned a number of times after that, and came on board full-time two years ago. Since then, she's been busy, securing not one, but three promotions in her time with us! She is someone the whole team relies on.

Both of them are a big part of why Catalyst operates the way it does.
Congratulations, and thank you Alfie and Liv.