Search engine optimisation has always been about getting your business in front of the right people at the right time, but in 2026, the process looks quite different to even a few years ago. With AI-powered features like Google’s AI Overviews now shaping how search results are displayed, standing out organically has never been more important, or more competitive.
In this blog, we explore five real client examples where LOCALiQ’s SEO expertise has delivered outstanding, measurable outcomes. These case studies offer genuine insight into what a quality SEO strategy looks like in practice and what it can do for your business.
- What is search engine optimisation?
- Why SEO is crucial for your business
- 5 LOCALiQ SEO case studies
- Why partner with LOCALiQ?
What is search engine optimisation?
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of optimising your website and webpages to gain free, organic traffic from search engines like Google. SEO focuses on improving rankings, driving traffic, and increasing awareness, getting the right people to your website at exactly the moment they’re searching for what you offer.
In 2026, that means thinking beyond just traditional blue-link results. With AI Overviews, AI Mode, local packs, and featured snippets all competing for attention on the search results page, a well-rounded SEO strategy needs to account for how modern search engines understand and surface content. While it can sound technical, and it certainly can be, what you really need to know is that it’s about applying a set of best practices that build your authority and visibility across modern, AI-powered search results.
Why SEO is crucial for your business
The vast majority of purchases begin with a search, but with AI now influencing how results are presented, the competition for visibility is fiercer than ever. Fewer than 2% of websites not appearing on page one are ever seen by users, and with AI Overviews increasingly occupying the top of the page, ensuring your business ranks strongly for the right terms has never been more critical.
Your website exists to build awareness and generate leads. If it’s not being found, it’s not doing its job. A strong SEO strategy puts you in front of customers who are actively looking for your product or service, at the exact moment they’re ready to act.
5 LOCALiQ SEO case studies
All of the following are real results from real clients. These case studies offer genuine insight into how successful SEO campaigns are created and executed, and what it takes to implement a quality strategy that tackles industry-specific challenges.
1. Maki & Ramen
Maki & Ramen is a rapidly growing Japanese restaurant brand founded in 2015, beginning in Scotland and expanding nationwide, opening eight new sites in 2025 and three more in London in 2026.
The challenge: As Maki & Ramen scaled quickly, the leadership team lacked the clear, trusted data they needed to guide expansion confidently. Historic SEO activity had generated large volumes of artificial traffic, inflating core metrics and masking how real customers actually behaved online. Meanwhile, the website underperformed for high-intent local searches such as “ramen in Edinburgh,” limiting organic visibility precisely when the brand’s footprint was accelerating.
So how did we do it? LOCALiQ began with a complete SEO and website audit, stripping out artificial traffic and rebuilding accurate tracking systems so the team could trust their data. From there, the focus shifted to mobile usability, location-based targeting for new openings, and proactive content suggestions including a founder page, blog, and improved menu format, ensuring the site could grow as fast as the brand.
The SEO results:
With clean data and a solid strategy in place, organic performance improved significantly:
- 80% year-on-year increase in clicks, doubling from 60,000 to 120,000 within a year
- 3 million impressions reached in August 2025
- 96% engagement rate and a 35% click-through rate by January 2026
- Monthly organic growth rates reaching as high as 14%
“LOCALiQ has been fantastic in helping us transform our SEO, taking our impressions from zero to millions. Their clear, focused plans and ongoing support have been key to enabling our rapid growth and online success.” — Rebecca Cuthbertson, Marketing Lead, Maki & Ramen
View the full case study to find out more.
2. Absolute Blinds
Absolute Blinds is a home furnishings specialist whose original website structure was actively limiting their SEO performance and hindering conversions, with poor organic visibility outside of branded search queries.
The challenge: With a site that couldn’t support a strong content strategy and significant technical SEO issues holding them back, Absolute Blinds needed more than a campaign tweak. They needed a complete digital overhaul.
So how did we do it? LOCALiQ delivered a complete website rebuild to modernise the design, resolve technical SEO issues, and create the foundations for a stronger content strategy. The SEO campaign ran in parallel with the rebuild and continued thereafter, targeting improvements across sessions, keywords, impressions, and clicks simultaneously.
The SEO results:
The rebuild and SEO campaign together produced a dramatic improvement in organic performance:
- 154% increase in sessions and 116% increase in organic clicks
- 301% increase in impressions
- Average SERP position improved by 19%, from 40.2 to 32.5
- 72% conversion rate and 550+ online conversions
View the full case study to find out more.
3. A9 Architecture
A9 Architecture is an architectural practice that came to LOCALiQ looking to establish organic authority in a sector often dominated by well-established firms and directories.
The challenge: With little visibility online, A9 Architecture was missing out on high-intent searches for services like loft conversions and heritage building renovation, searches that were going directly to more established competitors.
So how did we do it? LOCALiQ implemented an SEO campaign that focused on fixing under-optimised areas of the site. Addressing major content issues, targeting core service keywords, and improving location pages. This structured, methodical approach built the organic authority the practice needed to compete.
The SEO results:
A disciplined, methodical approach delivered strong organic growth from a standing start:
- 160% increase in ranking keywords and 376% increase in impressions
- 59% increase in organic clicks
- Seen over 130,000 times in search engine results pages
- 250% jump in organic traffic to service-related keywords (with prominent rankings now achieved for “loft conversion architect” and “heritage building renovation”)
View the full case study to find out more.
4. WRC Recycling
WRC Recycling is a family-run environmental services business based in Scotland. Founded in 1998 as a plastic-only recycler and now grown into a full-service waste management company offering skip hire, paper shredding, and trade waste services.
The challenge: WRC’s skip hire website had no online enquiry form, meaning domestic customers had to phone the office, a manual process the admin team struggled to keep pace with as the business grew. At the same time, WRC needed to compete for high-intent searches like “skip hire Glasgow” in a fiercely competitive local market, without putting more pressure on an already stretched internal team.
So how did we do it? LOCALiQ began with a thorough review of WRC’s digital presence across all three of their websites. We mapped out SEO and UX work across the skip hire site. Working alongside WRC’s existing web developer, LOCALiQ helped redesign the site with a prominent online enquiry form, refreshed location pages for Glasgow and Edinburgh, expanded the blog, added schema markup, and carried out ongoing technical maintenance.
The SEO results:
The targeted local SEO work delivered measurable improvements in search visibility across priority areas:
- “Skip hire Bearsden” moved from position 86 to position 9
- Top-3 Google ranking achieved for “skip hire Greenock”
- Google Map Pack visibility secured across Greenock, Paisley, and Dumbarton
- Sales team freed to focus on higher-value contracts, with smaller jobs captured efficiently through the new online enquiry form
“It’s been a great experience to have LOCALiQ behind us, pushing forward our digital marketing strategy.” — Stephanie Johnston, Commercial Lead, WRC Recycling
Download the full case study to find out more.
5. The Cut & Craft
The Cut & Craft is a group of premium, independent British restaurants, founded in York in 2018. Since launch, the brand has expanded to three flagship locations, including Leeds in 2022 and Manchester in 2025,
The challenge: As The Cut & Craft expanded into new cities, there was a growing gap between the quality of their in-venue experience and their online visibility. They were losing potential bookings to competitors because new audiences in Leeds and Manchester simply couldn’t find them on Google.
So how did we do it? LOCALiQ built a joined-up SEO and PPC strategy tailored to each location’s audience, trading patterns, and growth priorities. When weekday lunch trade in Manchester proved slower than hoped, LOCALiQ responded rapidly with a focused campaign to establish The Cut & Craft as a go-to lunchtime destination. Turning a real-world pressure point into a targeted performance objective.
The combination of SEO and PPC strategy delivered the following results:
- 269% uplift in new users and a 68% increase in clicks
- 48% rise in click-through rates as The Cut & Craft’s presence in search results strengthened
- 149% increase in impressions for the Manchester lunch page
- 420,000+ “Book Now” page views
“As a business we love working with LOCALiQ. I think we could say that LOCALiQ have been a big factor in contributing to the business growth and success so far.” — Georgina Pellant, Marketing Manager, The Cut & Craft
Download the full case study to find out more.
Why partner with LOCALiQ?
SEO has changed a lot of the past two years, and the pace of change doesn’t look like it’ll be slowing any time soon. Our award-winning team can help you stay one step ahead of your competitors. From AI-driven search changes to local ranking signals, we know what it takes to ensure your business is visible across search. And with more than 25 locations across the UK, we understand your local market like a national agency never could.
Interested in hearing how we can help your business? Contact us today.
Related Articles
The Decline of the Local 3-Pack: Why Local Visibility Is Getting Harder
How Long Does It Take for SEO to Work? Realistic Timelines Explained
What is On-Page SEO? 12 Strategies for Modern Search in 2026
SEO Basics: How to Get Started with Search Engine Optimisation
How to Optimise for AI-Powered Search: A 2026 Guide for UK Businesses