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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm

https://www.hamesdigitalmarketing.com/

Hames Digital Marketing, Herne Bay (2026)

07/06/2026

🚀 I’m super excited to share that I’ll be delivering a workshop at Cacao Atelier!

And the best part? It’s just £35, and that includes a meal too! 🍽️

⚠️ Limited spaces available – only 10 places left.

If you’re a freelancer or small business owner who’s fed up battling with ChatGPT because it never quite “gets” what you’re trying to say… or you’re tired of wasting time going back and forth trying to get the right response…

This workshop is for you.

I’ll be running an interactive session where you’ll learn how to build your own Custom GPT that’s trained on your business, your services, your tone of voice, and your expertise.

Imagine having an AI assistant that already understands your business instead of having to explain yourself over and over again.

✅ Create content faster
✅ Get more consistent responses
✅ Save hours of frustration
✅ Build an AI assistant tailored to your business

No tech jargon. No coding. Just practical, hands-on learning that you can start using straight away.

Drop me a message if you’d like one of the remaining spaces before they’re gone

04/06/2026

Most businesses have never heard of a citation audit… but it could be one of the most important things you do for your online visibility.

A citation is simply anywhere your business name, address and phone number appear online.

Think:
📍 Google Business Profile
📍 Yell
📍 Facebook
📍 Apple Maps
📍 Bing Places
📍 Industry directories
📍 Local business listings

The problem?

Many of these listings were created years ago and have never been updated.

Old phone numbers.
Old addresses.
Different business names.
Duplicate listings.
Missing information.

Years ago this wasn’t ideal.

Today it’s becoming a bigger issue because AI doesn’t just look at your website.

It looks across the internet to verify that your business is real, active and trustworthy.

If one directory says one thing and another says something different, it creates confusion.

The businesses that are likely to benefit moving forward are those with consistent information, accurate citations and strong trust signals across multiple platforms.

That’s why a citation audit matters.

It’s not just about rankings anymore.

It’s about making sure your business appears consistently everywhere AI, search engines and potential customers are looking.

Have you ever checked how many versions of your business information exist online?

Drop me a message If you would like more information on how I can help.

30/05/2026

Yesterday was a bit different…

I had the privilege of meeting with for a Reiki session.

I’m not going to lie -I was sceptical.

I’d heard of Reiki before, but I never really understood it, and all the usual questions were running through my mind… How does it actually work? Is this really a thing?

But I went in with an open mind. I wanted to experience it for myself and genuinely pay attention to what I felt.

It was such a strange experience, unlike anything I’ve experienced before.

Let’s just say I could feel what seemed like energy moving through my body. The sensation in my stomach was particularly noticeable; it felt like a swirling motion deep inside. Then, naturally, the doubt kicked in. Was my mind playing tricks on me?

So I opened one eye for a quick peek 👀 to see where Marcia was standing… and sure enough, she was hovering over my mid-torso area.

Later, Marcia gently placed her hands on my ankles, and I could feel an intense warmth coming from her hands, almost as if she’d applied Deep Heat. According to Marcia, this was connected to the movement and release of energy during the session.

I came away feeling incredibly relaxed.

It was definitely a unique experience, one that’s difficult to explain unless you’ve experienced it yourself.

Would I do it again?

Absolutely.

Thank you Marcia 🙏🏼

29/05/2026

So You Know What Your Digital Trust Score Is?

Most business owners know how many Google reviews they have.

Most know how many Facebook followers they have.

But very few know how much AI actually trusts their business.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been building a full Citation, Local SEO, GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and Digital Trust Audit for businesses.

I recently ran it on Hames and Sons Locksmiths and the results were interesting…

✅ Strong website
✅ Strong Google Business Profile
✅ Great review profile
✅ Active social channels
✅ Local directory presence

But despite all of that, the audit uncovered:

⚠️ Inconsistent phone numbers across the web
⚠️ Old citations still being trusted by search engines
⚠️ Map platform gaps
⚠️ Mixed signals being sent to Google, Bing, Apple Maps and AI search engines

The overall Digital Trust Score came back at 59/100.

This isn’t a reflection of the quality of the business.

It’s a reflection of how consistently the internet understands your business.

As AI search becomes more common, businesses need more than good rankings.

They need:

✔ Consistent business information
✔ Reviews across multiple platforms
✔ Strong local authority signals
✔ Accurate citations
✔ Trustworthy schema markup
✔ Clear entity recognition

So today will be a clean up day across the web.

A simple tip you can action right now:

Search your business name, phone number and website on Google.

If you find different phone numbers, addresses, opening hours or website URLs across different directories, make a list and start correcting them.

Every correction strengthens your digital trust.

The question is…

If AI audited your business today, what score would it give you?

SmallBusinessMarketing LocalBusiness HamesDigitalMarketing EastKentBusiness SEOTips AIVisibility BusinessGrowth

28/05/2026

The businesses winning AI recommendations aren’t necessarily the ones ranking #1 on Google.

Today I had an interesting conversations with a business financial advisor.

He told me that TWO clients found him through AI in the space of a week… and both said he was the top recommended person.

Naturally his first thought was:
“I wish I knew what keywords they typed in.”

That’s old-school SEO thinking.

Keywords still matter… but they’re now only a small part of what AI looks at.

AI doesn’t just scan your website for phrases anymore.

It scrapes the internet looking for:
• consistency across platforms
• reviews across multiple channels
• trust signals
• governing bodies & accreditations
• mentions of your business online
• how often you’re talked about
• whether your information matches everywhere
• whether people genuinely recommend you

That’s why businesses focusing ONLY on “ranking for keywords” are starting to fall behind.

I explained to him:
It’s no longer about finding the perfect keyword.

It’s about building one strong digital entity consistently across the internet.

Your website.
Your Google profile.
Your Facebook.
Your LinkedIn.
Your directories.
Your reviews.
Your mentions.
Your branding.
Your tone.
Your expertise.

AI is trying to work out:
“Can I trust this business enough to recommend them?”

That’s a completely different game.

And honestly… most small businesses are still optimising for 2018 while AI search is already moving toward 2030.

26/05/2026

Why digital trust compounds over time

Most marketing feels slow at first.

Because trust compounds quietly.

Every review.
Every helpful post.
Every mention.
Every recommendation.

It all stacks together over time.

Start today, If you haven’t already done so. Your future self will thank you.

25/05/2026

What is “entity consistency” in simple English?

This sounds technical.
But it’s actually simple.

AI systems want confidence that:
your website,
social pages,
reviews,
directories
and mentions
all belong to the same business.

If your business name changes everywhere…
different phone numbers appear…
or old information still exists online…

…it creates confusion.

This is called entity inconsistency.

One easy task today:

Check:
• business name
• phone number
• email
• opening hours
• website URL

Are they identical everywhere online?

Small inconsistencies create big trust gaps digitally.

Drop me a message or comment below 👇🏼 If you would like an audit on your business entity consistency.

23/05/2026

WHAT YOU NEED TO STOP DOING NOW 👇

Businesses need to stop putting all their reviews on ONE platform.

For years, everyone focused only on Google reviews.

And yes…
Google reviews still matter.

But the internet has changed.

AI search is changing how businesses are discovered.
And trust is no longer built from one source alone.

AI looks for consistency.
Reputation.
Mentions.
Authority across the internet.

That means if all your reviews only live on Google…
you’re building your reputation on one island.

The businesses starting to stand out now are spreading trust everywhere:

• Google
• Facebook
• Yelp
• Trustpilot
• Checkatrade
• Bark
• Yell
• TripAdvisor
• Industry-specific directories
• Even community discussions and recommendations online

Why?

Because multiple trust signals create a stronger digital footprint.

It tells AI:
“This business is real.”
“People talk about them everywhere.”
“They’re trusted consistently.”

The same way humans trust a business more when they keep seeing them recommended…
AI works similarly.

Most businesses accidentally built a dependency on one platform.

Now is the time to diversify your trust.

Not fake reviews.
Not spam.

Just consistently asking happy customers to leave feedback in different places instead of sending every single person to the same platform forever.

That’s where digital visibility is heading.

And the businesses adapting early will have a huge advantage over the next few years.

23/05/2026

Does a business still need a website in 2026?

Honestly… yes.

But not for the reasons most people think.

A website is no longer just an online brochure.
It’s your digital home base.

Social media helps people discover you.
Your website helps people trust you.

And in 2026, trust matters more than ever.

Because people are no longer just searching on Google.

They’re asking:
“Who’s the best local plumber?”
“Who do people recommend?”
“Who looks legitimate?”
“Who explains things properly?”

AI search, Facebook, TikTok, Google Maps, reviews, Reddit, YouTube…
Everything is connected now.

If a business only exists on social media, there’s a problem:

You don’t own the platform.
You don’t control the algorithm.
And one hacked account, restriction or reach drop can hurt overnight.

But a website gives you:

• A place you fully own
• Better visibility on Google & AI search
• More trust with new customers
• A place to answer FAQs properly
• A way to collect leads while you sleep
• A central hub for your reviews, services and authority

The businesses winning online now are not relying on ONE platform.

They’re building a digital ecosystem.

Website.
Google Business Profile.
Social media.
Reviews.
Content.
Local mentions.
Authority.

Everything working together.

Social media gets attention.
Your website converts trust into enquiries.

That’s the difference.

What do you think…
Could your business survive if Facebook disappeared tomorrow?

21/05/2026

Most businesses still think marketing means:
“Get to number 1 on Google.”

But search is changing.

AI tools now pull information from:
• reviews
• Reddit
• Facebook
• YouTube
• business mentions
• directories
• discussions
• community trust

Which means visibility is no longer just about rankings.

It’s about reputation across the entire internet.

5 things small businesses should focus on now: in the comments below

Hames Digital Marketing

07/06/2026

04/06/2026

30/05/2026

29/05/2026

28/05/2026

26/05/2026

25/05/2026

23/05/2026

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21/05/2026

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