Renovation Services SEO Case Study
From zero Google presence to number one in AI Overview for renovation searches in Melbourne’s south-east
This renovation company in Melbourne’s south-east had no Google presence when we started. No organic rankings, no visibility, and no inbound leads from search. Patterson Lakes and surrounding suburbs were their territory, but online, they were invisible.
We built their website with local SEO baked into every page. Service-specific landing pages targeting the exact suburbs their customers search from. Content structured around how people actually look for renovation services, not how renovation companies talk about themselves.
Alongside the SEO build, we managed their Google Ads to fill the gaps while organic rankings developed. That dual approach meant they were generating leads from day one while the longer-term organic strategy took hold.
Where They Are Now
The numbers tell the story. In the first 90 days, the site had 299 ranking keywords, 61 on the first page, and an average position of 51. Sixteen months later: 4,500+ ranking keywords, 516 on the first page, and an average position of 28. That’s keywords up 1,434%, first page keywords up 746%, and average position improved by 23 places. The site now generates 195 clicks per 90-day period compared to 54 in the first 90 days, a 261% increase. Impressions went from 4,899 to 67,000+, up 1,271%. Over the full 16 months, the site has generated 840+ clicks and 295,000+ impressions from Australian searches. Year-over-year, clicks are up 157% and impressions are up 1,140%.
| Metric | First 90 Days | Current (16 Months) | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking keywords | 299 | 4,500+ | +1,434% |
| First page keywords | 61 | 516 | +746% |
| 90-day clicks | 54 | 195 | +261% |
| 90-day impressions | 4,899 | 67,000+ | +1,271% |
| Average position | 51 | 28 | +23 places |
| Year-over-year click growth (same 90-day period) | 76 clicks → 195 clicks | +157% | |
| Year-over-year impression growth (same 90-day period) | 5,420 → 67,000+ | +1,140% | |
| 16-month total clicks | — | 840+ | |
| 16-month total impressions | — | 295,000+ | |
| Google AI Overview | Not listed | Number 1 | |
| Google Maps | Not listed | Number 1 in target suburbs | |
First 90 Days = September to November 2024, the first three months after site launch.
Current = the most recent 90-day period as of January 2026.
Clicks = the number of times someone clicked through to the website from Google search results.
Impressions = the number of times the website appeared in someone’s Google search results. An impression counts every time the listing shows up, whether or not someone clicks on it.
Average position = the average Google ranking across ALL tracked keywords, not a hand-picked selection. If the site ranks for 4,500+ keywords, this is the average across every single one of them.
Ranking keywords = the number of different search terms Google shows the website for in search results.
First page keywords = keywords ranking in positions 1-10, meaning they appear on the first page of Google search results where most clicks happen.
Google AI Overview = Google’s AI-generated answer that appears above traditional search results. Being cited here means Google’s AI recommends the business as a relevant result.
Google Maps = the local map pack that appears in Google search results for location-based searches.
Year-over-year growth = comparison of the same 90-day period (Oct-Jan) this year versus last year, showing how performance has improved over 12 months.
All data filtered to Australian searches via Google Search Console. Data current as of January 2026.
The standout result: number one in Google’s AI Overview for renovation searches in their service areas. They also hold the top position in Google Maps for their target suburbs. Combined with 4,500+ organic keywords ranking, that level of coverage means potential customers find them regardless of how they search.
The AI Overview placement matters because Google’s AI-generated answers now appear above traditional search results for many queries. Being cited there puts this business ahead of competitors who only rank in the standard listings.
The Bigger Picture
Sixteen months ago, this business relied entirely on word of mouth and paid advertising. Now they dominate their local market in organic search, Maps, and AI Overview. That’s three separate channels of inbound enquiries that cost nothing per click.
If your business has no Google presence and you want to change that, get in touch.
We’ve done this before and the growth is dramatic.
Frequently Asked Questions
How We Report These Results
Australian data only. Every number on this page comes from Google Search Console filtered to Australia. Unless specifically stated otherwise, we report on Australian search performance because that’s where our clients’ customers are. Worldwide numbers would inflate the results, and inflated numbers help nobody make good decisions.
Average position means ALL keywords. When we say average position improved from 42 to 27, that’s the average across every single keyword that site ranks for. Hundreds of them. Sometimes thousands. We don’t cherry-pick the best performers and ignore the rest. You’re only as good as your lowest-ranking keyword, and everything moves together. If we’re doing our job properly, Google expands the keywords, the synonyms, and the search terms you appear for as it recognises your site deserves to be there.
This is a process of proving to Google that your website should be the one people see when they search for what you offer. That proof builds over months, not days. It’s why consistency matters more than any single tactic.
Why SEO and Google Ads Work Better Together
We don’t recommend running Google Ads without SEO. The two have a symbiotic relationship that most businesses miss.
Google Ads fills the gaps where your SEO hasn’t reached yet. You’re paying to appear for the searches you haven’t earned organically. But those paid visits do more than generate leads directly. When someone clicks your ad and completes their search on your site, that signals to Google that your site satisfied the searcher. We call this a completed search session, and it’s one of the strongest signals you can send. That signal helps your organic rankings.
So Google Ads doesn’t just fill gaps… it actively helps your SEO by proving to Google that your site deserves to rank for those terms.
As your SEO builds and you start ranking organically for more terms, you can pull back your ad spend on those keywords and redirect it to the terms where you still need coverage. The result: your total cost per lead drops over time while your visibility keeps growing. Running only one is leaving results on the table. Both together compound each other’s effectiveness.
Want to understand how SEO and Google Ads would work together for your business? Talk to us and we’ll map it out for you.