About Pete Duffy.

Where I started.

I started doing SEO in 2009 for Liverpool small businesses. Back then it was mostly getting sites off ancient template builders and onto WordPress, then working out how to get them found. It was carpet cleaners, cosmetic clinics, a container company. Real people, real budgets, real invoices.

I never wanted to run a big agency. I ran a shop with my name on the door, took work I could personally handle, and passed on the rest. Fifteen-plus years later, that’s still the shape of the thing.

Along the way I learned Google Ads properly (because you can’t audit SEO without understanding what’s happening in the paid column), and I got very interested in Google Business Profile, which is quietly the most valuable free surface a small local business has.

What I do now.

Same shop, quieter. I take a limited number of clients. I audit sites, review Google Ads accounts, and give an honest opinion. I don’t take retainers because I don’t want to be responsible for something I’m not personally doing.

Sister brands, in plain English.

Pete Duffy Consulting is part of a small group of Liverpool brands run by the same operator. Marketing The Change is the full-service agency for retainer and delivery work: SEO, PPC, content, the lot. Liverpool Web Designers is the fixed-price website shop.

I refer clients across when the job isn’t advisory. Same operator, different jobs. You’ll never be sold MTC or LWD from this site: if they fit, I’ll say so and hand you off in an email, not a funnel.

What I believe about SEO in 2026.

Most small businesses don’t need a full SEO retainer. They need a small handful of things done properly: a site that’s technically sound, a Google Business Profile that’s actually filled in, five to ten pieces of content that answer the questions their customers actually type in, and a Google Ads account that isn’t quietly bleeding money.

AI overviews haven’t ended SEO. They’ve narrowed the funnel at the top and widened it at the bottom. What that means in practice is that the middle of your funnel, your GBP, your product pages, your genuinely useful content, matters more than it used to.

I’m sceptical of any SEO advice that ends with “and that’s why you need to spend more”. If you’re at £500 a month with a small local business, most of the work you need is a one-off audit and a good GBP setup, not a bigger retainer.

Where I live and work.

I live in Liverpool. I work out of a small office in the city centre, walking distance from the docks. If you want to meet in person, I’ll suggest a decent coffee shop. If you’re anywhere in the UK, video calls are fine.

What I’m not.

• Not an agency. There’s no team behind me.
• Not a growth hacker. I don’t promise numbers I can’t deliver.
• Not a coach. I do the work, I don’t sell a system.
• Not on Twitter/X very often. If you need a fast reply, email is better.