UK Marketing Statistics [2027]

LOCALiQ’s 2027 UK State of Marketing Report surveyed hundreds of businesses across the UK, exploring trending marketing topics, challenges, budgets, and marketing goals.

Below are all the statistics from the latest report. Whether you’re curious about satisfaction levels, strategic priorities, technology adoption, or budgets, you’ll find it all here.

Feel free to use and share our stats using the following attribution: LOCALiQ UK State of Digital Marketing Report 2027

On this page:

Marketing satisfaction stats
Marketing challenges & skills gaps stats
Marketing priorities & measurement stats
Marketing platform stats
Paid advertising & PPC stats
SEO & AI Search stats
Website marketing stats
Content marketing stats
AI in Marketing stats
Marketing budgets stats & 2027 plans

Marketing satisfaction statistics

Are UK businesses satisfied with their marketing performance?

Respondents rated their overall marketing performance satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 4 stars.

1 Star (Very Dissatisfied): 4% of marketing professionals rated their overall marketing performance satisfaction at this level.
2 Stars (Dissatisfied): 10% of marketing professionals rated their overall marketing performance satisfaction at this level.
3 Stars (Neutral): 54% of marketing professionals rated their overall marketing performance satisfaction at this level.
4 Stars (Satisfied): 32% of marketing professionals rated their overall marketing performance satisfaction at this level.

Average Satisfaction Rating: The average marketing performance satisfaction rating among respondents was 3.1 out of 4 stars.

Marketing satisfaction across different marketing areas

Respondents were asked whether they are satisfied with their performance in each area. “Not applicable” means the area isn’t part of their marketing.

Social Media Advertising: 70% are satisfied with their performance, while 20% are not satisfied and 9% marked it as not applicable.
Cross-channel Marketing: 52% are satisfied with their performance, while 21% are not satisfied and 26% marked it as not applicable.
E-Commerce: 28% are satisfied with their performance, while 17% are not satisfied and 55% marked it as not applicable.
Marketing Measurement: 52% are satisfied with their performance, while 36% are not satisfied and 12% marked it as not applicable.
Customer Response Management: 52% are satisfied with their performance, while 27% are not satisfied and 21% marked it as not applicable.
Content Marketing: 70% are satisfied with their performance, while 22% are not satisfied and 8% marked it as not applicable.
Brand Building: 63% are satisfied with their performance, while 30% are not satisfied and 7% marked it as not applicable.
Events: 59% are satisfied with their performance, while 21% are not satisfied and 20% marked it as not applicable.
Public Relations: 64% are satisfied with their performance, while 24% are not satisfied and 13% marked it as not applicable.
Marketing Automation: 31% are satisfied with their performance, while 41% are not satisfied and 28% marked it as not applicable.
Digital Strategy: 59% are satisfied with their performance, while 28% are not satisfied and 13% marked it as not applicable.
Organic Social Media Marketing: 69% are satisfied with their performance, while 21% are not satisfied and 10% marked it as not applicable.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation): 56% are satisfied with their performance, while 35% are not satisfied and 10% marked it as not applicable.
Paid Search (PPC): 36% are satisfied with their performance, while 25% are not satisfied and 39% marked it as not applicable.
Website Marketing: 68% are satisfied with their performance, while 24% are not satisfied and 8% marked it as not applicable.
Video Marketing: 43% are satisfied with their performance, while 27% are not satisfied and 30% marked it as not applicable.

How do UK businesses feel about marketing this year?

82% feel marketing has become more challenging in the past 12 months,
68% are more confident in their marketing strategy this year compared to last year.
57% believe they can track marketing performance more efficiently than last year.
62% feel overwhelmed by the pace of change in marketing.
67% feel overwhelmed by the volume of conflicting opinions on emerging marketing trends.
80% say the pace of change has made them question approaches that previously worked well.
74% feel confident in their ability to adapt their strategy as marketing continues to evolve.

Marketing challenges & skills gaps statistics

The biggest challenges in digital marketing for 2027

Respondents selected up to five challenges, so percentages add up to more than 100%.

57% identified inadequate budget as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
48% identified lack of internal resources as one of their biggest challenges to their digital marketing efforts.
48% identified lack of time/time-management as one of their biggest challenges to their digital marketing efforts.
42% identified keeping up with new trends as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
41% identified increasing competition as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
35% identified being unable to prove ROI as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
27% identified accessing and leveraging customer data from multiple channels and data sources as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
26% identified understanding user intent for better conversions as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
26% identified a lack of an effective strategy as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
25% identified understanding and defining their target audience as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
22% identified unclear data from analytics as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
20% identified sales and marketing alignment issues as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
18% identified challenges with idea generation as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
17% identified a lack of training and experience as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
14% identified coordination across marketing channels (email, social, display, etc.) as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
13% identified lacking marketing software as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
12% identified channel attribution as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.
9% identified a lack of innovation and creativity as one of their biggest challenges to digital marketing success.

Which marketing areas would UK businesses look to improve first?

Respondents could select more than one area, so percentages add up to more than 100%.

48% would look to improve SEO & AI Search Visibility first.
39% would look to improve Social Media Marketing first.
35% would look to improve Campaign Strategy & Planning first.
34% would look to improve AI in Marketing first
32% would look to improve Data & Analytics first.
28% would look to improve Paid Search (PPC) first.
25% would look to improve Content Marketing first.
25% would look to improve Website Design & Management first.
25% would look to improve Video Marketing first.
24% would look to improve Email Marketing first.
18% would look to improve Digital PR first.
17% would look to improve Budget Management first.
13% would look to improve Branding & Design first.

Marketing priorities & measurement statistics

Which digital marketing initiatives are the top priorities for UK businesses in 2027?

Respondents selected their top three priorities, so percentages add up to more than 100%.

Increasing sales revenue: 57% identified this as one of their three priorities this year.
Increasing customer engagement: 56% identified this as one of their three priorities this year.
Increasing brand awareness: 45% identified this as one of their three priorities this year.
Reaching new customer segments: 41% identified this as one of their three priorities this year.
Increasing leads for the sales team: 30% identified this as one of their three priorities this year.
Adapting to changing data and technology standards: 26% identified this as one of their three priorities this year.
Reducing costs: 16% identified this as one of their three priorities this year.
Improving marketing automation: 16% identified this as one of their three priorities this year.
Improving marketing and sales alignment: 13% identified this as one of their three priorities this year.

When analysing their marketing performance, which is the favoured metric for UK businesses?

Sales: 25% find this to be the most valuable metric when measuring the effectiveness of their marketing strategy.
High Conversion Rates: 16% find this to be the most valuable metric when measuring the effectiveness of their marketing strategy.
Lead Generation:16% find this to be the most valuable metric when measuring the effectiveness of their marketing strategy.
Website Traffic: 15% find this to be the most valuable metric when measuring the effectiveness of their marketing strategy.
Social Media Engagement: 11% find this to be the most valuable metric when measuring the effectiveness of their marketing strategy.
ROI: 10% find this to be the most valuable metric when measuring the effectiveness of their marketing strategy.
Increased Brand Awareness: 4% find this to be the most valuable metric when measuring the effectiveness of their marketing strategy.
Other: 1% find this to be the most valuable metric when measuring the effectiveness of their marketing strategy.

Marketing platform statistics

Which marketing platforms are currently used by UK businesses?

Facebook: 35% use organic only, while 17% use paid advertising only, 34% use both organic and paid advertising and 13% do not use Facebook.
Instagram: 40% use organic only, while 12% use paid advertising only, 32% use both organic and paid advertising and 16% do not use Instagram.
LinkedIn: 51% use organic only, while 9% use paid advertising only, 17% use both organic and paid advertising and 24% do not use LinkedIn.
Snapchat: 15% use organic only, while 2% use paid advertising only, 5% use both organic and paid advertising and 77% do not use Snapchat.
TikTok: 16% use organic only, while 12% use paid advertising only, 12% use both organic and paid advertising and 60% do not use TikTok.
X: 26% use organic only, while 15% use paid advertising only, 3% use both organic and paid advertising and 56% do not use X (Twitter).
YouTube: 39% use organic only, while 9% use paid advertising only, 12% use both organic and paid advertising and 41% do not use YouTube.
Google: 45% use organic only, while 15% use paid advertising only, 27% use both organic and paid advertising and 13% do not use Google.
Bing: 20% use organic only, while 11% use paid advertising only, 13% use both organic and paid advertising and 56% do not use Bing.
Threads: 12% use organic only, while 5% use paid advertising only, 10% use both organic and paid advertising and 73% do not use Threads.
Other: 11% use organic only, while 8% use paid advertising only, 9% use both organic and paid advertising and 73% do not use other platforms.

Paid advertising & PPC statistics

Which marketing platform do UK businesses invest in the most for paid ads?

Facebook: 31% invest in Facebook the most for their paid ads.
N/A: 18% selected “N/A” for the platform they invest in the most for their paid ads.
Instagram: 12% invest in Instagram the most for their paid ads.
Google Ads: 12% invest in Google Ads the most for their paid ads.
LinkedIn: 10% invest in LinkedIn the most for their paid ads.
Other: 6% invest in Other the most for their paid ads.
YouTube: 3% invest in YouTube the most for their paid ads.
X: 3% invest in X the most for their paid ads.
TikTok: 3% invest in TikTok the most for their paid ads.
Pinterest: 1% invest in Pinterest the most for their paid ads.
Snapchat: 0% invest in Snapchat the most for their paid ads.
Microsoft Ads (Bing): 0% invest in Microsoft Ads (Bing) the most for their paid ads.

Which marketing platform yields the highest ROAS for UK businesses?

Facebook: 32% see the best ROAS from Facebook.
Google Ads: 14% see the best ROAS from Google Ads.
Instagram: 13% see the best ROAS from Instagram.
LinkedIn: 12% see the best ROAS from LinkedIn.
N/A: 8% selected “N/A” for the platform with the best ROAS.
X: 5% see the best ROAS from X.
TikTok: 5% see the best ROAS from TikTok.
Other: 5% see the best ROAS from Other.
YouTube: 3% see the best ROAS from YouTube.
Pinterest: 1% see the best ROAS from Pinterest.
Snapchat: 1% see the best ROAS from Snapchat.
Microsoft Ads (Bing): 0% see the best ROAS from Microsoft Ads (Bing).

UK businesses’ insights on their paid search (PPC) strategy

45% have seen an increase in CPC in their ads in the past 12 months.
25% have seen a decrease in CTR in their ads in the past 12 months.
16% have started advertising on Microsoft Ads in the past 12 months.
45% have seen an increase in the number of leads in the past 12 months.
59% prioritise quality of leads over volume of leads, while 9% disagree.

SEO & AI Search trends

How many UK businesses use an SEO strategy in 2027?

54% reported their business has an SEO strategy.
46% reported their business does not have an SEO strategy.

Top SEO marketing tactics used by UK businesses

Percentages show the share of businesses that have an SEO strategy.

68% are optimising for AI-generated results (e.g. Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini).
50% are strengthening internal linking across the site.
48% are using structured data, schema and technical SEO to improve visibility.
48% are optimising and updating existing pages (titles, content, structure).
42% are creating FAQs and conversational content for AI and search.
42% are improving website speed and Core Web Vitals.
40% are publishing expert-led, first-hand experience content (E-E-A-T).
38% are implementing local SEO (Google Business Profile, citations, reviews).
28% are creating video or visual content optimised for search.
18% are analysing competitor SEO strategies.
14% are earning backlinks through Digital PR or guest blogging.

SEO metrics used by UK businesses

Respondents chose the three most important metrics they use to measure SEO performance, so percentages add up to more than 100%.

63%: Organic website traffic (visits from search engines).
50%: Keyword rankings (positions in Google search results).
43%: Search impressions (how often your site appears in results).
41%: Click-through rate (CTR) from search results.
35%: Leads generated from organic search.
20%: Conversion rate from organic traffic.
17%: Google Business Profile views, calls or direction requests.
13%: Appearing in Google AI Overviews or featured snippets.
7%: I don’t currently measure my SEO performance.
4%: Bounce rate / time spent on page.
4%: Mentions or citations in AI search tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Perplexity).
2%: Core Web Vitals & page speed scores.

UK businesses’ approach to SEO and AI search

Based on businesses with an SEO strategy.

79% actively track how their brand appears across AI search experiences, not just traditional organic results.
68% keep track of major Google updates and know which have affected their performance.
89% actively consider how AI search will present and summarise their content.
91% feel confident their content demonstrates real expertise and first-hand experience.
71% are confident they’re producing content competitors couldn’t easily replicate.
64% have adapted their SEO strategy for more searches ending without a click.
87% understand that meaningful organic gains typically take 3–6 months and set expectations accordingly.

Are UK businesses updating their SEO strategy to accommodate AI?

Based on businesses with an SEO strategy.

84% have adapted their SEO strategy to reflect AI-driven changes in search.
16% have not adapted their SEO strategy.

What is the biggest blocker to investing in SEO?

Budget: 54% say this is the biggest blocker to investing in SEO.
Understanding: 29% say this is the biggest blocker to investing in SEO.
Internal Resource: 12% say this is the biggest blocker to investing in SEO.
Difficulty Proving ROI: 5% say this is the biggest blocker to investing in SEO.
Past Bad Experience: 0% say this is the biggest blocker to investing in SEO.

Website marketing statistics

How regularly do UK businesses test or change their website?

31%: Occasionally.
27%: Continuously.
17%: Every few months.
16%: Monthly.
6%: Never.
2%:Do not have a website.

What role does the website play in UK businesses marketing strategy?

30%: Say their website is mainly an online brochure or information hub.
34%: Say their website is one of several channels that generate leads or sales.
22%: Say their website is a primary driver of leads or sales.
10%: Say their website is not currently a significant part of our strategy.
4%: Are not sure.

Content marketing statistics

Content marketing strategy

90% use content marketing as part of their current strategy.
10% do not use content marketing as part of their current strategy.

Most used content formats by UK businesses

Percentages show the share of businesses that use content marketing.

Images: 76% use images as part of their content strategy.
Short-form Video: 54% use short-form video as part of their content strategy.
Blogs: 43% use blogs as part of their content strategy.
Newsletters: 38% use newsletters as part of their content strategy.
Case Studies: 37% use case studies as part of their content strategy.
Infographics: 30% use infographics as part of their content strategy.
Long-form Video: 19% use long-form video as part of their content strategy.
Podcasts: 15% use podcasts as part of their content strategy.
Webinars: 14% use webinars as part of their content strategy.

AI in marketing statistics

Use of AI in marketing

60% are currently utilising AI in their marketing strategy.
20% are not currently utilising AI in their marketing strategy.
10% are not currently utilising AI, but will use AI in their marketing strategy in the future.
11% are not utilising AI and have no plans to.

AI usage across various marketing categories

Written content creation: 91% are currently using AI, 6% plan to use it in future and 2% are not using it.
Content for SEO: 71% are currently using AI, 23% plan to use it in future and 6% are not using it.
Social media content & captions: 82% are currently using AI, 9% plan to use it in future and 9% are not using it.
Email copy & subject lines: 64% are currently using AI, 20% plan to use it in future and 16% are not using it.
Ad copy & paid advertising creative: 36% are currently using AI, 27% plan to use it in future and 38% are not using it.
Sales & call scripts: 33% are currently using AI, 29% plan to use it in future and 38% are not using it.
Image generation: 54% are currently using AI, 13% plan to use it in future and 33% are not using it.
Video generation/editing: 36% are currently using AI, 27% plan to use it in future and 38% are not using it.
Audio & podcast production: 24% are currently using AI, 18% plan to use it in future and 58% are not using it.
Campaign optimisation: 48% are currently using AI, 20% plan to use it in future and 32% are not using it.
Data analysis & reporting: 52% are currently using AI, 30% plan to use it in future and 17% are not using it.
Competitor research & market analysis: 59% are currently using AI, 24% plan to use it in future and 17% are not using it.
Marketing automation & workflows: 48% are currently using AI, 25% plan to use it in future and 27% are not using it.
Customer service & chatbots: 38% are currently using AI, 27% plan to use it in future and 36% are not using it.
CRM management & lead scoring: 31% are currently using AI, 27% plan to use it in future and 42% are not using it.

Advantages of AI in business

Percentages show the share of businesses using AI. Respondents could select more than one benefit.

62% feel that AI has helped their business with increasing the volume of marketing output.
62% feel that AI has helped their business with idea generation.
47% feel that AI has helped their business with bridging skill gaps.
44% feel that AI has helped their business with reducing costs.
42% feel that AI has helped their business with improving the quality of marketing output.
33% feel that AI has helped their business with reaching marketing goals quicker.
18% feel that AI has helped their business with supporting revenue generation or improving sales performance.

Why do some businesses avoid AI?

49% of those not utilising AI don’t understand the technology enough to comfortably use it.
30% of those not utilising AI feel AI usage doesn’t align with their business’s values.
11% of those not utilising AI don’t fully trust the technology.
11% of those not utilising AI don’t feel they’d benefit from using it.

Expected impact of AI on marketing teams/roles

29% said their team size has increased due to AI.
33% said their team size has reduced due to AI.
62% said their job role has changed due to AI.
56% said their career path looks different due to AI.
55% said they feel marketing salaries are now lower due to AI.
53% said they feel less confident about long-term career progression in marketing.
53% said their current role could be partially or fully automated by AI.
55% said they believe the marketing job market is tougher thanks to AI.

How many UK businesses trust AI?

Based on businesses using AI.

80% trust AI more than they did last year.
20% trust AI less than they did last year.

UK businesses’ general thoughts on AI

45% agreed that AI-generated content fairly credits its original sources.
70% agreed that there should be more regulation to protect business content from being used to inform AI-generated content.
59% agreed that AI-generated content can negatively affect brand authenticity.
74% agreed that consumers can tell when AI has been used to generate content.
27% agreed they actively avoid using AI-generated content.
60% agreed they are concerned about over-reliance on AI-generated content.
44% agreed they have an internal policy around the use of AI tools.
22% agreed they think the AI bubble will likely burst soon.
56% agreed they use Google’s AI Mode more than traditional Google search.

Marketing budgets & 2027 plans

Planned advertising spending in 2027

Facebook: 31% plan to increase spending on Facebook, while 5% plan to decrease it, 34% will maintain spending, 22% say it doesn’t apply, and 8% are unsure.
Instagram: 20% plan to increase spending on Instagram, while 11% plan to decrease it, 31% will maintain spending, 29% say it doesn’t apply, and 10% are unsure.
YouTube: 19% plan to increase spending on YouTube, while 7% plan to decrease it, 17% will maintain spending, 51% say it doesn’t apply, and 7% are unsure.
X: 12% plan to increase spending on X, while 6% plan to decrease it, 11% will maintain spending, 64% say it doesn’t apply, and 7% are unsure.
TikTok: 22% plan to increase spending on TikTok, while 4% plan to decrease it, 8% will maintain spending, 58% say it doesn’t apply, and 8% are unsure.
LinkedIn: 23% plan to increase spending on LinkedIn, while 6% plan to decrease it, 17% will maintain spending, 41% say it doesn’t apply, and 13% are unsure.
Pinterest: 10% plan to increase spending on Pinterest, while 7% plan to decrease it, 8% will maintain spending, 71% say it doesn’t apply, and 4% are unsure.
Snapchat: 9% plan to increase spending on Snapchat, while 4% plan to decrease it, 9% will maintain spending, 73% say it doesn’t apply, and 4% are unsure.
Google: 31% plan to increase spending on Google, while 9% plan to decrease it, 27% will maintain spending, 22% say it doesn’t apply, and 11% are unsure.
Bing: 17% plan to increase spending on Bing, while 3% plan to decrease it, 13% will maintain spending, 56% say it doesn’t apply, and 10% are unsure.
ChatGPT: 19% plan to increase spending on ChatGPT, while 7% plan to decrease it, 11% will maintain spending, 44% say it doesn’t apply, and 19% are unsure.

Planned efforts for each marketing channel

Organic Social Media: 47% of marketing professionals plan to grow their efforts, 47% plan to maintain them, 2% plan to reduce them, and 3% say it is not applicable to their strategy.
Paid Social Media Advertising: 38% of marketing professionals plan to grow their efforts, 39% plan to maintain them, 8% plan to reduce them, and 16% say it is not applicable to their strategy.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation): 56% of marketing professionals plan to grow their efforts, 26% plan to maintain them, 8% plan to reduce them, and 11% say it is not applicable to their strategy.
PPC: 34% of marketing professionals plan to grow their efforts, 33% plan to maintain them, 5% plan to reduce them, and 27% say it is not applicable to their strategy.
Content Marketing: 54% of marketing professionals plan to grow their efforts, 28% plan to maintain them, 8% plan to reduce them, and 11% say it is not applicable to their strategy.
Website Upgrades/Maintenance: 54% of marketing professionals plan to grow their efforts, 34% plan to maintain them, 5% plan to reduce them, and 6% say it is not applicable to their strategy.
Display Advertising: 30% of marketing professionals plan to grow their efforts, 41% plan to maintain them, 9% plan to reduce them, and 20% say it is not applicable to their strategy.
Online Directories/Listings: 29% of marketing professionals plan to grow their efforts, 42% plan to maintain them, 5% plan to reduce them, and 24% say it is not applicable to their strategy.
Print Advertising: 25% of marketing professionals plan to grow their efforts, 40% plan to maintain them, 19% plan to reduce them, and 16% say it is not applicable to their strategy.
Video Marketing: 52% of marketing professionals plan to grow their efforts, 29% plan to maintain them, 3% plan to reduce them, and 16% say it is not applicable to their strategy.
Digital PR: 35% of marketing professionals plan to grow their efforts, 39% plan to maintain them, 8% plan to reduce them, and 18% say it is not applicable to their strategy.
Optimising for AI Search: 57% of marketing professionals plan to grow their efforts, 25% plan to maintain them, 3% plan to reduce them, and 15% say it is not applicable to their strategy.
In-person Events: 40% of marketing professionals plan to grow their efforts, 32% plan to maintain them, 11% plan to reduce them, and 17% say it is not applicable to their strategy.

Planned marketing actions for 2027

63% of marketing professionals plan to put more emphasis on improving their website’s ability to convert visitors into enquiries or sales.
62% of marketing professionals plan to prioritise creating content that builds trust and shows real expertise.
44% of marketing professionals plan to increase their marketing spend compared with the last 12 months.
37% of marketing professionals plan to invest more in understanding which channels actually drive results.
23% of marketing professionals plan to work more closely with external specialists or agencies to get better results.

Are you keen to compare these stats with last year? View last year’s stats in our blog below:
[2026 UK Digital Marketing Statistics]

Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number, so some groups may not total exactly 100%.

Meet the Author

Leah Davies

Leah is a marketing manager with over 10 years of experience in advertising and marketing. She holds a Diploma in Digital Marketing and a specialist certification in Social Media, both awarded by the DMI. Leah helps businesses build stronger connections with their audiences through smart and effective digital strategies.

2027 UK Marketing Statistics from Real Marketers