Digital business
Mark Blackhurst is a University of Staffordshire Graduate who has gone on to become the Co-Founder of Digital Next, a UK-based digital marketing agency specialising in AI SEO and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO). Mark has a long-standing background in SEO, PPC advertising, and data-led digital strategy which is the original foundation of the business.
In response to the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence across the marketing industry, Mark’s attention has turned to developing his team's skills in AI automation, AI content workflows, answer optimisation, semantic search, and AI-integrated SEO frameworks.
Digital Next works with major organisations such as Hörmann, Quantas, and One Click Plants, providing AI-supported SEO campaigns that enhance search visibility, improve rankings, and increase conversions. The agency collaborates with industry leaders, including Google Premier Partners and OpenAI technologies, to build scalable search solutions.
Mark's fundamental goal is to help companies prepare for a world where AI systems and answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI play an integral role in delivering information and promoting brands.
Law background
Mark, from Stockport, graduated with an LLB(Hons) in 2000 and gained his LPC (PGDL) in 2006. His Legal degrees have stood him in good stead for launching a business with his brother, Justin, who has a Business and marketing background. “We’ve both got different strengths,” Mark said, “so we bring different skills and knowledge to the business, which has been massively advantageous.”
“Having worked in law for a good while prior to launching Digital Next which was only possible because of what I learned at University of Staffordshire. Shortly after gaining my LPC, we realised the company was a viable proposition, and I went into it full-time. For anyone, I would definitely recommend law as an extremely good base for launching their own business. From the ground up, you need legal and administrative knowledge, along with a clear understanding of operations and regulations to best support your team and clients. I still use what I learned at University of Staffordshire and we have always been upskilling our own staff with that knowledge – it has been invaluable.”
One example was opening Digital Next’s Melbourne office in January 2014. Looking to capitalise on opportunities in Australia’s fast-growing internet sector, Mark and Justin bought an office in the country’s second-largest city. “The web is a rapidly advancing market over there,” Mark said, “so there are a lot of opportunities. Coming from a legal background, I was able to for example arrange permits for our British staff to work abroad, which has been extremely useful.”
Future growth
Digital Next’s UK head office is located in The Sharp Project, a thriving hub of digital media, TV, and film production companies on the outskirts of Manchester. More than 60 companies share the 200,000 sq ft business centre, with Digital Next being the second-largest on campus, behind sportswear retailer JD Sports. However, Mark certainly has no intention of slowing down.
“Having built a strong career in SEO and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) marketing, I have led Digital Next through a major shift toward AI-driven digital marketing. Over the past two years, we have invested heavily in advanced AI training to ensure our team is fully equipped for the future of SEO. This includes developing our skills in AI automation, AI content optimisation, generative AI, and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) — the next evolution of search. During COVID-19, which was, of course, another period of rapid change, we expanded our skills and strengthened our partnership as a Google Partner. These decisions helped us maintain operational resilience and continue delivering exceptional results for our clients.
Today, Digital Next is focused now upon becoming the UK’s number one or go-to AI SEO agency. We are very proud to represent leading companies in their fields as well as smaller, growth-aspirant, and ambitious businesses, helping them increase visibility, traffic, and long-term digital growth. Our approach to organic growth combines traditional SEO expertise with AI-powered search optimisation, ensuring our clients stay visible across both search engines and emerging AI search platforms. We work very closely with Google and OpenAI technologies to build future-proof solutions that support scalable business growth.
As AI transforms digital marketing, we remain committed to leading the way in modern online performance Marketing leading the field in AI SEO, AEO, and GEO, enabling organisations to navigate a new era of intelligent search and accelerated innovation.”
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