Upskilling UK businesses through Google Digital Garage
Background
Zoetecha, led by founder Zoe Hartill, partnered with Google Digital Garage, along with other digital marketing experts across the UK, to help thousands of businesses, business owners, professionals, career starters and changers across the UK and Ireland to improve their digital marketing skills. Zoe, an experienced digital marketing consultant, with a passion for content and SEO, played a key role in the programme by delivering expert training in areas such as SEO, content marketing, social media strategies, and more.
As one of the original digital marketing trainers engaged in the launch of Google Digital Garage in Newcastle, Zoe delivered high-quality digital skills training to businesses in cities such as Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, and beyond. Her approach combined expert consultancy, strategic insights, and personalised support to help business owners and career starters gain practical skills that could directly impact their business or career growth. Zoe was also contracted to act as a Lead Trainer for the Google Digital Garage and to train other trainers across the UK and beyond.
Challenges
The project faced several key challenges that are typical in large-scale digital upskilling programmes:
- Quickly assessing and adapting to varying knowledge levels: Participants came from diverse backgrounds with differing levels of digital marketing expertise. The challenge was to tailor training and mentoring to ensure both beginners and more experienced learners could benefit from the sessions.
- Scaling the impact: Delivering engaging training at scale, from large seminars in theatres and auditoriums to smaller one-on-one consultations, required flexibility and the ability to maintain high-quality engagement across all formats.
- Simplifying technical content for accessibility: While Google designed the digital marketing content to be straightforward, certain concepts such as SEO and PPC still required careful explanation to ensure that beginners could understand them without losing the depth of their value. Balancing clarity and depth was key to engaging a wide range of learners.
- Ongoing learning and adaptation: The landscape of digital marketing constantly evolves. As a Google-trained consultant, Zoe stayed up to date with the latest trends and best practices, ensuring that the training sessions reflected the most current knowledge.
Our approach
At Zoetecha, we believe in clear, jargon-free content and tailored strategies that help clients understand and apply digital marketing principles effectively. Our approach with Google Digital Garage focused on:
- Tailored training: Zoe delivered bespoke training that catered to the different skill levels of participants, from beginners to more advanced digital marketers. Whether in front of 200+ people or in smaller, more intimate settings, Zoe’s content was always engaging, accessible, and actionable.
- Plain English content: Training sessions focused on breaking down complex digital marketing terms into clear, understandable language. Using plain English standards, Zoe ensured that everyone—from first-time digital learners to seasoned business owners—could easily grasp essential marketing principles.
- Practical, actionable insights: Every session Zoe led included real-life case studies, actionable tips, and specific examples that participants could implement in their own businesses. The aim was to not just teach digital marketing theory, but to empower businesses and career changers with skills they could apply immediately.
- Leadership & mentorship: Zoe’s role also included mentoring fellow digital marketing trainers, offering guidance, support and training to ensure the success of the wider training team. Her leadership and collaborative approach created a positive and productive environment across the project.
- Ongoing development: As a trained Google consultant, Zoe continuously updated her knowledge through regular internal training, ensuring that the advice and strategies she shared were aligned with the latest best practices from Google. A practice that she maintains to this day.
Results
The impact of the Google Digital Garage initiative was significant across the UK and Ireland:
- Widespread reach: Over 700,000 individuals were trained through the Google Digital Garage programme, with thousands of businesses, professionals, and career changers benefiting from expert-led sessions across the UK.
- Boosted digital skills: Participants gained key digital marketing skills that enabled them to grow their businesses, improve their online presence, and enhance their career prospects. Many SMEs specifically reported tangible improvements in their ability to attract new customers and increase sales after attending training.
- Successful large-scale engagements: Zoe delivered digital marketing training to thousands of businesses, including one particularly memorable session in Belfast, where she trained over 200 people in front of Ireland’s First Ministers. These large events were complemented by smaller, intimate sessions where participants could receive more personalised advice and support.
- Improved online presence: The digital skills acquired by participants helped increase their search engine visibility, social media engagement, and online advertising performance, driving growth for many businesses.
- Career growth & success stories: Zoe’s mentorship led to many success stories, with individuals who underwent training going on to secure new roles in digital marketing or successfully launch their own digital businesses.
Zoe was an incredible leader during our time at Google Digital Garage. She demonstrated outstanding leadership and digital marketing expertise, always handling challenges with professionalism and positivity. Her training sessions were clear, insightful, and inspiring, helping me and my team become better digital marketers."
Fellow Trainer, Google Digital Garage
Feedback
“Zoe is a proactive and intelligent digital marketer who can seamlessly translate complex concepts into simple, engaging content. She has a knack for speaking to all types of learners, whether it’s a group of 30 or 300. Her mentorship was invaluable to me and the team, and her deep knowledge of content marketing and SEO made her a crucial asset to the programme.”
“Zoe is a proactive, confident, and intelligent digital marketer. Having worked alongside her at Newcastle’s Google Digital Garage, I’ve witnessed her highly efficient verbal and written communication and people skills, which are successfully transferred across into her digital marketing consultation sessions as well as her public-speaking seminars, where she speaks to groups of 30 people. Zoe takes initiative and can lead from the front, making decisions, suggestions, and actions for the benefit of her company. I would recommend Zoe’s skills and services to anybody who needs advice, tips, and expertise within digital marketing and copywriting.”
— Video Content Creator, Fellow Trainer, Google Digital Garage
“Zoe is a very knowledgeable and driven copywriter/marketer with particular expertise and passion for all things content. As a member of the Google consulting team at the Digital Garage, Zoe consistently demonstrated great passion, drive, and teamwork that made her a crucial part of our consultancy team. I look forward to working with Zoe again in the future.”
— Fellow Trainer and Digital Marketer, Google Digital Garage
“Zoe’s passion for digital marketing is contagious. She helped me develop a clear understanding of SEO and content marketing, skills that I’ve used to grow my business and career. Her ability to make complex topics simple and approachable is something I truly appreciate.”
— Digital Marketing Trainee, Google Digital Garage
Why Zoetecha?
At Zoetecha, we specialise in providing expert-led, bespoke digital marketing training, including content marketing training, and consultancy. We help businesses, from start-ups to established organisations, upskill their teams with practical knowledge in SEO, content marketing, and digital strategy. Our tailored training programmes are designed to suit all experience levels, ensuring that every participant walks away with actionable skills.
In addition to training, Zoetecha excels in course design and course creation, including for e-learning. We work with you to develop and deliver engaging, effective digital marketing courses that meet your business needs. Whether you require SEO-optimised content, a digital marketing strategy, or expert-led content marketing training, we help your teams achieve growth through high-impact, results-driven solutions.