Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)
- FAQ, HowTo & Article schema
- Question-led content structure
- Featured snippet & AI Overview capture
- Concise, chunkable answers
- Speakable markup
Face-to-Face Available · Derby
PPC, AI Search & Technical SEO Consultancy · Derby
Commercial
Velocity.
In Derby.
Your agency manages the account but never thinks about your market. One senior operator owns PPC, AI search and technical SEO for mid-market businesses across Derbyshire, face-to-face in Derby, from audit to invoice, and builds the commercial edge that decides who dominates 2027.
Verified Infrastructure Partners
PPC Consultancy in Derby
The Derby PPC consultancy
The Derby PPC consultancy
built around profit.
Mid-market businesses in Derby keep encountering the same failure from local PPC agencies and SEO agencies: technically active accounts, commercially adrift results. Account managers rotate. Junior staff run the work. Nobody holds the full picture.
PPC means paid, auction-based advertising across Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Meta and LinkedIn, where the cost lands only on a click and is judged against profit rather than vanity metrics. The Crane Consultancy works as a senior-led PPC and SEO consultancy, not an agency, with one practitioner holding the entire Derby engagement: paid search, paid social, server-side tracking, technical SEO and the commercial logic tying them together. One test governs every decision: does this compound your profit?
Derby is one of the country's foremost advanced-engineering cities, anchored by aerospace and rail manufacturing operating at national and international scale. Its leading firms run long, highly technical sales cycles into specialist global markets, where a handful of expert buyers decide very large contracts. Reaching them has nothing to do with broad local reach.
Engineering sold into specialist international markets demands attribution tied to real contribution, not the surface numbers a complex, multi-year sale renders meaningless. Derby accounts are run on exactly that discipline, with measurement built to credit the channels that genuinely move a technical purchase rather than the click that happened to be last. That model, and the precise paid search and entity work that feeds it, is owned by one senior practitioner who understands the engineering buyer.
A handful of expert buyers decide Derby's largest aerospace and rail contracts, so the game is not volume, it is being the name the shortlist and the AI answer both return. What wins is authority: entity signals, structured proof and precise paid search aimed at the few who matter, rather than reach aimed at everyone who does not. One senior practitioner who understands the engineering buyer builds that, not a bench counting clicks.
AI Search Optimisation in Derby
Get named by the engines
Get named by the engines
in Derby.
Search in 2026 no longer ends at a list of blue links. Buyers in Derby now put their questions to Google AI Overviews, to ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot, and act on a single synthesised answer. If your business is not named in that answer, a competitor is.
Whether a model can read your business, trust it and cite it is decided by structure, not word count. The work divides in two: Answer Engine Optimisation, AEO, for the direct answer and the AI Overview, and Generative Engine Optimisation, GEO, for the authority signals behind a recommendation. Most Derby sites fail on the basics, with weak entities, absent schema and content that reads to a model as plain text.
This is built, not written. The work is a coherent entity graph, structured data, machine-readable content, an llms.txt discovery file and the Core Web Vitals and crawl hygiene underneath it, all so the model finds you, parses you and quotes you. For a Derby business, it is the difference between being the answer and being absent from it.
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)
- Entity graph & knowledge signals
- E-E-A-T & verified authorship
- Citation likelihood
- Brand sentiment & share of voice
- Consistent NAP & identifiers
Machine-Readable Foundations
- Schema.org structured data
- Open Graph & card integrity
- llms.txt & semantic HTML
- Core Web Vitals
- Crawl-budget & indexation hygiene
SEO Consultancy in Derby
SEO that serves profit
SEO that serves profit
for Derby businesses.
A first-page ranking that sells nothing is a cost, not a result. Derby technical SEO is built around revenue: site health, server-side measurement and conversion architecture that strengthen the paid-media stack rather than compete with it for credit.
Paid Media
- Google Search & Shopping
- Microsoft Advertising
- Meta (Facebook & Instagram)
- LinkedIn B2B Acquisition
- YouTube & Display
- Amazon Performance Ads
Technical SEO
- Technical Site Audits
- Core Web Vitals
- Schema & Structured Data
- Crawlability & Indexation
- AI Crawl Readiness
- On-Page Optimisation
Commercial Intelligence
- Server-Side Tracking
- Attribution Modelling
- Conversion Rate Optimisation
- Advanced Data Analytics
- Bespoke Reporting
Data & Automation in Derby
Turn Derby data
Turn Derby data
into decisions.
In most Derby businesses the data goes half-used and the manual work goes unquestioned. The practice closes both gaps.
Beneath the media sits the layer that makes it accountable: measurement you can trust, dashboards built on profit rather than vanity, and automation that strips out the manual work draining the week. In a Derby business, practical AI earns its place only where it adds a real edge, from Claude and Gemini to bespoke internal tools, never as novelty.
Analytics & Measurement
- GA4 & Server-Side Tracking
- Consent Mode v2
- Attribution Modelling
- Revenue & Pipeline Dashboards
- Conversion Rate Optimisation
Automation & Integration
- Workflow & Task Automation
- CRM Integration (Zoho, HubSpot)
- API & Systems Connection
- Spreadsheet & Reporting Automation
- Lead Routing & Sync
AI in the Business
- AI Workflow Integration
- Claude & Gemini Deployment
- Document & Content Automation
- Custom Internal Tools
- Practical AI Adoption
Derby Sector Experience
PPC and SEO for Derby
PPC and SEO for Derby
across every sector.
Beyond Rolls-Royce and the rail works, Pride Park and Infinity Park host the engineering supply chain, with the Toyota plant out toward Burnaston.
The practice works with mid-market businesses in Derby and Derbyshire across the following sectors. The practice accepts B2B lead-generation, B2C and full omnichannel e-commerce work.
Aerospace and rail manufacturing at international scale, where a handful of expert buyers decide very large contracts and authority outranks reach.
Aerospace
- Paid Search & Shopping
- Paid Social
- Technical SEO
- Server-Side Tracking
Manufacturing
- Paid Search & Shopping
- Paid Social
- Technical SEO
- Server-Side Tracking
Retail
- Paid Search & Shopping
- Paid Social
- Technical SEO
- Server-Side Tracking
Engineering
- Paid Search & Shopping
- Paid Social
- Technical SEO
- Server-Side Tracking
Historical Execution
Proven at global scale.
Proven at global scale.
Applied in Derby.
The founder's track record includes the global digital transformation of LUSH Cosmetics across sixteen markets, and the same forensic discipline he brought to it is applied to every Derby engagement, regardless of size.
One practitioner.
Every channel. Every week.
Nic Crane · Founder
A decade engineering profit at scale.
Architect of the LUSH Cosmetics global digital transformation across sixteen markets, recognised by Welocalize as Best Global Client Team. Former Paid Media Enablement and Commerce Lead at Adapt and Head of Paid Media at Navigate, leading programmes across attraction, conservation and tourism portfolios. The track record spans B2C and B2B, from global retail to lead generation and full omnichannel e-commerce.
Most recently engaged as Digital Data and Analytics lead through the Everywhen brand launch, securing data integrity across a migration spanning Towergate Insurance and forty other brands. A power user of HTML, CSS, JavaScript and GTM, now applying that technical depth to AI search optimisation: structured data, entity signals and the machine readability that decides visibility in Google AI Overviews and answer engines. Meta Certified Media Buying Professional. Google Partner. Amazon Ads Partner.
The practice is based in Bath and Bristol and travels to Derby and across Derbyshire for face-to-face client sessions.
The senior mind that wins the work is the senior mind that does the work.
PPC Agency vs PPC Consultancy in Derby
Why Derby businesses leave
Why Derby businesses leave
PPC agencies for senior consultancy.
The typical Derby PPC agency and SEO agency model has a structural flaw: the senior practitioner who wins the pitch is not the person who runs the account. A junior sits between your budget and the expertise you contracted.
The Crane Consultancy travels to Derby for face-to-face sessions when the engagement calls for it. But proximity is never used as a substitute for expertise. Forensic data, disciplined capital deployment and a single undivided senior mind holding the Derby account are what drive results. At roughly 113 miles from the practice's base in Bath and Bristol, Derby sits comfortably within reach for face-to-face sessions whenever they add value.
Operating Standards
What every Derby engagement
What every Derby engagement
guarantees.
Four standing commitments separate this from the agency model most boards have contracted before.
i.
You own everything.
Every ad account, tag manager, analytics property and dashboard sits under your ownership. Always. We do not gatekeep your data.
ii.
No bait-and-switch.
The senior named on the proposal is the senior who does the work. No handover to a junior. No silent reassignment after the contract signs.
iii.
Live, not laminated.
Performance dashboards updated frequently. No vanity PDFs assembled the night before a quarterly review.
iv.
Direct line to the founder.
WhatsApp access to Nicholas, not a ticket queue. Ask the difficult question on a Sunday if you need to.
Results first.
The reviews follow.
Nic manages our PPC campaigns with professionalism and expertise. He takes the time to understand our business, its objectives and the challenges we face, and is proactive in identifying opportunities to maximise results and return on investment.
Nic helped fill in the missing pieces on a complex data, attribution and privacy project, unearthing a series of unknown issues in the data stack and laying out a plan to remedy them that rolled out successfully. I would recommend Nic and The Crane Consultancy for their technical expertise and thorough understanding.
I have worked with Nic for several years and his attention to detail is second to none. He is extremely knowledgeable and very attentive, offering solutions and proactive in his suggestions.
Nic is an expert in his field, offering insight and reporting with real value, tailored to our needs.
In the two months since starting to work with Nic, I have been so impressed by his technical understanding across analytics and digital advertising. He has completely overhauled our data so we can see in detail what is happening and make better decisions, and reviewed all of our existing campaigns, which are already performing better. I cannot recommend Nic highly enough.
Questions from Derby Businesses
PPC and SEO in Derby:
PPC and SEO in Derby:
common questions.
Are you a PPC agency or PPC consultancy in Derby?
The Crane Consultancy is a senior-led PPC and SEO consultancy, not a traditional PPC agency. The structural difference matters: one senior practitioner holds every Derby engagement from audit through to ongoing optimisation. There are no junior account managers, no team rotations and no handover documents. You work directly with the founder, Nicholas Crane, throughout the engagement.
Do you offer face-to-face PPC and SEO consultancy in Derby?
Yes. The practice travels to Derby and across Derbyshire for face-to-face client sessions. All Derby engagements include full remote capability as standard: direct WhatsApp access to the founder, live performance dashboards and video sessions.
What makes The Crane Consultancy different from a Derby PPC agency?
Most Derby PPC agencies and SEO agencies operate the same model: a senior practitioner wins the pitch, junior staff run the account. The Crane Consultancy removes that structure entirely. One senior practitioner, with a track record including the global digital transformation of LUSH Cosmetics across sixteen markets, holds every Derby engagement. The person who audits the account is the person optimising bids, reviewing technical SEO and reporting to the board every week.
What PPC and SEO services does The Crane Consultancy offer in Derby?
PPC runs across Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Meta, LinkedIn, YouTube and Amazon, alongside AI search optimisation, technical SEO and a full data and automation layer: GA4 and server-side tracking, Consent Mode v2, marketing and revenue dashboards, CRM integration, attribution modelling, conversion rate optimisation and AI-assisted automation. One senior practitioner delivers all of it to Derby businesses, tied to a single profitability model rather than split into channel siloes.
Can you help my Derby business appear in AI search and Google AI Overviews?
Yes. This is a core part of the practice. Buyers in Derby increasingly ask Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot for recommendations and act on a single synthesised answer. The Crane Consultancy builds the technical foundations that let those systems read, trust and cite your business: structured data and schema, a coherent entity graph, machine-readable content, an llms.txt discovery file and fast Core Web Vitals. This is the discipline of AI search optimisation, made up of Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO).
What is AI search optimisation, and how is it different from SEO?
Traditional SEO wins rankings in a list of links; AI search optimisation wins visibility inside AI-generated answers, in Google AI Overviews and in models like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. It splits into Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), which earns the direct answer, and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), the entity and authority signals that get you recommended by name. For Derby businesses it is technical architecture, not a content mill, and it runs alongside PPC and technical SEO in every engagement.
Can you help my Derby business with analytics, automation and AI?
Yes. Beneath paid media and search sits the data and automation layer: GA4 and server-side tracking, Consent Mode v2, marketing and revenue dashboards, CRM integration and automation that clears manual work. Where it adds a real edge, practical AI goes to work inside the Derby business, from Claude and Gemini to bespoke internal tools. The aim never changes: better decisions, made faster, on numbers you can trust.
Beyond Derby
Senior PPC, AI Search & Technical SEO consultancy
Senior PPC, AI Search & Technical SEO consultancy
beyond Derby.
Derby sits within a wider region the practice serves both in person and remotely. If your business is closer to one of the following, the same senior-led PPC, AI search and SEO consultancy applies there too.
PPC, AI Search & Technical SEO Consultancy in Nottingham
Nottinghamshire · 13 miPPC, AI Search & Technical SEO Consultancy in Chesterfield
Derbyshire · 22 miPPC, AI Search & Technical SEO Consultancy in Leicester
Leicestershire · 24 miPPC, AI Search & Technical SEO Consultancy in Stoke-on-Trent
Staffordshire · 30 miPPC, AI Search & Technical SEO Consultancy in Sheffield
South Yorkshire · 32 miPPC, AI Search & Technical SEO Consultancy in Birmingham
West Midlands · 35 mi
About The Crane Consultancy in Derby
The facts, plainly stated.
The Crane Consultancy provides senior-led PPC, AI search optimisation and technical SEO consultancy to mid-market businesses in Derby, Derbyshire. It is a trading name of Crane Consultancy Limited, registered at Companies House under number 15526285, VAT number GB466677439, founded in 2024. The practice operates from Bath and Bristol, with a registered office at 45 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London W1S 4JL. It travels to Derby for face-to-face sessions and delivers the rest remotely.
Every Derby engagement is held by one senior practitioner, the founder Nicholas Crane, from audit to invoice, with no account manager rotations and no junior handovers. Services include PPC across Google, Microsoft, Meta, LinkedIn, YouTube and Amazon; technical SEO; Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) for visibility in Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot; server-side tracking; and conversion rate optimisation. Nicholas Crane is a Google Partner, Stape Partner and Amazon Ads Partner, and led the LUSH Cosmetics global digital transformation across sixteen markets.
Derby Mandates
Start with a conversation.
A proper conversation with the person who would do the work. Tell me where you are and what you're weighing up, and you'll get an honest read on what I'd change, what I'd leave alone, and where the real upside is. No pitch, no rush.
Speak with NicPrefer to write? Leave a note and I'll come back to you within a working day.