Case Study 02 · The Infrastructure Story

DA 33 to 47.
197 linking domains.
83% map pack coverage.

What 15 months of deliberate local SEO infrastructure actually builds — layer by layer, metric by metric. Not a shortcut. A foundation that compounds.

47
Domain Authority
197
Linking Domains
83%
Pack Coverage
The Starting Point

You have probably been
promised page 1 in 30 days.

That promise is not false because agencies are dishonest. It is false because it misunderstands how local search actually works. Domain authority cannot be faked. Citation consistency cannot be rushed. Map pack positions require a foundation before they will hold.

When this engagement began in November 2024, the digital infrastructure for this venue was at its starting point. Domain Authority of 33 — below the market average. No managed citations. No map pack presence on any of the high-intent search terms a new customer would actually use. The Google Business Profile had not been optimised since it was created.

None of this was unusual. Most premium restaurants are in exactly this position. The product and the team come first — understandably. The digital layer gets built later, or not at all. The problem is that competitors who built theirs first are now the default answer when someone in your area searches for what you serve.

The question was not whether the infrastructure could be built. It could. The question was whether the owner understood that building it correctly takes a specific sequence, and that the sequence takes time — not because anyone is moving slowly, but because Google measures trust over months, not days.

DA 33
Domain authority at the
start of engagement · Nov 2024
Domain Authority33 / 100
Competitor DA average~29 DA
Managed citationsnone
Map pack positionsnone
Linking domains104
GBP optimisationnot done
Google Maps embeds0
Real brand strength with no digital infrastructure underneath it. Every potential new customer who searches instead of walks past is invisible to this venue.
What Got Built

Three layers.
Each one depends on the one below.

This is the part most agencies skip because clients want the top layer immediately. You cannot build authority on top of inconsistent citation data. You cannot hold map pack positions without authority underneath them. The sequence is not slow — it is correct.

Layer 01 · Foundation
Nov 2024 – Jan 2025
✓ Complete
Citations &
Signal Consistency
Google checks whether your business data is consistent across independent sources before deciding how much to trust it. One incorrect postcode on five directories creates a conflict that suppresses everything built on top. This layer fixes the foundation — not because it is exciting, but because nothing holds without it.
50+
Citations filed
35
Maps embed backlinks
Full
GBP rebuilt
10
Keywords tracked
GBP profile views begin rising within 6–8 weeks. DA trajectory established upward.
Layer 02 · Authority
Feb – Jul 2025
✓ Complete
Domain &
Link Authority
With citation consistency established, linking domains can be built on top. Each referring domain is an independent trust signal — from food media, hospitality publications, and local directories. DA 47 against a competitor average of ~29 is not a small gap. It is the gap that determines who wins in the map pack.
104197
Linking domains
+86%
Followed links growth
3347
Domain Authority
#1
DA in competitive set
DA 47 confirmed — highest in city centre competitive set. Map pack positions begin emerging.
Layer 03 · Coverage
Aug 2025 – ongoing
→ Active
Map Pack
Positions & Hold
Authority converts into local pack positions. Top-3 on 4 of 5 tracked high-intent terms. 83.3% local pack coverage. Positions are monitored weekly — competitors who keep building will close the gap if the work stops.
83%
Local pack coverage
4/5
Terms in top-3
+20pt
Covers vs market
Wkly
Position monitoring
Cover growth outperforming local city-centre market by 20 points. All monitored positions held.
All the Numbers

Every metric.
Start to present.

The complete picture — from the starting state audit in November 2024 to current positions. All figures from the venue's own accounts or verified third-party tools.

Linking Domains
197
Up from 104 at start
+89% growth. Each is an independent trust signal in Google's local ranking model.
Followed Links
+86%
Growth across engagement
Followed links carry full link equity. Only links from credible, editorially independent sources qualify.
Citations Filed
50+
Directories with correct NAP data
Google, Apple Maps, Bing, TripAdvisor, Yelp, Foursquare, and 45+ niche directories.
Maps Embed Backlinks
35
Built from zero
A specific map-pack authority signal weighted directly by Google's local algorithm.
Local Pack Coverage
83%
Top-3 on 4 of 5 tracked terms
The three positions that capture the majority of local clicks. Previously: zero positions.
Keywords Monitored
10
Desktop, mobile & maps
Weekly tracking across all surfaces. Movements flagged before they affect bookings.
Nov 2024
✓ Complete
Engagement begins — DA 33, zero citations managed, zero map pack positions
Full technical audit. Competitor DA baseline established (~29 average). Citation errors identified across 12+ directories. GBP last updated years prior.
Audit complete
Dec 2024
✓ Complete
50+ citation campaign complete. 35 Maps embeds live. GBP fully rebuilt.
NAP data consistent across all major directories. GBP categories, attributes, photos, and description rebuilt. Rank tracking live on 10 keywords.
Foundation layer complete
Feb 2025
✓ Complete
Link acquisition programme begins. DA trajectory confirmed upward.
Targeted outreach to food media, hospitality publications, local directories. Duplicate listing suppression initiated. Second citation campaign targeting data aggregators.
Jul 2025
✓ Complete
DA 47 confirmed. 197 linking domains. Highest DA in competitive set.
Authority gap: +18 DA points above market average of ~29. Followed links +86%. Competitor monitoring added monthly.
Authority layer complete
Aug 2025
✓ Complete
Map pack positions consolidate. Top-3 on 3 of 5 tracked terms. Cover growth positive.
Weekly rank monitoring active. Cover growth turns positive and remains positive through year end. 20-point outperformance vs local city-centre market.
Coverage layer complete
Now
→ Active
83.3% pack coverage. Trust Flow programme active. Discovery expansion underway.
TF target: 30+ (currently 17). NAP citation score improving toward 75+. Meta title optimisation queued — /reservation/ page at 124,500+ impressions, 1.15% CTR.
Active — ongoing
Current Positions

83% local pack
coverage — from zero.

The map pack is the three results at the top of local searches — above organic results, above paid ads. They capture the majority of clicks from people who are ready to book right now.

Pos.
Search term
Rank
Pack?
#1
premium city-centre venue Dublin
Branded
#1
✓ Pack
#2
Best steak Dawson Street
High-intent local
#2
✓ Pack
#3
Steakhouse near me
Discovery — high intent
#3
✓ Pack
#4
Fine dining city centre
Category — competitive
#4
✓ Pack
5+
Restaurant Dublin city centre
Broad — improving
5+
Not yet
83%
Local pack coverage on tracked terms
0
Pack positions at start of engagement
Why This Matters

The map pack is where
the decision happens.

When someone searches "steakhouse near me" on a Friday evening they are not browsing. They are choosing. The three venues in the pack are their options. Everything below it is an afterthought.

1
Pack positions capture the majority of local search clicks
Organic results below the map pack receive a fraction of the traffic. If you are on page 1 but not in the pack, you are visible but not in the decision set.
2
Pack positions require authority to hold — not just to reach
A venue with DA 33 and unmanaged citations cannot hold a pack position against higher-authority competitors. The infrastructure built in layers 1 and 2 is what makes layer 3 sustainable.
3
The gap compounds in both directions
A venue that keeps building widens the gap every month competitors stand still. A venue that stops monitoring will start losing positions quietly — long before it shows in cover counts.
What this demonstrates
The infrastructure works
if the sequence is followed.
The metrics above are verifiable — domain authority, citation count, linking domains, map pack positions. All auditable through third-party tools any prospect can run themselves. The sequence took 15 months because that is how long it takes to build this properly. Not because anything was delayed.
What this does not claim
The infrastructure is not
the whole story.
Digital infrastructure drives visibility. It does not improve the food, train the staff, or manage the service. The cover growth and revenue figures in this engagement reflect a strong restaurant with strong infrastructure underneath it. One without the other produces a different result.
See where you stand

What does your
infrastructure
actually look like?

A 15-minute audit call gives you your domain authority, citation score, and map pack coverage against your competitive set. You leave with the full picture — whether we work together or not.

15-minute call. No pitch. No commitment.