Off-Platform SEO Action Plan

Week 1: Foundation Setup

• Claim Google Business Profile

  Go to business.google.com. Add business name, category (Business Training), service area (United Kingdom), contact details, and website URL.

  30 minutes
• Sign up for HARO (Help A Reporter Out)

  Go to helpareporter.com. Sign up as a "Source". Select categories: Business, Technology, Education. Respond to relevant journalist queries daily.

  15 minutes setup, 15 mins/day ongoing
• Verify Your Business magazine article is online

  Search for your article on their website. If found, check if they linked to elansio.com. If not, email the editor requesting a link be added.

  20 minutes
• Set up Google Alerts for brand monitoring

  Go to google.com/alerts. Create alerts for: "Elansio", "Nathan Jones AI", "AI training UK SMEs". When mentioned, request backlinks.

  10 minutes

Week 2: LinkedIn Authority Building

• Optimise LinkedIn profile

  Headline: "AI Training for UK SMEs | Helping 30-250 employee businesses adopt AI". Add elansio.com link. Feature your magazine article.

  30 minutes
• Post 2x per week on LinkedIn

  Share blog content, AI insights, workshop results. Use hashtags: #AITraining #UKSME #DigitalTransformation #ChatGPT. Tag relevant connections.

  1 hour/week
• Connect with 20 target prospects

  Search: HR Directors, L&D Managers, MDs at UK companies 30-250 employees. Send personalised connection requests mentioning AI training.

  30 minutes
• Join 3-5 relevant LinkedIn groups

  Search: "UK SME", "HR UK", "L&D Professionals", "Digital Transformation UK". Engage with posts, share insights (not sales pitches).

  20 minutes

Week 3: Directory & Review Submissions

• Submit to UK business directories

  Free submissions:
  • Yell.com
  • Thomson Local
  • FreeIndex.co.uk
  • Yelp UK
  • Hotfrog UK

  1 hour
• Submit to training/consulting directories

  • TrainingZone.co.uk
  • FindCourses.co.uk
  • The Training Directory
  • Clutch.co (B2B services)

  1 hour
• Request testimonials from past clients

  Email HSP, Michael Spiers, DGA, Cherwell requesting a Google review or LinkedIn recommendation. Offer to write a draft they can edit.

  30 minutes

Week 4: Guest Posting & PR

• Identify 10 guest post targets

  UK Business Publications:
  • Real Business (realbusiness.co.uk)
  • Business Leader (businessleader.co.uk)
  • Growing Business (growingbusiness.co.uk)
  • SME Today (sme-today.co.uk)
  • HR Magazine (hrmagazine.co.uk)
  • Training Journal (trainingjournal.com)
  • People Management (peoplemanagement.co.uk)

  1 hour research
• Pitch 2 guest articles

  Pitch angles:
  • "Why 69% of UK SMEs Still Haven't Adopted AI (And How to Fix It)"
  • "The 3-Step Framework for AI Training That Actually Sticks"
  • "How UK SMEs Can Save 5-10 Hours Weekly with AI"
  Include bio with link to elansio.com

  2 hours
• Reach out to UK business podcasts

  Search "UK SME podcast" or "business growth podcast UK". Pitch yourself as a guest on AI adoption for SMEs. Podcast show notes = backlinks.

  1 hour

Monthly Ongoing Activities

• LinkedIn: 2 posts per week

  Share insights, blog content, workshop results, AI news commentary.
• HARO: Check daily, respond to 2-3 queries/week

  Focus on business, technology, training, AI topics.
• Guest post: Pitch 2 articles/month

  Aim for 1 published article per month with backlink.
• Network: Attend 1 local business event/month

  Chamber of Commerce, IoD, FSB events. Collect business cards, follow up on LinkedIn.
• Monitor brand mentions

  Check Google Alerts weekly. Request backlinks from unlinked mentions.

Expected Timeline

Quick Reference: Pitch Email Template