Case studies
SEO case studies
Six projects for Derby and Derbyshire businesses: the problem each one faced, what we did and what changed. We do not publish client names, and we do not quote figures we cannot show you, so each outcome is described in plain terms.
CS-01 · Industrial estate, south DerbyA precision machining supplier to the aerospace sector
- Problem
- A capable firm with a single 'services' page listing every process in one paragraph. Buyers searching for specific processes and materials found competitors instead, and the quality approvals were buried in a PDF.
- What we did
- Built separate capability pages for each process, with machine lists, materials and tolerances the firm was happy to publish. Added an industries section for aerospace and rail, a clear quality page, and quote-request tracking.
- Outcome
- The site began appearing for process and material searches it had been absent from, and the enquiries that came through were more specific about the work required.
- What we took from it
- Buyers search for processes and materials, not company descriptions. One page per capability gives each one a chance to rank.
CS-02 · North-west DerbyA family-run dental practice in a residential suburb
- Problem
- Patients nearby were seeing practices from across the city first in the map results. The Google Business Profile had the wrong primary category and few recent photographs.
- What we did
- Corrected categories and services, added real photographs, set up a simple review-request process at reception, and rewrote the treatment pages so each answered patients' common questions.
- Outcome
- The practice became more visible in map results close to the surgery, and new patient enquiries through the website became easier to attribute.
- What we took from it
- For a local practice, the primary category on the profile matters more than almost anything else, and reviews gathered steadily outperform bursts.
CS-03 · Derbyshire DalesA holiday cottage business on the edge of the Peak District
- Problem
- Nearly all bookings came through third-party platforms that charged commission. The firm's own site ranked for its name and little else.
- What we did
- Created pages around specific guest needs, such as dog-friendly stays and access to walking and cycling trails, plus local guides to nearby villages. Fixed slow image loading on mobile.
- Outcome
- The site started picking up searches from people planning trips, and the owners saw a gradual shift towards direct bookings during quieter months.
- What we took from it
- Platforms win broad searches; a small business wins specific ones. Pages built around a guest's actual needs are worth more than general descriptions.
CS-04 · ErewashAn online retailer of upholstered furniture
- Problem
- Thousands of filtered URLs for fabric and size combinations were being crawled, while key category pages had no introductory content and similar titles.
- What we did
- Decided which filtered views deserved indexing, controlled the rest, rewrote category titles and introductions, and cleaned the product feed for free listings.
- Outcome
- Search engines spent their attention on the pages that mattered, and core category pages became more prominent for the product searches the firm cared about.
- What we took from it
- On large catalogues, deciding what not to index is as important as improving what is. Crawl attention is limited.
CS-05 · Derby city centreA professional services firm after a website redesign
- Problem
- A new website had launched without redirects from the old one. Organic traffic and enquiries fell, and the firm did not know why.
- What we did
- Rebuilt a redirect map from old analytics and link data, restored content that had been cut from key service pages, and fixed titles left at their template defaults.
- Outcome
- Most of the lost visibility returned over the following weeks, and the firm adopted a pre-launch checklist for future changes.
- What we took from it
- A redirect map is the single most important document in a redesign. Content cut for design reasons often takes rankings with it.
CS-06 · Near the railway works, DerbyA rail industry engineering consultancy
- Problem
- Strong reputation within the industry but a website that described the firm in vague terms. Engineers researching specialist topics never found it.
- What we did
- Planned a series of technical articles answering questions engineers ask, written with the consultancy's specialists and reviewed for confidentiality. Linked each article to the relevant service.
- Outcome
- The articles began attracting visits from the firm's target audience and gave the business development team useful material to share.
- What we took from it
- Specialist audiences respond to specialist content. Articles written with the firm's own engineers carried authority that marketing copy could not.
What these projects have in common
Different sectors, similar starting points. In almost every case the business had a capable product or service and a website that did not explain it in the terms customers search for. The fixes were rarely exotic: clearer pages, a better-run profile, technical faults removed, redirects in place, and content written with the people who know the subject.
Each project also started with measurement. Before changing anything we recorded where the site stood, so that the outcome could be judged against something real rather than against a feeling.
Why we do not publish client names
Many of our clients, particularly in aerospace, rail and professional services, work under confidentiality agreements or simply prefer not to reveal who supplies their marketing. We respect that. If you are considering working with us, we are happy to talk through relevant projects in more detail on a call.
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