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From Zero to Nationwide Leader
Back in 2020, a business came to us with a problem. Their website was nowhere to be found in online searches. We built them a modern, well-structured site and got to work on their organic SEO. Within months we started to see movement, and over the following years we matured their rankings into a position of real dominance.
Even when the company decided to take a one-year break from active SEO, their rankings held steady thanks to the strong foundations we had built. The site retained its visibility and performance because we had structured it properly, optimised every page, and made sure Google had exactly what it needed to keep the business visible.
The Big Push to Dominate Scotland
After the break, the business owners came back to us with a clear goal to push their main short service keywords to the very top and capture more of the market. We launched a new local SEO campaign, targeting cities, towns, and rural areas across the whole of Scotland.
Within months, the results spoke for themselves. They were no longer just competing locally, they had become the first name people found when searching for their service anywhere in the country. Website traffic surged, enquiries increased, and the business enjoyed consistent growth. They were visible in Google’s local map pack as well as the main organic listings for all their priority keywords. The screenshot below shows the organic SEO growth achieved over the four-year period:
A Business Sale and a Turning Point
After four years of success, the owners decided it was time to sell. It was a strong, attractive purchase for any buyer, not just because of the company’s service offering, but because of the powerful online presence we had built for them.
Unfortunately, this is where the story takes a turn. The new owner came in with their own ideas about what was best for the business. They chose not to continue working with us, the team that had built and maintained their SEO dominance, and instead moved their website and marketing to a well-known telephone directory company here in the UK. The screenshot below shows the organic SEO decline following the website change, with rankings continuing to fall over the past 12 months:
The Mistake That Changed Everything
Critical SEO Losses in the Site Migration
This decision turned out to be the start of a rapid decline. The new supplier replaced the original site with a completely new one.
The mistakes were immediate and costly:
1) No attempt was made to match the old site’s page URLs, meaning all the SEO value built into those pages was lost overnight.
2) None of the existing SEO work was carried over into the new site’s content or structure.
3) Local landing pages that targeted specific towns and cities were not included on the new site.
4) Nationwide service pages that had helped capture searches across the country were also not transferred.
5) The technical setup ignored critical on-page and off-page ranking factors we had spent years perfecting.
Without those elements in place, the site’s hard-earned rankings collapsed. All top positions, both nationally and in the local map results, have not basically disappeared.
The Drop in Numbers
In the year following the change, the business went from having an 82% overall visibility score across 133 tracked keywords to just 18%. That is not a small dip. That is a fall off a cliff. Leads slowed to a trickle. The business went from being a top name in their sector at the top of the search pages, to struggling to compete even in their own city.
We Did Warn Them
Before the move, we advised the new owner to ensure the migration was handled correctly to avoid major ranking losses. We explained how to maintain SEO continuity during a website change. The advice was ignored. Whether it was overconfidence, a desire to do things their way, or simply not understanding the long-term impact, the result is the same: years of strategic SEO work were discarded in a single step.
Why This Matters for Any Business
SEO success is not luck. It is the result of a clear strategy, consistent work, and a deep understanding of how Google evaluates and ranks websites. When you replace a high-performing site without transferring that value correctly, you are effectively starting from scratch.
Many business owners underestimate how long it takes to build that trust and visibility in search engines. It can take years to dominate a competitive market, but only days to lose it all.
The Lesson Here
The real shame is that the downfall was avoidable. The business was sold on the strength of its online presence, yet that same presence was dismantled almost immediately.
For other business owners, the message is simple: if you are buying a successful company, understand what makes it successful before making big changes. If a website and its SEO are part of the reason it is thriving, do not replace them without a proper transition plan.
Our Position
We do not take any satisfaction in being proved right here. It is frustrating to watch a business go from thriving to struggling when it could have continued to grow year on year.
As a Google Approved Partner, we know exactly what it takes to get a company to the top, and we also know how easy it is to lose it all when the wrong decisions are made.
Final Thought
If you are ever in the position of taking over a business, do your due diligence on the marketing side. Talk to the team who built it. Keep the systems that are working, and if you do want to change them, make sure you have the right expertise guiding you.
Online visibility is an asset. Treat it like one. Do you need expert local marketing help here in the UK to help you rank better? Have you seen drops and do not know which way to turn?
Professional organic SEO results are not cheap or quick, but when done the right way they can be a game changer for your business. If you are serious and ready to take the action required, and have the budget to invest properly in the well-being of your company, then get in touch with us.
Our Creative Marketing Agency offers an array of branding and promotional services. Click here to explore our full range of services in more detail on Web Design Services, Ecommerce Online Shop Development, SEO Marketing For Your Business, Google PPC Per Click Campaign Management, and our Graphic Design Services we provide from our Glasgow base.
Learn why having a strong, well-planned marketing strategy is essential for climbing search engine rankings and securing long-term visibility. If you are ready to see how we could deliver similar results for your business, get in touch.