Grey-Smith Legal is a modern law firm serving clients across the North East of England. With offices in Saltburn, Redcar, and Guisborough, the team offers a full range of legal services with a focus on clarity, trust, and professionalism.
When they approached Outrank, they were already an established presence offline, but they wanted to achieve the same visibility in search. Their challenge? Location pages that lacked focus and weren’t ranking for key local search terms. That’s where we stepped in.
The Visibility Challenge: Getting Seen in Local Legal Searches
Grey-Smith Legal needed to improve their online presence for high-intent local queries, particularly those around terms such as “solicitors [location]”. These are competitive terms, often dominated by large directory sites or national firms with aggressive ad spend.
Although Grey-Smith Legal had location-based service pages in place, many were not fully optimised for SEO. Common issues included:
- Weak keyword targeting and missing semantic variations
- No clear structure for search engines or users
- Overlapping content that didn’t differentiate between locations
- Lack of internal linking between service and location pages
- Pages stuck beyond page one for relevant search terms
They needed a clear, content-led SEO strategy that would bring their legal expertise to the forefront and move key pages into strong organic positions.
The SEO Strategy: Precision Keyword Targeting and Content Restructuring
We started with in-depth keyword research. This revealed dozens of search terms being used by people looking for solicitors in Grey-Smith Legal’s target areas, including:
- Solicitors Saltburn
- Solicitors Redcar
- Solicitors Guisborough
- Solicitors Hartlepool
- Solicitors Middlesbrough
This is just a small example of the terms we researched
Using this data, we mapped primary and secondary keywords to each location page. This allowed us to avoid duplication while aligning each page with actual user search intent.
What We Delivered:
- Re-optimised page titles and meta descriptions using keyword-rich, click-worthy language
- New H1s and H2s that answered specific user-facing questions (e.g. “What legal services do we offer in Guisborough?”)
- Full on-page rewrites with:
- Clear structure
- Short paragraphs
- Active voice
- Second-person tone
- Semantic keyword integration without keyword stuffing
- Internal links pointing to service pages such as:
We also ensured every location page followed Google’s E-E-A-T principles, with a tone that reflected Grey-Smith Legal’s professionalism and community connection.
The Results: More Keywords Captured, More Page One Positions Secured
Within weeks of launching the reworked pages, we saw clear SEO improvements across key areas:
✔ New keyword coverage
All optimised pages began ranking for new long-tail and localised terms. For example, “solicitors Saltburn” and “property solicitor in Redcar” were previously untracked—now, they sit comfortably on the first page.
✔ Page one movement
Several key location pages moved to the top 10, including:
- Solicitors in Hartlepool
- Solicitors in Guisborough
- Solicitors in Saltburn
This translated into increased impressions and traffic for high-intent local terms with strong conversion potential. Some of these keywords had also previously never ranked, while others have climbed several pages.
✔ Better engagement
With clearer structure and more relevant content, users spent longer on each page and were more likely to click through to contact Grey-Smith Legal.
Why the Strategy Worked: Clarity, Local Relevance, and Consistency
There are three main reasons why this project delivered results:
- Hyper-local relevance: Each page spoke directly to the location it was targeting. It wasn’t just a template—every town had its own narrative and keyword targeting strategy.
- User-first content: We wrote for people, not just search engines. Every heading answered a real question, every paragraph served a purpose, and the tone stayed clear, helpful, and direct.
- Technical consistency: Titles, meta data, schema, internal links, and CTAs were all aligned. This made it easier for Google to understand the structure of the site and reward well-organised pages.
What Grey-Smith Legal Gained Beyond Rankings
This wasn’t just about traffic; it was about visibility where it counts. Grey-Smith Legal now appears prominently in search results for the exact terms potential clients use when looking for legal support nearby.
Their team has reported increased local enquiries, especially in towns that previously showed little organic traction. They also now have a content framework in place that can be applied to future service expansions or geographic targets.
What Other Businesses Can Learn from This Project
If you rely on local footfall or community trust, your SEO needs to reflect that. Here’s what you can take away from this project:
- Local SEO is content-driven – Optimising location pages is still one of the best ways to dominate local search
- One-size doesn’t fit all – Every location needs its own strategy, keywords, and user-first writing
- SEO results compound over time – Rankings, clicks, and conversions all improve when you build strong foundations
Ready to Dominate Local Search Like Grey-Smith Legal?
Whether you’re a law firm, trades business, healthcare provider, or any service-based company, the right local SEO strategy brings real business results.
At Outrank, we specialise in delivering location-based SEO that gets seen and gets action. Speak to our team today, and let’s build your next page one win.