WordPress SEO Case Study UK Small Company - Brackenwood
Starting from 7 faint SEO signals to over 600 strategic SERP feature wins, this project shows that when you combine technical discipline with strategic storytelling, SEO results skyrocket in the first 30 days.
Nearly 26 years ago, the Brackenwood domain was registered in 1999. When I was first introduced to the brand in 2023, I was quite astonished to see that the website had accumulated more than 500 live URLs, yet not a single one had been configured with on-page SEO markup. There was no structure, no entity handling, and EEAT signals were starving.
I also went straight to their YouTube channel — a goldmine most brands ignore. I audited their existing content and surfaced the best-performing videos based on organic views and engagement metrics. I then embedded these into relevant service pages, optimising Video SEO at both file and page level. Metadata was aligned with schema markup to create a reinforcing loop between YouTube and the website, enhancing topical relevance and watch time signals.
To give you an idea of scale: we’re talking about a 25-year-old domain that Google barely understood. No structured entity profile, no topical relationships, no connected knowledge graph presence. Within 30 days of optimising those initial 13 URLs, we began seeing noticeable ranking improvements. Not because we chased quick wins, but because we laid the fundamental groundwork: structured data, clean internal linking, semantic anchors, and embedded rich media with schema support.
This entity-led approach acted like giving Google the blueprint to a skyscraper when previously it was wandering around a building site with a blindfold on. Structured data wasn’t just a compliance exercise; it was strategic — each schema type tied into the site’s thematic pillars, accelerating Google’s understanding of who Brackenwood was, what they offered, and where they operated.
Of course, it wasn’t all plain sailing. The first six months felt like moving through treacle: everything needed sign-off through staging environments, with long delays. But by demonstrating performance gains with just those 13 URLs — while the rest of the site remained untouched — I built the trust necessary to push deeper changes through.
By December 2023, we’d scaled schema coverage, tightened topic clusters, reinforced internal linking, optimised critical path pages, and refreshed poorly performing service content. The client confirmed independently that there had been no previous SEO work. What we achieved wasn’t just recovery; it was a first-time, ground-up SEO foundation build on a domain that should have been leading years earlier.
The real triumph here was not chasing easy traffic but building Brackenwood’s entity strength in Google’s knowledge graph, using modern SEO techniques that align structured data, multimedia, semantic signals, and user experience.
April 2023: SERPS Surge and NLP Appeal with Search Intent
April marked the first measurable rise in Brackenwood’s visibility. Google rewarded structured optimisation with improved rankings, fresh inclusion in People Also Ask panels, and Knowledge Panel triggers. Data confirmed a shift towards entity-aware, intent-led queries — a direct result of disciplined topic mapping and content refinement.
1. Breakthrough in People Also Ask Panels
Strategic rewrites aligned page copy with question-based queries. I front-loaded concise answers, used semantically structured headings, and guided Google’s NLP parsing — securing mid-funnel visibility in People Also Ask results for the first time.
2. Strengthened Topic Authority and Entity Signals
Content began ranking for local glazing and product terms. I created a branded glossary, mapped categories to intent, and enforced semantic consistency. Internal links reinforced topic hierarchy across service and blog content, helping Google join the dots.
3. SEO That Speaks Google’s Language
Google started recognising Brackenwood’s who, what, and where. Schema enrichment, user-first phrasing, and anchor logic improved site comprehension. Each post was crafted to inform, guide, and convert — supporting entity clarity and crawl efficiency.
Despite a 1999 domain, April 2023 was the site’s true SEO debut. I replaced “click here” fluff with structured IA and relevant anchor intent. Total SERP Features hit 64 (52 PAA, 1 Image Pack, 5 Knowledge Panels, 6 Local Packs) — proving that clarity, consistency, and care can rebuild trust in an old domain from the ground up.
May, a glorious month, I love UK Bank Holidays
- Total SERP Features: 59
- 48 People Also Ask
- 7 Knowledge Panels
- 4 Local Packs
- Early consolidation.
- Entity mapping began reinforcing Local SEO presence across multiple service locations.
June 2023
Total SERP Features: 59
48 People Also Ask
7 Knowledge Panels
4 Local Packs
Technical work:
VideoObject schema manually implemented on priority service pages.
Continued strengthening internal topical clusters for windows, doors, and conservatories.
July 2023
Total SERP Features: 47
37 People Also Ask
6 Knowledge Panels
4 Local Packs
Insight:
Seasonal impact visible (July holiday period).
YouTube SEO traffic began feeding into on-page SEO via smart embeds.
August 2023
Total SERP Features: 45
35 People Also Ask
6 Knowledge Panels
4 Local Packs
August 2023 SERP Features: SEO Success Continues
August 2023: When the Algorithm Took Notice
By August 2023, the Brackenwood domain demonstrated accelerated SERP visibility growth, directly correlating with sustained on-page optimisation, rewritten internal linking structure, and strategic deployment of entity-led SEO. Operating as a solo SEO practitioner, I had laid the semantic groundwork. The data shows three key signals:
1. Surge in Organic Traffic and Keyword Spread
SEMRush traffic data shows a jump to 3,207 organic visits, with a stabilised keyword footprint of over 3,000 indexed phrases across transactional, informational, and branded queries. The proportional increase in Top 10 keyword positions followed the introduction of structured, long-form, topic-clustered content. This indicates successful content pruning and expansion based on user intent, movement from shallow boilerplate copy to informational depth, and keyword cannibalisation resolved via intelligent internal anchor mapping.
2. SERP Feature Acquisition and Rich Result Activation
August reflects a crucial milestone: the appearance of People Also Ask boxes, image packs, and early signs of entity panel associations. These features emerge from schema-enhanced pages, optimised headings, and natural language answers that directly serve searcher task completion. The rise in SERP features supports embedded FAQPage, VideoObject, and Product schemas, robust use of semantic triples through NLP-aware phrasing, and higher entity confidence scores via brand association repetition and contextual disambiguation.
3. Entity and Topic-Based Strategy Alignment
Every blog post I updated or created was expanded to include a company-specific thesaurus, targeting geo-modified and service-specific key terms. These were ontologically aligned with the business vertical and user journey stages. The internal linking formed a semantic lattice, reinforcing topical relevance between content hubs. This strategy included using ChatGPT Pro to model competitor entity graphs, rewriting content to include predicate-rich phrasing (“Glazed Windows that improve energy efficiency and kerb appeal“), and creating link flows that mimicked semantic proximity, not just hierarchy.
September 2023
Total SERP Features: 50
40 People Also Ask
4 Knowledge Panels
6 Local Packs
Achievement:
Re-acceleration post-August holidays.
Surge in Knowledge Panel solidification for branded search terms.
October 2023
Total SERP Features (Estimate): Over 200
Major expansion in People Also Ask, Image Pack, and Local Pack appearances.
Turning Point:
Rich snippets and AI Overview feature entry.
Rapid acceleration due to topical authority building in “double glazing” and “home improvement” clusters.
November 2023
Final Recorded SERP Features: Over 600
607 individual SERP Feature appearances tracked.
Dramatic scaling across Sitelinks, Reviews, Image packs, People Also Ask, Knowledge Panels, Local Packs, and initial AI Overview signals.
End-of-project impact:
10x increase in SERP feature ownership.
Entity validation complete: Brackenwood established as a recognised local and topical authority in Google’s Knowledge Graph.
Summary of Growth
| Month | SERP Features | Key Feature Wins |
|---|---|---|
| March 2023 | 7 | Mainly Image Pack |
| April 2023 | 64 | Entry into People Also Ask |
| May 2023 | 59 | Growth in Knowledge Panels |
| June 2023 | 59 | Video SEO Schema live |
| July 2023 | 47 | YouTube SEO support started |
| August 2023 | 45 | Mid-year consolidation |
| September 2023 | 50 | Knowledge Panel dominance |
| October 2023 | 200+ | Featured Snippets appearing |
| November 2023 | 600+ | Full Entity SEO validation |
In closing, what I delivered at Brackenwood wasn’t just optimisation; it was strategic entity positioning through Structured Data orchestration, Video SEO integration, and rigorous UX-first design principles. It’s a model that works, and it’s scalable.
I repositioned Brackenwood’s entire digital presence inside Google’s knowledge ecosystem. Structured Data wasn’t a technical afterthought; it was the architecture that turned Brackenwood from invisible to unavoidable.”
YouTube Channel and Video SEO on-page Content
The domain had an absence of YouTube videos as supporting on-page content on SEO articles. Internal linking had poor anchor text, repeatedly using ‘click here’ and ‘read more’ with zero VideoObject markup for videos. Systematically, I revived the internal linking architecture wherever possible, a never ending task for just one pair of hands. At every opportunity I rewrote anchor text to map semantic meaning across topically related pages.
Each link was calibrated to send the strongest possible topical authority signal back into the entity model I was building around Brackenwood Windows as a regional leader in home improvements.
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Nina Payne, Strategic SEO Consultant
Focus on Key Metrics: Imagine you’re sifting through a jewellery box; you’d only pick up the gems, right? Same here. Only pick up the data that truly matters to your business. Maybe it’s sales numbers, or perhaps it’s customer visits to your website.
Segment Data using YouTube short form vs Long Form: Here we divide and conquer. Using the data I can see which videos are best performing each week. This could be a product type or one of the many genuine customer reviews. This helps you understand your business in chunks, not as an overwhelming whole.
Brackenwood.com SERP Features SEO Wins (Data from March 2023 – November 2023)
Introduction: Strategic Visibility for a Dormant Domain
Logging into WordPress confirmed a lack of basic SEO hygiene. No useful ALT text, poor internal linking, generic anchors, and no image optimisation. Headers missed keyphrases, while pillar pages had spelling errors. A static catchment map on the contact page blocked both accessibility and search interpretation. On YouTube, the brand’s video presence lacked metadata, schema, or page anchors. Branded keywords dominated, while topical and regional terms were absent.
Despite ad spend, the brand’s digital funnel had no search foundation. GPT Pro was already in my toolkit — supporting schema generation, SERP simulation, and content scaffolding. My task: turn a static legacy site into an SEO-performing digital asset.
When I joined in March 2023, the domain had just seven SERP features — all Image Pack entries.
No People Also Ask visibility. No Local Pack triggers. Schema was absent. Google’s understanding of the brand’s structure, location, and services was minimal. Crawl logic was fragmented. UX was disconnected from conversion flow, and product pages were detached from user search behaviour. I was brought in to demonstrate visible, structured growth. The remit was clear: create schema structure, define UX alignment, and rebuild search intent from the ground up.
I benchmarked the site’s presence and prioritised thirteen high-value pages for rewrites, schema, and internal link improvement. LocalBusiness schema was deployed sitewide. Metadata was restructured, with NLP-informed phrasing across service and location pages. The homepage was re-scoped with SXO principles to reinforce clarity, speed, and thematic focus.
This was a full-stack solo project with no dev backlog and no agency layer. Over six months, structured data implementation, crawl optimisation, and strategic content modelling yielded measurable SERP gains — confirmed via GSC, crawl logs, and feature acquisition growth. SEO here wasn’t guesswork. It was process-led, entity-driven, and executed with precision.
Futureproof for seasonal trends. There’s a clean annual pattern for the traffic fluctuations in the home improvement industry. Weekend traffic always produced the highest volume of new leads. That’s a valuable insight! It’s like noting that your mood lifts when you spend more time outdoors.
