Start with the commercial objective
Wigan businesses can have a very different customer radius from firms closer to central Manchester. A useful local strategy should reflect whether the business mainly serves the borough, nearby towns or a broader North West market rather than forcing Manchester language into every campaign.
Before requesting proposals, decide which enquiries, services or customer segments matter most. That gives every agency the same brief and makes generic packages easier to challenge.
Compare proposals line by line
| Compare | Ask before signing |
|---|---|
| Commercial objective | Which outcome is this service expected to improve first? |
| Local targeting | How will Wigan town centre, Leigh, Atherton, Hindley, Standish and surrounding parts of the borough fit into the strategy? |
| Implementation | Which website, campaign or account changes will the agency make directly? |
| Tracking | How will calls, forms, bookings or qualified leads be measured? |
| Ownership | Who owns accounts, data and creative assets after cancellation? |
| Reporting | Which numbers will change actual decisions each month? |
Make Wigan earn its place in the plan
A business focused on Wigan town centre, Leigh, Atherton, Hindley, Standish and surrounding parts of the borough may need a different structure from one serving all of Greater Manchester. The provider should explain why each local page, campaign or targeting choice exists.
Challenge the service-specific assumption
The agency should explain where localisation stops. Strong local SEO is selective about location pages rather than trying to rank for every nearby place.
Ask what the agency will actually implement
Recommendations are not execution. Clarify what the agency changes directly, what depends on your team, and what needs another supplier. This matters when the work touches the website, analytics, advertising accounts or CRM.
Protect ownership and access
Your business should understand who owns the website, ad accounts, analytics properties, social profiles, creative files, CRM data and third-party subscriptions. Agree what happens to access if you change supplier.
Demand useful reporting
Reporting should connect activity to the action the business values, such as qualified calls, quote requests, consultations, bookings or sales. Local visibility is useful only when it supports a customer journey.
Make the agency prioritise searches by commercial value
Ask the SEO provider to show the first group of Wigan-related searches it would target and why those terms matter to revenue. If your catchment includes Wigan town centre, Leigh, Atherton, Hindley and Standish, the strategy should distinguish between searches with enough local intent to justify a dedicated page and terms better served by a broader service page. This gives you a clearer view of whether the retainer is built around business opportunity or around producing as much content as possible.
What should the first 90 days show?
The provider should state what it will audit, what it will change first, which commercial pages or campaigns receive priority, how tracking will be checked and what evidence would justify expanding the scope.
Compare Kydos with your Wigan shortlist
Kydos is Manchester-based and works across Greater Manchester.
SEO Agency WiganFrequently asked questions
Should I choose a Wigan-based agency?
Local presence can help with context, but capability, implementation and commercial fit should decide the shortlist. Kydos is Manchester-based and works across Greater Manchester.
What should I send when asking for a proposal?
Share your current website or accounts, priority services, the areas you genuinely serve, your main conversion action and any existing tracking or CRM setup.
How do I compare two proposals?
Compare scope, implementation responsibility, ownership, reporting, exclusions, contract terms and the outcomes each provider is expected to improve.
Should the strategy target only Wigan?
Not necessarily. Target geography should match where the business can realistically serve customers.
What is a warning sign before signing?
A provider uses the location heavily in the proposal but cannot explain what actually changes in the strategy because of that geography.
Can I compare Kydos before booking a call?
Yes. Kydos publishes core service and pricing information so you can judge fit and scope before enquiring.