Construction Recruitment SEO Case Study: +60% Organic Leads in 8 Months
Re-Establishing Market Dominance for a National Leader
This client is a well established, nationwide construction recruitment firm. With a loyal client base and a powerful network of consultants, they are a dominant force in the white collar and project management space offline.
But their digital presence told a different story.
They were being consistently outranked by smaller, local competitors. Despite a large website, their authority was weak, and their organic lead flow was declining. Their online visibility didn't match their real world brand strength.
The Challenge: A Large Site with No Authority
The firm's core problem was a stagnant, bloated website. It was suffering from years of neglect, resulting in weak topical authority, thin and duplicated content, and a minimal backlink profile.
- Weak Topical Authority: Google didn't view the site as an expert in construction recruitment, despite its size.
- Content Cannibalisation: Dozens of thin, duplicated pages were competing against each other, diluting rankings.
- Low Domain Strength: A weak backlink profile meant competitors with less industry experience were winning top SERP positions.
- Declining Inbound Leads: The business was forced to rely on outbound sales and costly job boards while its primary digital asset underperformed.
Our Solution: The "Dominate Retainer" Framework
This client didn't need a quick fix; they needed to rebuild their authority from the ground up. We deployed our flagship Dominate Retainer framework, a comprehensive strategy designed to fix structural weaknesses, build E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), and elevate high value service pages.
The goal was to align their digital authority with their offline brand reputation and create a powerful inbound lead engine.
Implementation: A Full Authority Rebuild
We executed a multi-pronged attack to prune low value content, build new topic clusters, and strengthen the site's backlink profile.
Comprehensive Content Audit & Pruning
Using Semrush and Screaming Frog, we audited their entire site. We identified and removed hundreds of low value, thin, and duplicated pages that were draining crawl budget and confusing Google.
New Topic Cluster Creation
We ran a keyword gap analysis to identify high value opportunities. We then built out a new series of location based landing pages (e.g., "Construction Project Manager Jobs London") to capture high intent regional searches, establishing a strong local footprint.
Strategic Schema & AEO Deployment
To win in PAA and AI search, we deployed advanced structured data:
- FAQPage Schema: Added to key service pages to capture "People Also Ask" boxes and answer user questions directly in the SERPs.
- HowTo Schema: Used on relevant guides to capture rich snippets for "how-to" style queries (e.g., "how to get a CSCS card").
- AI Visibility Tracking: We immediately began monitoring their performance in Google SGE (AI Overviews) for their most valuable "project management" queries.
Ethical Link Building Campaign
To fix the core authority problem, we launched a safe, white hat link building campaign. This focused on high relevance niche edits and building foundational citations to boost the site's Authority Score (AS) and signal its trustworthiness to Google.
The Results: Authority Reclaimed
The "Dominate Retainer" framework successfully rebuilt the site's authority and re-established its market position.
- +60% Increase in Organic Leads
- +42% Rise in Average Engagement Time
- +12 Point Increase in Authority Score (AS) (Measured via Semrush)
- Multiple "People Also Ask" (PAA) Inclusions for high value construction role queries
- Consistent Surfacing in AI Overviews for "construction project management" searches
What The Client Says
"We're one of the biggest names in construction recruitment, but online, we were invisible. It was frustrating to see smaller agencies with half our experience outranking us. Kaizen's 'Dominate' framework was exactly what we needed. They cleared out all the old, useless content and built a real strategy around our key markets. The 60% increase in leads speaks for itself. Our online brand finally matches our offline reputation."
- CMO, National Construction Recruitment Firm
The Outcome: From Outbound to Inbound Authority
The business has successfully transitioned from a costly reliance on outbound sales and job boards to a predictable, scalable model driven by qualified inbound leads. Its strengthened authority, clean architecture, and targeted content strategy now position it as one of the most visible and trusted construction recruiters in the UK, both online and off.
Ready to Reclaim Your Market?
Stop letting smaller competitors steal your traffic. It's time to align your digital authority with your brand strength.
Book your no-obligation SEO & AEO strategy call today.
FAQs
Q: What’s included in a Kaizen SEO case study?
A: Each case study outlines the client’s goals, the challenges they faced, and the strategy we implemented - from technical SEO and content optimisation to AI visibility and link building. We also include measurable outcomes like ranking improvements, organic traffic growth, and lead generation results.
Q: Are the case studies based on real clients?
A: Yes. Every case study is drawn from genuine client projects. We only publish them with full consent and anonymise sensitive details if confidentiality is required.
Q: Can I see a case study for a company similar to mine?
A: In most cases, yes. We can share relevant examples from your sector or agency size during your consultation to demonstrate what’s achievable in your specific market.
Q: How recent are your case studies?
A: We update them regularly to reflect current SEO and AI search trends. Most published examples are from projects completed within the last 12 months.
Q: Do case studies show exact ROI figures?
A: Where clients allow, yes. We highlight tangible results such as cost per lead reduction, traffic increases, improved AI surfacing, or conversion growth. In some cases, we use percentage improvements rather than financials for confidentiality.
Q: How do case studies differ from testimonials?
A: Testimonials share a client’s personal experience. Case studies go deeper - showing the process, strategy, and real data behind the results, giving you a transparent look at how we work and what to expect.
Q: Can my project become a featured case study?
A: Absolutely. If you’re open to sharing results publicly, we’ll handle the write-up and presentation. It’s a great way to highlight your brand’s success while showcasing your leadership in recruitment marketing.
