Introduction
An architecture firm based in London faced a common but critical challenge: despite having a website for over five years, they were not generating the kind of leads or inquiries needed to grow their business. The firm had invested in creating multiple service pages, but those pages were not optimized for the right audience. As a result, most of their online visibility was coming from the United States rather than the United Kingdom—the region where their services were actually offered.
This case study outlines the problems they faced, the SEO strategy implemented, and the results achieved, demonstrating how localized optimization and technical improvements can dramatically shift online performance.
The Initial Challenges
When the architecture firm first approached for help, several issues were immediately identified:
1. No Connection to Search Console
Although the website had been online for over five years, it was never connected to Google Search Console. This meant that the business owners had no clear understanding of their search visibility, indexing status, or keyword performance. Without these insights, it was impossible to make informed SEO decisions.
2. Service Pages Without Local Relevance
The firm had created multiple service pages (covering common architectural services) but made a critical mistake: they did not include location-specific terms relevant to their target market. For example, while they offered services in areas such as Redbridge, Havering, Dagenham, and surrounding boroughs, none of these local identifiers were present in the content.
This oversight caused their service pages to rank for generic terms that attracted impressions from outside the UK. While visibility looked decent on the surface, it wasn’t generating meaningful inquiries.
3. Hosting Server Location in the United States
Another technical issue discovered was that their website was hosted on a server in the United States. For a firm offering local services in the UK, this setup created unnecessary latency and potentially signaled to search engines that their primary audience was international rather than domestic.
4. Lack of City and Borough-Level Content
The website failed to capture local search demand by boroughs or smaller cities around London. As a result, potential clients searching for architectural services in their specific locality were not discovering the firm’s website.
Strategic SEO Interventions
To overcome these challenges, a multi-phase SEO strategy was implemented.
Step 1: Technical Setup and Server Relocation
The first step was to establish a solid technical foundation. The website was connected to Google Search Console, enabling visibility into search queries, impressions, clicks, and indexing issues.
Additionally, the website hosting was shifted from the United States to a server located in Paris. This move improved site loading speed for users in the UK and aligned the site’s infrastructure with its target audience.
Step 2: Localized Service Page Creation
The next priority was to redesign the content strategy around local relevance. Instead of generic service pages, the following structure was created:
Single-storey extension services
Double-storey extension services
Loft conversions
Rear dormer extensions
Planning permission support
Kitchen extensions
Each page was optimized not only for the service itself but also contextualized with location-based identifiers. For example, borough-specific pages were developed for areas such as Redbridge, Havering, Ilford, and Dagenham. This approach ensured the site could capture search intent at both the service and geographic level.
Step 3: Borough and City-Specific Landing Pages
Dedicated landing pages were created for individual boroughs and smaller cities within London. These pages highlighted how the firm provided architectural solutions tailored to local building regulations, council requirements, and community needs.
This hyper-local targeting aligned with how prospective clients searched for services online. Instead of broad queries, many users typed service + location keywords (e.g., “kitchen extension in Redbridge”). The new structure allowed the firm’s website to directly match this search behavior.
Step 4: On-Page SEO and Content Optimization
Each new page was carefully optimized with:
Clear, descriptive meta titles and meta descriptions.
Location-specific headings and subheadings.
Informative content that explained the process, benefits, and regulations of each service.
Internal links connecting service pages with borough-specific landing pages to strengthen topical relevance.
This improved both the user experience and the way search engines interpreted the website’s structure.
Step 5: User Engagement and Lead Capture
Beyond rankings, the website was optimized for conversions. Contact forms were strategically placed across service and borough pages, making it easy for visitors to submit inquiries. Local credibility was reinforced by highlighting compliance with planning permissions and council guidelines, building trust with potential clients.
Results Achieved
Within months of implementing the strategy, the architecture firm began to see significant improvements:
Shift in Impressions from the United States to the United Kingdom
The most noticeable change was in the geographic distribution of impressions. Where the website once attracted mostly US-based traffic, it now ranked prominently for search queries within London and its boroughs.Increase in Local Leads
With service pages aligned to specific boroughs, the firm started receiving inquiries directly from homeowners and property developers in areas like Redbridge, Havering, Ilford, and Dagenham.Improved Search Visibility
The new borough-specific landing pages helped the firm secure visibility for a wider range of location-based searches, filling in the gaps left by their old generic pages.Consistent Flow of Inquiries
The combination of optimized service pages and localized landing pages established the firm as a go-to provider in multiple boroughs. This led to a steady flow of leads via contact forms.
Key Takeaways
This case study highlights several critical lessons for service-based businesses looking to succeed with SEO:
Local Relevance is Essential: Simply creating service pages without including location identifiers results in generic visibility that rarely translates into leads.
Technical Foundations Matter: Hosting location, server speed, and search console integration all influence how search engines interpret a website.
Hyper-Local Targeting Works: Creating pages dedicated to specific boroughs, councils, or neighborhoods ensures alignment with real-world search behavior.
Structured Content Delivers Results: Separating services into distinct pages makes it easier for both users and search engines to understand and engage with offerings.
Conversion Optimization Completes the Cycle: Attracting the right traffic is only half the battle—websites must also make it easy for visitors to inquire and convert into clients.
Conclusion
Through a combination of technical improvements, localized content strategy, and service-specific optimization, the London-based architecture firm transformed their website from an underperforming digital asset into a reliable lead-generation tool.
By moving away from generic service pages and embracing borough-level targeting, they successfully connected with their true audience—homeowners and developers within London. Today, the firm enjoys improved visibility, stronger credibility, and a consistent stream of inquiries that fuel business growth.
This case demonstrates that for local service businesses, SEO is not about casting the widest possible net, but about aligning every aspect of the website with the right audience, in the right locations, at the right time.