SEO CASE STUDY
Case study by
Mahedi Hasan
SEO Specialist & Digital Marketer
Client Snapshot
Category
Details
Client
Border Locksmiths (borderlocksmiths.com.au)
Industry
Locksmith services, auto / residential / commercial
Location
Melbourne & Gold Coast, Australia
Target keywords
24 Hour Emergency Auto Locksmith, Commercial Locksmith, Residential Locksmiths
Project duration
5 months (active campaign), with GSC and Semrush data tracked into late 2023
Services delivered
Technical SEO, on-page optimization, content SEO, keyword research, off-page link building, reporting
The Challenge
Border Locksmiths came in with almost no organic search presence. The site had thin content, no structured keyword targeting, and no technical SEO foundation, so it was invisible for the local locksmith searches that actually drive calls, such as emergency lockout, commercial rekeying, and residential lock installation queries across its Australian service areas.
The goal of the engagement was straightforward: build the site's topical and technical foundation from scratch, get it indexed and ranking for commercially relevant locksmith keywords, and turn organic search into a real lead channel within a short, five month window.
Strategy & Execution
The campaign followed a full-funnel SEO process rather than a single tactic. Work was organized into six phases:
1Foundation
Full website audit to identify structural and content gaps
Competitor analysis against established Australian locksmith brands
2Keyword Research
Keyword difficulty and LSI keyword mapping for every target service
New keyword discovery for underserved local intent searches
KGR (Keyword Golden Ratio) keywords implemented for fast-win, low-competition terms
3Content
100% unique, keyword-focused service and location pages
SEO-optimized content written around real search intent, not keyword stuffing
Thin content eliminated across the site
4On-Page SEO
URL, slug, title, and meta description optimization across all pages
Proper heading structure, image SEO, and alt text implementation
Internal and external linking cleanup, orphan page fixes, duplicate meta resolution
Keyword density and prominence review, content audit, SEO plugin configuration
5Technical SEO
Google Analytics and Search Console setup
Robots.txt, sitemap.xml, and canonical tag implementation
Page speed optimization and indexing error resolution
Schema markup for local business and service pages
6Off-Page SEO
Competitor backlink analysis to find realistic link opportunities
Outreach and guest posting, Web 2.0 backlinks, and profile creation
Business listings, directory submissions, and social signals
Progress was tracked with weekly and monthly reporting, including keyword performance reports, so the client could see movement on individual target terms rather than just top-line traffic.
Results: Google Search Console
Across the tracked reporting period, the site moved from effectively no visibility to consistent impression and click volume in Google search.
12.2K
Total Clicks
2.1M
Total Impressions
0.6%
Average CTR
53.7
Average Position
Google Search Console: cumulative performance across the tracked period (Jan 2022 to Jan 2023).
A closer look at a single week toward the end of the tracked period shows the trend was still climbing, not flattening. In the seven days from January 16 to January 22, 2023 alone, the site logged 364 clicks and 62.9K impressions, with average position improving to 47.7 from the year-long average of 53.7.
364
Clicks (7 days)
62.9K
Impressions (7 days)
47.7
Avg. Position (7 days)
Google Search Console: a representative weekly snapshot (Jan 16 to Jan 22, 2023), showing improving average position.
Results: Domain Authority & Keyword Footprint
Semrush data shows the same story from a different angle: the domain built real topical authority and a much larger ranking keyword footprint over the campaign.
11
Authority Score
1.3K
Ranking Keywords
1.6K
Backlinks
373
Referring Domains
Semrush domain overview: Authority Score 11, organic traffic +8.8%, 1.3K ranking keywords, 1.6K backlinks from 373 referring domains.
On a tracked sample of 44 core service keywords, Semrush recorded a 51.72% increase in ranking keywords, a 395% increase in estimated organic traffic, and a 300% increase in estimated traffic value, confirming the keyword strategy was compounding, not just adding volume.
44
Keywords Tracked
+51.7%
Keyword Growth
+395%
Traffic Growth
+300%
Traffic Value Growth
Semrush position tracking on the 44 tracked keywords: keyword count, traffic, and traffic cost all trending up.
Results: Organic Traffic Trend
Organic traffic was cyclical in the first year, which is normal for a local service business rebuilding its footprint from scratch, but the long-term trend line was upward. By the most recent data point, estimated organic traffic had climbed to roughly 2,180 visits per month, with a clear step-change increase in the second half of 2023 as the earlier SEO and content work matured and additional SERP features were earned.
Semrush organic traffic trend, January 2022 to October 2023, showing the ramp to roughly 2,180 monthly visits.
Keyword Rankings Achieved
Individual keyword tracking shows real page-one and near-page-one movement on commercially relevant, non-branded search terms, not just branded or easy traffic:
Keyword
Position
Search Volume
Ranking Page
home depot front door locks
7
170/mo
/what-is-the-most-secure-lock-for-a-front-door/
entry door lock sets
8
30/mo
/what-is-the-most-secure-lock-for-a-front-door/
high security front door locks
13
40/mo
/what-is-the-most-secure-lock-for-a-front-door/
front door security lock
66
50/mo
/what-is-the-most-secure-lock-for-a-front-door/
how much do locksmiths make
83
70/mo
/what-can-a-locksmith-do/
locksmith 24/7 near me
99
30/mo
/24-7-mobile-emergency-locksmith/
Semrush keyword-level tracking: position, traffic share, search volume, and keyword difficulty by ranking URL.
The single page targeting front door lock security captured three separate top-15 rankings from one well-optimized piece of content, which is exactly the kind of topical consolidation the on-page and content phases of the strategy were built to produce.
Real-World SERP Visibility
Beyond the analytics dashboards, the campaign produced visible results on the actual Google results page. For a competitive Australian locksmith search, Border Locksmiths' Auto Locksmith Gold Coast page ranked organically at position 5, ahead of several established competitors, and carried a strong 4.8-star rating across 64 reviews, which reinforces click-through and trust once a searcher reaches the results page.
Live Google SERP: Border Locksmiths ranking organically at position 5 for a competitive auto locksmith search, with 4.8★ (64 reviews).
Where the Campaign Stood at the 5-Month Mark
In the interest of an accurate picture rather than a highlight reel: the majority of the site's tracked keywords were still positioned in the 51 to 100 range or surfacing only through SERP features rather than a direct organic listing at the five month mark. Very few terms had broken into positions 1 to 20. This is a realistic and expected stage for a domain with an Authority Score of 11 that started from close to zero, and it is consistent with the traffic and impression growth seen above, which came primarily from a widening base of long-tail and mid-tail keywords rather than a handful of head-term rankings.
Position distribution across all tracked keywords: most volume sits in positions 51-100 and SERP features, with early gains in positions 4-20.
This distribution is the expected shape of an SEO campaign in its foundation-building phase. The next phase of work would focus on converting the large base of 21-100 ranking keywords into page-one placements through continued content depth, internal linking, and off-page authority building.
Results Summary
12.2K total clicks and 2.1M total impressions in Google Search over the tracked period
Organic traffic grew to an estimated 2,180 visits/month, with a clear step-up in late 2023
Domain grew to 1.3K ranking keywords and 1.6K backlinks from 373 referring domains
On the 44 core tracked keywords: +51.7% keyword growth, +395% traffic, +300% traffic value
Multiple non-branded commercial keywords ranking in positions 7-13 from a single optimized page
Organic position 5 achieved on a competitive national auto-locksmith search, backed by a 4.8★ / 64-review profile
Conclusion
In five months, Border Locksmiths went from an SEO blank slate to a domain with measurable authority, a growing base of ranking keywords, and real organic visibility on competitive Australian locksmith searches. The foundation work, technical SEO, content, on-page optimization, and early link building, is now in place to push the large pool of mid-tail keywords into page-one positions and convert that visibility into consistent lead volume.
