Digital Marketing Consultant.
Richard Barker - 20 years of hands-on digital marketing applied to your business. Enterprise-level SEO, Google Ads and web strategy without the agency overhead or account managers.
Two decades of digital.
I founded Harrison Mann in 2005 after spending years in digital marketing and noticing a consistent gap between what agencies promised and what businesses actually received. The expertise that won the pitch was rarely the person doing the work. I built Harrison Mann to close that gap.
By day I hold a digital marketing role at a major UK IT solutions and services provider operating across the UK and internationally. I own the entire digital function: website strategy, enterprise SEO, campaign management, GDPR governance and international site builds. I was part of the core team that built and launched the company's commercial website from the ground up, including managing over 700 page redirects without losing a single ranking page.
Before that, in a marketing role at a UK security company, I grew the website from 50 to 50,000 monthly visitors, generated over £2 million in website-led pipeline and achieved rankings across more than 4,000 commercial keywords, winning leads from organisations including Eurotunnel, Yodel and Chester Zoo.
That is the level of experience behind every Harrison Mann project. Applied to your business, with no handoffs.
"Trust matters more to me than making a sale. I take on a limited number of clients at a time so every one gets proper attention."
Richard Barker, FounderEnterprise digital marketing at scale
By day I lead digital marketing for a major UK IT solutions and services provider with revenues exceeding £2 billion, across UK and international markets. The strategy, SEO and campaign thinking behind your website is the same calibre that drives a business of that scale.
Founded 2005. Still personal.
Hundreds of web design and digital marketing projects for businesses across the UK, US and Asia. Published on industry-leading marketing platforms. Most clients come through referrals. That is the metric I care about most.
A travel blog that reached a million visits a month
I wanted free holidays, so I set up a travel, interiors and property blog. It grew to over a million visits a month and took me all over the world for free. That is where I learned, first-hand, how to build an audience and turn content into real-world results.
Featured in leading industry publications
Consultant, agency or in-house: which is right for you?
The phrase “digital marketing consultant” gets used loosely, so it is worth being clear about what you get and how it differs from the alternatives.
An agency is a team. You usually deal with an account manager while specialists do the work. That suits businesses with large budgets that need broad, ongoing execution, but it often means layers of management and work done by junior people who do not know your business well.
A consultant is one experienced person who gives you the strategy and, in my case, does the hands-on work too. You get direct access to genuine expertise with no agency overhead. The trade-off is capacity: one person cannot run your social, SEO, website and ads all at once to the depth a large team can.
I work as your consultant, not an agency, so you deal directly with me. When a project needs skills beyond mine, I bring in trusted specialists I have worked with for years, whether that is development, design, PPC or PR, and I manage them for you. You get senior thinking and direct access as standard, with the capacity to scale up when a project calls for it, and still none of the agency overhead.
| Option | Strengths | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| Consultant | Senior, strategic, flexible, no overhead | Limited capacity for heavy ongoing delivery |
| Agency | Capacity and broad skill sets | Higher cost, layers, often junior delivery |
| In-house hire | Dedicated focus on your business | Salary, recruitment risk, single skill set |
For most small and growing businesses, a consultant gives you a senior marketer’s thinking without the cost of a full-time hire or an agency retainer. That is usually the most efficient option until your volume justifies a bigger team.
What I actually do as your consultant
At the strategy end, I help you see where you stand, where the real opportunities are, and the most efficient path to growth. At the delivery end, I build the website, run the SEO, manage the paid search and measure what it returns.
- Starts with your goals and customers, not a list of tactics.
- Audits where you are now: website, SEO, ads, analytics, competitors.
- Builds a clear, prioritised plan focused on commercial outcomes.
- Sets up proper measurement so progress is visible and honest.
- Either delivers the work or oversees whoever does, keeping it joined up.
- Reports in plain language tied to leads and revenue, not vanity metrics.
The right moment is usually when marketing feels busy but disconnected, money going into channels with no clear picture of what works, or when you know you should be doing more online but lack the time or expertise to plan it. A consultant brings the strategy and order that turns scattered activity into a system.
The simplest test: what is a new customer worth to you? If the average customer is worth £1,000 and a properly built site brings five extra enquiries a month, the maths is straightforward. Most well-executed projects pay for themselves within twelve months, often sooner.
What to look for when hiring a consultant
Ask for case studies with specific results, not “we improved their SEO” but real numbers in a real timeframe. Ask who will actually do the work. Ask how success is measured and reported. And be wary of anyone promising specific rankings by a specific date, because no one controls Google’s algorithm. A good consultant tells you what they will do, shows you how they will measure it, and gives honest timelines based on real data.
- Can you show real results you have delivered, with specifics?
- How do you measure success, and how will I see progress?
- Will you deliver the work, oversee it, or hand it off?
- How do you decide where my budget goes?
- What does success look like in 3, 6 and 12 months?
A complete digital service.
Everything from a first website to a full digital marketing programme. Each service is designed to bring in more of the right people and convert them into customers.
Web Design and Build
Custom WordPress and Shopify websites built to rank, convert and represent your business properly. Every site is designed around your customers and their journey, not just what looks nice.
- Custom WordPress development
- Shopify store design and build
- Pay monthly affordable websites
- Landing pages and conversion funnels
- Website refresh and redesign
SEO and Organic Growth
Search engine optimisation from someone who has delivered it at enterprise scale. Technical SEO, local search, content strategy and link building that compounds over time.
- Technical SEO audit and fixes
- Local SEO for UK businesses
- Content strategy and writing
- Google Business Profile management
- Monthly performance reporting
Paid Advertising
Google Ads and LinkedIn campaigns managed with the discipline of someone who has run enterprise budgets. Every pound tracked, every campaign tested, every decision backed by data.
- Google Search and Display ads
- LinkedIn lead generation
- Conversion tracking setup
- Dedicated landing pages
- Budget optimisation and reporting
Content Marketing
Content planned around what your customers search for, written to rank and structured to convert. Blogs, guides, service pages and email sequences that build authority over time.
- SEO content strategy and planning
- Blog articles and long-form guides
- Service page copywriting
- Email marketing sequences
- Thought leadership content
Branding and Graphic Design
Logo design, brand identity and visual assets that set you apart. Clean, professional and consistent across every touchpoint from your website to your business cards.
- Logo and brand identity design
- Brand guidelines
- Business stationery and print
- Social media templates
- Presentation design
Website Support and Care
Ongoing hosting, updates, backups and support so your site stays fast, secure and fully functional after launch. You focus on your business; I keep the engine running.
- Managed WordPress hosting
- Software updates and security
- Daily backups
- Content updates and edits
- Priority support when you need it
What makes working with me different.
Enterprise experience, personal service
By day I lead digital marketing for a major UK IT solutions and services provider with revenues exceeding £2 billion. I apply that same strategic discipline to every client project. Most agencies promise senior thinking but deliver junior execution. With Harrison Mann, you get the senior person every time.
You always deal directly with me
There are no account managers, no offshore developers, no junior team members learning on your budget. Every strategy, every design decision, every piece of copy is handled by me. That means consistent quality and a single point of accountability throughout.
Honest advice, even when it costs me work
If your existing site just needs a few tweaks rather than a full rebuild, I will tell you. If paid ads are not right for your business at this stage, I will say so. I take on a limited number of clients at a time because I want to do right by every one of them.
Results I can point to
I have grown a client website from 50 to 50,000 monthly visitors, generating over £2 million in website-led pipeline. I have delivered 30% organic growth for a major national business. I have helped dozens of small businesses across the UK get found and turn traffic into enquiries.
Businesses I work with.
I work with businesses across a wide range of industries. The principles of good web design and digital marketing apply everywhere.
A long-term partner, not a one-off supplier.
Most of my best client relationships started with a single website build and grew from there. Here is how I support your business after launch.
Website Care Plans
Monthly managed hosting, security monitoring, software updates, daily backups and content edits. Your site stays fast, secure and up to date without you having to think about it.
SEO Retainers
Ongoing search engine optimisation with monthly reporting. Content creation, technical improvements and local SEO that compounds and builds authority over time.
Marketing Retainers
A flexible monthly partnership covering Google Ads, content, email or whatever your business needs most. Planned quarterly, reported monthly, adjusted based on what the data shows.
What clients say about working with me.
"Searching for website designers gave us a long list to choose from, but we're so glad we found Richard at Harrison Mann. He's been incredibly helpful with digital marketing advice and support, and thanks to him, we've now got a solid plan in place to boost footfall at both of our salons."
"We wanted more control over our website, as we'd been relying on another agency to make updates. Being able to change content ourselves quickly was important, and the custom WordPress website now lets us do just that. The new site has already helped boost our sales."
"After opening our new flooring showroom, I knew we needed a strong online presence. Finding the right website designer in Bradford made all the difference. We now have a great site that shows up locally for the keywords our customers are searching. It's the little percentage improvements that the team have really helped us with, we're already seeing more people coming through the doors."
"As a business owner with 30 staff, it's vital we keep bringing in new work to grow and succeed. Richard helped me understand how important digital marketing really is, and I've been very happy with the results. We're continuing to increase our spend because we can clearly see the return as the company grows."
"I'd been trading on eBay for years and wanted to set up my own eCommerce site to grow sales and have more control. Richard and his team designed a fantastic logo and built a Shopify website that's really helped lay the groundwork for this next step in my business. I've already recommended them to others."
"From our very first chat with Richard, it was clear he understood exactly what we needed to help the business grow. The whole project ran without a hitch, and any questions we had were answered quickly. The finished website has made a real difference to our marketing and lead generation. Big thanks again for the great work."
Like the sound of working together?
Tell me about your business and I will reply, usually the same day, with honest advice on the best way forward.