30 Years of DBS Digital

Celebrating the journey, people and progress

Thirty years ago, DBS Digital started in Lincolnshire with a clear ambition: to help companies communicate better and grow further. In 1996, DBS began life as a print advertising agency. Today, we are a full-service digital agency with a team of specialists, an award-winning track record, and a client base that spans the whole of the UK.

What has not changed in three decades is what has always mattered most: the people.

This is a celebration of that journey. It is also an invitation. Whether you are a long-standing client, a business exploring what DBS Digital could do for you, or someone considering joining the team, we hope this gives you a real sense of who we are and where we are headed.

The team behind DBS Digital has created something rare in the agency world. We’ve built a business that has genuinely evolved with its clients, its industry, and the times, without losing sight of why it started.

Meet the Team

A Business Built to Evolve

The digital world in 1996 looked nothing like it does today. Broadband was years away. Search engines were in their infancy. Social media did not exist. And yet, DBS Digital was already in the business of helping organisations communicate their value to the right audiences.

Starting in print gave DBS Digital something that many digital-first agencies have never had: a deep understanding of what makes a message land, regardless of the medium. As the internet grew, so did DBS Digital. The agency expanded its capabilities, built a digital team, and gradually became the integrated web and marketing partner it is today.

That shift was never about chasing trends. It was about following where clients needed support.

Three decades of adaptation, always led by client need rather than industry noise

Today, DBS Digital offers a full portfolio of services built around that same principle:

Website design and user experience – creating digital shop windows that perform as well as they look
SEO and PPC – helping businesses get found by the right people at the right time
Content and social media – building audiences and generating engagement
Custom development and system integration – connecting the tools that make businesses run

Thirty years in, the approach stays the same: understand the client, build the right solution, and focus on results that actually matter.

get in touch

A Business Built to Evolve

That shift was never about chasing trends. It was about following where clients needed support.

I’m proud to lead Team DBS Digital. What strikes me most, thirty years in, is that we’re still a team that genuinely cares about getting great results for our clients, and about each other. That passion for the work, always learning, always sharpening our skills, is what’s kept us going this long, and what will take us into the next thirty years.

Julie Priestley, Managing Director

what defines dbs digital

Every specialist at DBS Digital brings their own expertise, but the strength of the agency has always come from how those specialisms connect. Designers and marketers work alongside developers and strategists, so clients get joined-up thinking instead of isolated deliverables.

For prospects, that means a partner who thinks about the whole picture. For recruits, it means a team worth being part of.

A few things that have defined the DBS Digital team across three decades:

A culture of collaboration, where individual expertise serves a shared goal
A commitment to sustained learning as the digital environment has changed
An employee-owned structure that keeps everyone invested in client outcomes
Long-standing client relationships grounded in trust, transparency, and results

30 Years in Motion

Every milestone tells a story. Here are some of the moments which shaped DBS Digital into the agency it is today.

1996 – DBS Digital is founded in Lincolnshire as a print advertising agency, helping local businesses reach their audiences through traditional media, at a time when the internet was just beginning to change everything.
Late 1990s to early 2000s – The digital transition begins. As the web grows, DBS Digital grows with it. The agency starts growing its capabilities beyond print, recognising that the future of marketing is online.
Mid 2000s – Website services take centre stage. DBS Digital expands its web design and development offering, helping clients establish a credible digital presence as online expectations rise.
2010s – Full-service digital agency. SEO, PPC, content marketing, and social media are part of the core offering. DBS Digital becomes the integrated digital partner that clients across Lincolnshire and the UK rely on for joined-up strategy and delivery.
2017 – Employee ownership. DBS Digital transitions to an employee-owned model, deepening the team’s commitment to the business and to every client relationship.
2021 – 25 years of DBS Digital. The agency celebrates a quarter-century milestone with a look back at the history and evolution of digital marketing – and a clear eye on what comes next.
2026 – 30 years of DBS Digital. A full-service digital agency, an award-winning team, and three decades of helping ambitious businesses unlock their online potential.

What 30 Years Means for You

An anniversary is only meaningful if it translates into something real for the people a business serves. Here is what three decades of DBS Digital actually means for clients.

Depth of experience that no newcomer can replicate. DBS Digital has managed every major shift in digital marketing – from the early web to search engine algorithms, social media, mobile-first design, and now AI-driven discovery. That history is not nostalgia. It is practical knowledge applied to every brief.

Working with DBS Digital means:

Integrated thinking – designers, marketers, developers, and strategists working together rather than in silos, so your digital presence is coherent and effective
Stability you can rely on – a business that has been here for 30 years will still be here to help you next year and the year after
Results over trends – three decades of experience means DBS Digital knows the difference between a lasting strategy and a passing fad
A genuine partnership – as an employee-owned agency, every member of the team is personally invested in delivering work that makes a difference

Whether you are looking to build a new website, grow your search visibility, or develop a long-term digital strategy, you are working with a team that has seen what works and what does not across 30 years of helping businesses grow online.

The Next Chapter Starts Here

Thirty years is a milestone worth celebrating. But at DBS Digital, we have always been more interested in what comes next than in looking back.

The digital world will keep changing. New platforms, new technologies, and new ways for businesses to reach their audiences will continue to emerge. What will not change is the DBS Digital approach: stay curious, stay integrated, and always focus on what actually moves the needle for clients.

The ambition that began in Lincoln in 1996 remains the same: to help ambitious businesses unlock their online potential.