When the client came to us, they wanted a website redesign. What we found during the audit was a deeper problem. Most service pages had duplicate content, overlapping keyword targets, and zero differentiation between pages. Before any SEO campaign could work, the foundation had to be rebuilt correctly.
Project Snapshot
| Client | Locksmith Dundee |
| Location | Dundee, Scotland, UK |
| Website | locksmithdundee.scot |
| Industry | Local locksmith and security services |
| Services Delivered | Website redesign, keyword research, keyword cannibalization fix, full service page content rewrite, new service page creation, on-page SEO, FAQ and AEO optimization |
| Campaign Duration | Short-term project (May 2025 to August 2025) |
| Results Period | Verified via Google Search Console, August 2025 |
The Problem: A Redesign Request That Revealed a Bigger Issue
Locksmith Dundee is a genuine, well-reviewed local locksmith serving Dundee and surrounding areas including St Andrews, Forfar, Arbroath, Cupar, and Coupar Angus. The business had real customers, strong Google reviews, and a clear service offering. What it did not have was a website that could translate any of that into organic search visibility.
The client initially approached us for a website redesign. During the audit we identified that the site’s SEO problems went beyond design. The existing service pages were actively working against each other.
Here is what the audit found:
- Multiple service pages targeting the same or near-identical keywords with no clear differentiation
- Page content copied and repurposed across services — door lock repair, door lock replacement, and uPVC door repair pages had significant content overlap
- No unique keyword strategy per page — Google could not determine which page to rank for which query
- Missing service pages for high-value searches the business could clearly rank for: auto locksmith, burglary repair, broken key removal, and key cutting
- No FAQ sections on any service page, leaving featured snippet and AEO opportunities completely untapped
- On-page SEO basics missing across most pages: weak title tags, generic meta descriptions, and no schema markup
Keyword cannibalization is a quiet killer for local service sites. When two pages compete for the same query, Google splits its signals between them. Neither page ranks as well as one properly optimized page would. The result is a site that looks active but underperforms in search.
What We Did: The Full Strategy
Step 1 — Full Keyword and Cannibalization Audit
Before writing a single word of new content, we mapped every existing page against its target keywords. The goal was to identify exactly where pages were competing with each other and where there were gaps the business was not covering at all.
The audit gave us two clear lists. First, pages that needed to be rewritten with a distinct keyword focus. Second, search terms with clear commercial intent that had no page targeting them. Both lists informed the entire content strategy that followed.
Step 2 — Full Service Page Content Rewrite
Every existing service page was rewritten from scratch. Not edited. Rewritten. Each page needed its own specific keyword target, its own unique content angle, and its own internal linking purpose within the site.
The rewrite covered all core service pages:
- Emergency Lockout
- Door Lock Repair
- Door Lock Replacement
- uPVC Door Repair
- Patio Door Repair
- Window Lock Repair
- New Lock Fitting
- Key Fob Copying
Each page was written to answer one specific search intent. A person searching “door lock repair Dundee” has a different need from someone searching “door lock replacement Dundee.” Those are two separate buying decisions. They needed two clearly differentiated pages, not two versions of the same content.
Step 3 — New Service Pages Built From Keyword Research
The client wanted four new service pages. We did the keyword research first and then built each page around what local searchers in Dundee were actually typing into Google.
The four new pages created were:
- Auto Locksmith Dundee — targeting vehicle lockout and car key replacement searches in the Dundee area
- Burglary Repair Service — targeting post-break-in emergency repair searches, a high-urgency query with strong commercial intent
- Broken Key Removal — targeting a specific problem search with almost no local competition
- Key Cutting Dundee — targeting a high-frequency, low-complexity query that drives consistent footfall-equivalent traffic
Each new page followed the same structure: a clear problem statement, the specific service offered, what the customer gets, and a FAQ section built around real questions people search for.
Step 4 — FAQ Sections and AEO Optimization on Every Page
Every service page, old and new, received a dedicated FAQ section. This was not cosmetic. FAQ sections with properly structured schema markup are one of the most reliable ways for a local service page to appear in Google’s featured snippets and AI Overview results.
Questions were researched from actual search data — the specific things people ask Google when they need a locksmith. Answers were written to be direct, concise, and extractable. That last point matters more than most site owners realize. Google and AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity pull answers from pages that state things clearly. Vague, marketing-heavy content gets ignored. Direct answers to specific questions get cited.
FAQPage schema was implemented on every page to give Google a structured signal about the question-and-answer content on each page.
Step 5 — Full On-Page SEO Across the Site
With the content strategy in place, we completed a full on-page SEO pass across every page on the site. This covered:
- Title tags rewritten for each page with primary keyword and location signal
- Meta descriptions rewritten to drive clicks, not just describe the page
- H1 and H2 structure aligned with keyword clusters per page
- Internal linking built between related service pages to distribute authority and guide crawl paths
- Image alt text added across all pages
- LocalBusiness and Service schema markup implemented site-wide
- URL structure reviewed and cleaned where needed
The Results: What the GSC Data Shows
This was a foundation project, not a long-term retainer campaign. The GSC data reflects the period from May 2025 to August 2025 — roughly four months from the start of work.
| Metric | Result |
| Total organic clicks (campaign period) | 597 |
| Total impressions (campaign period) | 23,100 |
| Average CTR | 2.6% |
| Average position | 19 |
| Campaign type | Foundation and content rebuild, not ongoing SEO retainer |
An average position of 19 across the full keyword set is the expected starting point for a site that has just had its content rebuilt and cannibalization fixed. This is not where the site finishes. It is where it starts from a clean base. Pages need time to settle into their new positions after major content changes. The 23,100 impressions in four months tells you the site is visible. The position trajectory tells you where it is going.
The clicks and impressions graph in GSC shows a consistent pattern through the campaign period with clear spikes on high-intent days. For a local locksmith, a single call from an emergency lockout query can cover a week’s worth of SEO investment. Volume is not the only metric that matters in local service SEO.
Why Keyword Cannibalization Matters More Than Most People Think
Most local business owners have never heard the term keyword cannibalization. Most have a site suffering from it.
It happens naturally. A locksmith builds a page for door lock repair. Then they add door lock replacement. Then uPVC door repair. Each page sounds different. But if the content is written the same way, targets similar phrases, and has no structural differentiation, Google sees three pages competing for the same searches. It ranks all three lower than one well-optimized page would rank.
Fixing this is not complicated. It requires deciding which page owns which keyword, rewriting content to honor that decision, and building internal links that reinforce the hierarchy. That is what we did here. The work is straightforward. The impact on rankings is significant because you stop fighting yourself.
Key Learnings From This Project
1. Audit before you redesign. A redesign without an SEO audit can rebuild a broken structure into a new design and lose whatever rankings existed. The audit comes first. Every time.
2. New pages without keyword research are a waste of budget. The client knew they needed auto locksmith and burglary repair pages. Without keyword research, those pages would have been written around what the client thought customers searched for. Research showed what they actually searched for. That gap matters.
3. FAQ sections are not optional for local service pages in 2025. Google’s AI Overviews and featured snippets pull answers from structured, clearly written FAQ content. A locksmith page without FAQs is leaving answer-box and AI citation opportunities completely uncovered. Competitors who have FAQ schema on their pages are appearing in results yours cannot reach.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is keyword cannibalization and how does it hurt a local business site?
Keyword cannibalization happens when two or more pages on the same website target the same or very similar search queries. Google cannot determine which page is the most relevant, so it splits ranking signals between them. The result is that neither page ranks as well as one properly optimized page would. For a local locksmith site with multiple similar service pages, this is one of the most common reasons for low organic visibility despite having a full site.
How long does it take to see results after a content rebuild?
After major content changes, Google needs time to re-crawl, re-index, and re-evaluate each page. In most cases you start to see ranking movement within 4 to 8 weeks. Full position stabilization for competitive local terms typically takes 3 to 6 months. The Locksmith Dundee GSC data shows consistent impressions and clicks within the first four months of the project, which is a strong signal that the new content structure is being understood and indexed correctly by Google.
Why is average position 19 not a bad result for this type of project?
Average position is a blended metric across all ranking keywords. A site ranking position 1 for its brand name, position 8 for its primary service term, and position 40 for a broader informational term will show an average position somewhere in the middle. For a site that has just had its content rebuilt from scratch, an average position of 19 across hundreds of keywords after four months means the new pages are indexing and beginning to rank. The direction of movement matters more than the absolute number at this stage.
What is AEO and why does it matter for a local locksmith?
AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimization. It refers to structuring your content so that search engines and AI platforms can extract direct answers from your pages to display in featured snippets, AI Overviews, and voice search results. For a local locksmith, someone asking “how much does a locksmith cost in Dundee” or “what should I do if my key breaks in the lock” is a potential customer. If your page has a clear, structured answer to that question with FAQ schema, you can appear at the top of the results page even if your overall domain authority is still growing.
Can the same approach work for other local service businesses?
Yes. Keyword cannibalization, thin service page content, and missing FAQ structure are the three most common SEO problems on local service websites across every industry. Plumbers, electricians, cleaning companies, taxi firms, and tradespeople all tend to build their sites the same way — service pages written quickly with similar content, no real keyword strategy, and no structured content for Google to extract. The fix is the same regardless of the industry. Audit first, define the keyword map, rewrite with clear differentiation, add structured FAQ content, and clean up on-page SEO.
More UK Local SEO Case Studies
This project focused on getting the foundation right before traffic growth could begin. If you want to see what happens after the foundation is built and SEO runs for 7 months, the Das Taxis Scotland SEO case study shows exactly that — a local service business going from near-zero visibility to 893 monthly visitors and 636 ranking keywords.
For a UK-based example of content and technical SEO recovering lost traffic, read the All Landlord Certificates UK SEO case study, where we rebuilt a London property site’s organic traffic from 154 to 721 monthly clicks over 12 months.
Does Your Service Site Have the Same Problems Locksmith Dundee Had?
Duplicate content across service pages, a missing keyword strategy, and no structured FAQ content are fixable problems. They are also extremely common. Most local service websites in the UK have at least two of the three.
I work with local service businesses across the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and the UAE to fix these issues and build organic visibility that compounds over time. Book a free 30-minute consultation and I will tell you exactly what is holding your site back and what the realistic path forward looks like.
Data in this case study is sourced directly from Google Search Console and reflects campaign performance from May to August 2025. Locksmith Dundee is a client of Md Faruk Khan. All portfolio data is shared with the client knowledge and consent.
