Nicola Hughes

Nicola Hughes

Head of SEO

Nicola is an experienced SEO strategist with a passion for driving organic growth and maximising visibility on the SERPs. With years of experience in technical SEO, e-commerce, and content strategy, she has helped brands improve their search performance and grow their online presence. As Head of SEO at TAL Agency, she works closely with clients to develop data-driven strategies that deliver results. Outside of work, Nicola enjoys spending time with her family, travelling to as many new places as possible and supporting Bolton Wanderers Football Club.

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Can you do SEO on Shopify?

Can you do SEO on Shopify?

Shopify gets a reputation in some circles for being bad for SEO, usually from people who have run into one…

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What is RAG in AI and why is it important for search?

What is RAG in AI and why is it important for search?

Every time an AI search tool gives you an answer with links to its sources, you are seeing RAG at…

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Semantic chunking: What it is and how it improves SEO

Semantic chunking: What it is and how it improves SEO

When an AI search tool answers a question, it does not read your web page the way a person does,…

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What is query fan-out and why does it matter for search?

What is query fan-out and why does it matter for search?

When you ask an AI search tool a question, it feels like a single search. You type one query, you…

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How to optimise your website for Google Lens

How to optimise your website for Google Lens

A growing share of the people searching for what you offer never type a word. They point a camera at…

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What are Google rich results and how to get them

What are Google rich results and how to get them

Picture two listings in Google’s search results. One is a plain blue link with a title and a line of…

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How to get mentioned in Google’s AI overviews

How to get mentioned in Google’s AI overviews

For a growing share of searches, the first thing people see is no longer a list of blue links. It…

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Google Search Console can finally show you whether you’re appearing in AI search

Google Search Console can finally show you whether you’re appearing in AI search

For two years now, most of us have been working with a frustrating blind spot. AI Overviews and AI Mode…

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How does schema help SEO?

How does schema help SEO?

Schema is one of those topics that sounds far more technical than it actually is. It gets mentioned a lot…

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What is alt text and how to use it for better SEO

What is alt text and how to use it for better SEO

Alt text is one of the smallest things you can add to a web page and one of the most…

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How to plan a website structure for SEO success

How to plan a website structure for SEO success

Most websites that struggle with SEO are not let down by their content or their backlinks. They are let down…

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How long does a website migration take?

How long does a website migration take?

It’s one of the first questions Nicola, our Head of SEO, gets asked when a client is planning to replatform,…

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What is YMYL in SEO and how does it impact your site?

What is YMYL in SEO and how does it impact your site?

If you work in or around SEO, you’ve probably come across the term YMYL. It gets mentioned a lot in…

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What is robots.txt and how does it affect SEO?

What is robots.txt and how does it affect SEO?

As Head of SEO at TAL, I often describe robots.txt as one of those technical SEO elements that gets overlooked…

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How to create a sitemap XML for your website

How to create a sitemap XML for your website

One of the foundational checks I carry out on every new client site is whether a properly configured XML sitemap…

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What is taxonomy in SEO and how to structure it properly

What is taxonomy in SEO and how to structure it properly

One of the areas I find myself coming back to on almost every e-commerce website audit is taxonomy. It is…

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How many ChatGPT searches are there per day?

How many ChatGPT searches are there per day?

Everyone’s talking about ChatGPT. But how many people are actually using it every day, and what does that mean for…

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How to find the sitemap of a website

How to find the sitemap of a website

Whether you are auditing your own site, looking into a competitor’s content strategy or troubleshooting an indexing issue, knowing how…

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What are impressions in Google Search Console?

What are impressions in Google Search Console?

If you’ve ever logged into Google Search Console and found yourself staring at a number labelled “impressions” without being entirely…

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Clicks vs sessions: What’s the difference?

Clicks vs sessions: What’s the difference?

When analysing SEO performance, one of the most common points of confusion is the difference between clicks and sessions. The…

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What is E-E-A-T in SEO and why it’s crucial for rankings

What is E-E-A-T in SEO and why it’s crucial for rankings

SEO has shifted. A lot. It’s not just about keywords, backlinks, or ticking technical boxes anymore. Those things still matter,…

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How many types of link building are there in SEO?

How many types of link building are there in SEO?

There’s been a lot of debate recently around whether links still matter. And they do… Just perhaps not in the…

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What are backlinks in SEO?

What are backlinks in SEO?

When it comes to SEO, visibility is everything. If your customers can’t find you on Google, you miss out on…

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Do Google Reviews Boost SEO? A Practical Guide for Businesses

Do Google Reviews Boost SEO? A Practical Guide for Businesses

Google Reviews play a major role in how customers judge your business, but they also influence how well you rank…

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Local SEO Marketing: What It Is and How It Helps Your Business

Local SEO Marketing: What It Is and How It Helps Your Business

Local SEO is an essential part of any search strategy, especially if your business relies on customers in specific towns,…

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Why your Google Search Console data looks different this week

Why your Google Search Console data looks different this week

If you have logged into Google Search Console this week and noticed big shifts in impressions or average position, you…

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How to do keyword research for SEO: A step-by-step guide

How to do keyword research for SEO: A step-by-step guide

Keyword research is one of the foundations of SEO. Put simply, it’s about understanding the words and phrases your customers…

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What are SEO keywords and why do they matter?

What are SEO keywords and why do they matter?

Billions of searches happen every day. People type questions, problems and product needs into a box and expect instant answers….

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What is Technical SEO?

What is Technical SEO?

In today’s digital world, your website is more than just a shop window; it’s your storefront, your office, and often…

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What is SEO? A complete beginner’s guide

What is SEO? A complete beginner’s guide

Imagine spending weeks perfecting your website, only to launch it, and…  No one visits it. It’s a common problem that…

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How to prioritise Technical SEO: When everything else feels important

How to prioritise Technical SEO: When everything else feels important

If you’ve ever looked at a technical SEO audit and felt completely overwhelmed, you’re not alone. For many in-house marketing…

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Google AI Mode has officially landed in the UK: Here’s what you need to know

Google AI Mode has officially landed in the UK: Here’s what you need to know

Google’s AI Mode has officially started rolling out in the UK, and it’s set to change how users interact with…

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How to use Crawl Stats in Google Search Console to optimise crawl budget

How to use Crawl Stats in Google Search Console to optimise crawl budget

There’s a heck of a lot of useful stuff in Google Search Console, but are you using it as much…

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