SEO Case Study: Digital Agency Bangkok Builds Authority for The London Keloid Scar Clinic
Executive Summary
London Keloid Scar Clinic is a specialist Harley Street clinic providing keloid scar treatment and cosmetic dermatology services.
After Digital Agency Bangkok (DAB) began work in December 2025, a six-month SEO, AEO, and GEO strategy restored the site's organic visibility after the loss of 56 high-performing pages, meeting or exceeding all key KPIs
| Metric | Dec 2025 (Baseline) | May 2026 | Growth |
| Organic Clicks (monthly) | ~182 | 1,510 | +730% |
| Monthly Impressions | ~13,900 | 156,000 | +1,022% |
| Click-Through Rate | 1.3% | 1.0%* | Expanding |
| Average Position | 8.8 | 9.1 | Broader coverage |
| Organic Keywords | 65 | 213 | +228% |
| Domain Rating (DR) | 5 | 51 | +920% |
| Referring Domains | 144 | 271 | +88% |
| AI Citations (Google AIO) | 10 | 19 | +90% |
| Website Health Score | 90 | 93 | Maintained |
Performance before
Performance after
Client & Challenge
About The London Keloid Scar Clinic
London Keloid Scar Clinic is one of the UK's leading specialist clinics for keloid scar treatment, operating from Harley Street in central London. The clinic offers a range of treatment modalities including:
- Surgical keloid removal
- Intralesional steroid (triamcinolone) injections
- 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) combination therapy
- Pulsed dye laser treatment
- Natural and holistic aftercare support
The clinic primarily targets patients in the United Kingdom (52% of traffic) and the United States (39%), with growing interest from Australia, Canada, and South Africa. The patient journey is driven almost entirely by organic search — paid advertising accounted for zero spend throughout the campaign period.
The London Keloid Scar Clinic -https://londonkeloidscarclinic.co.uk/
Starting Position (December 2025)
The website's technical foundation was strong, but its organic search profile had been severely damaged by the deletion of 56 previously high-performing pages before DAB's engagement began:
| Metric | Baseline Value | Context |
| Health Score | 90 / 100 | Technically sound; 4 broken links, 1 blocked page |
| Domain Rating (DR) | 5 / 100 | Very low authority vs competitors |
| Referring Domains | 144 | Strongest: psychreg.org (DR 73) |
| Organic Clicks | 182 | Google Search Console trailing period |
| Organic Impressions | 13,900 | Low visibility for a specialist clinic |
| Organic Keywords | 65 (281 total) | Mostly informational, few transactional |
| Average Position | 8.8 | Few pages appearing on page 1 |
| AI Citations (Google) | 10 pages | Zero on Perplexity, Gemini, ChatGPT, Copilot |
| CTA Conversions | Baseline not tracked | Smart event tracking established at onboarding |
The core challenge was threefold: restore the lost organic authority from 56 deleted pages, rebuild topical relevance in a YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) medical niche where Google applies heightened scrutiny, and simultaneously position the site for emerging AI-driven search surfaces where competitor presence was effectively zero.
Strategy
DAB designed a three-pillar framework — SEO (traditional search recovery and growth), AEO (AI answer engine optimisation), and GEO (generative engine discoverability) — executed in parallel rather than sequentially. Given the YMYL classification of medical content, Google's E-E-A-T framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) was woven throughout every content and technical decision.
SEO — Traditional Search Engine Optimisation
Page Recovery Programme
The immediate priority was recreating the 56 deleted pages at their original URLs, preserving legacy URL structures to allow Google to restore historical ranking signals. Each page was rebuilt with:
- Original URL paths maintained exactly
- Updated, clinically accurate content targeting the original keyword intent
- Schema markup appropriate to medical service pages (MedicalCondition, MedicalProcedure, FAQPage)
- Internal links reintegrated across the site to reconnect the restored pages to the topic graph
The restoration strategy produced measurable results from April 2026 onwards, with Google re-crawling and re-evaluating restored content aggressively — contributing significantly to the 80%+ impression surge recorded in May 2026.
Keyword Strategy
The keyword universe was expanded beyond the original 65 ranked terms to cover the full patient journey — from early-stage informational queries ('what is a keloid', 'ingrown hair scar') through to high-intent treatment and booking searches ('keloid removal london', 'keloid injection price', 'cheap keloid removal near me'). Priority keyword clusters included:
- Condition education: keloid meaning, keloid on ear, ingrown hair keloid
- Treatment discovery: keloid surgery, keloid treatment london, new keloid treatment 2025
- Location + service: keloid removal london, keloid removal near me, london keloid scar clinic
- Commercial: keloid injection price, keloid removal uk, scalp keloid removal
By May 2026, the site ranked for 213 organic keywords — a 228% increase from the 65-keyword baseline.
Content Development
New articles were published targeting high-search-volume informational and commercial queries, with each piece structured to answer specific patient questions comprehensively. Published titles during the campaign included:
- Keloid Scar: What It Is, Symptoms, Treatment & Removal (07 May 2026)
- Piercing Bump vs. Keloid: How to Tell the Difference (12 May 2026)
- Acne Keloidalis Nuchae: Diagnosis and Treatment (15 May 2026)
Internal Linking & Site Architecture
With a Domain Rating of 5 and limited external backlink growth opportunities in the short term, internal authority distribution became the primary mechanism for PageRank flow. DAB implemented systematic internal linking across restored pages, new articles, and existing treatment and service pages — ensuring no content sat as an isolated orphan page, and that commercial conversion pages received maximum internal authority.
Technical SEO
Technical improvements across the campaign period included:
- Reduction of broken links (from 4 to 2)
- Resolution of blocked page issues
- Title tag and meta description optimisation for high-impression, low-CTR pages
- Image alt text completion across treatment and blog pages
- Schema implementation: FAQPage, MedicalCondition, MedicalProcedure, LocalBusiness
- Sitemap health and indexation monitoring throughout
AEO — Answer Engine Optimisation
AEO focuses on structuring content so that AI-powered answer surfaces — Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini — confidently cite the site as an authoritative medical source. In a YMYL niche like dermatology and cosmetic surgery, AI engines apply stricter sourcing criteria, making structured, clinically accurate, entity-rich content essential.
DAB implemented the following AEO measures:
- FAQ schema added to all key treatment and condition pages, directly feeding Google's AI Overview summaries
- Content rewritten around grounding queries — the specific questions AI engines use when constructing answers about keloid treatment, causes, and removal options
- Entity-based content development: articles consistently defined and contextualised core medical concepts (what is a keloid, how steroid injections work, difference between keloid and hypertrophic scar)
- Clinical citations and external references embedded within articles to signal credibility to AI evaluators
- E-E-A-T signals strengthened through author credentials, clinic credentials, and treatment outcome references
By May 2026, the site appeared in 19 Google AI Overviews (up from 10), with citation presence established across additional AI surfaces for the first time.
GEO — Generative Engine Optimisation
GEO is the practice of making a website machine-readable and discoverable by AI agents and crawlers operating beyond traditional search engine bots. DAB implemented a suite of emerging AI discovery standards:
- FAQ schema and structured data additions to key landing pages
- AI readiness optimisation ensuring content was parseable by large language model crawlers
- Robots.txt and crawl budget configuration to welcome AI-specific bots
- Page structure and content density optimised for zero-click AI answer consumption
- Internal content graph strengthened to improve topical coherence for AI evaluation systems
These measures positioned London Keloid Scar Clinic as an early mover in AI-native discoverability within the UK dermatology and cosmetic clinic space — a differentiated advantage as AI search traffic continues to grow.
Execution Timeline
| Month | Key Activities | Milestone |
| Dec 2025 | Site audit, baseline reporting, keyword mapping, smart event tracking setup, GEO infrastructure | Zero-point baseline established; 182 clicks, 13.9K impressions |
| Jan 2026 | Page recovery begins; 56 deleted URLs recreated; internal linking framework; AEO schema implementation | Google begins re-crawling restored pages |
| Feb 2026 | Content batch published; technical SEO fixes; meta optimisation; AI discovery endpoints live | Impressions begin growing; keyword base expanding |
| Mar 2026 | Additional pages restored; on-page optimisation; FAQ schema deployed; topical cluster mapping | Rankings recovery visible in Google Search Console |
| Apr 2026 | Topical cluster build-out; content expansion; CTR optimisation for high-impression queries | Traffic inflection point — clicks trending upward |
| May 2026 | 3 new articles published; site revamp underway; further content paused pending relaunch; AI visibility growth | 1,510 clicks (+730%), 156K impressions (+1,022%), 108 book events, 129 quote requests |
Latest Results
Organic Search (SEO)
| KPI | Dec 2025 Baseline | May 2026 | Growth |
| Organic Clicks (28 days) | 182 | 1,510 | +730% |
| Monthly Impressions | 13,900 | 156,000 | +1,022% |
| Click-Through Rate | 1.3% | 1.0%* | Dilution from scale |
| Average Position | 8.8 | 9.1 | Broader keyword base |
| Organic Keywords | 65 | 213 | +228% |
| Domain Rating (DR) | 5 | 51 | +920% |
| Referring Domains | 144 | 271 | +88% |
* CTR dilution is expected and healthy during rapid keyword base expansion. The blended average naturally shifts when hundreds of newly indexed pages begin ranking across a wider query set.
Top Performing Pages (Last 28 Days to May 27, 2026)
- Keloid Removal London from £150 — Harley Street Clinic (Homepage) — 506 clicks
- How to Get Rid of Keloid Scar from Ingrown Hair — 194 clicks (+31%)
- Keloid Treatment Recovery: Your Complete Aftercare Guide for 2025 — 115 clicks (+14%)
- How to get rid of a keloid scar on the vagina, vulva, and pubic area — 103 clicks (+442%)
- Exercise and Keloids: Staying Active While Managing Your Condition — 60 clicks (+15%)
Top Trending Queries (Biggest Growth)
- ear keloid — +3,400% (34 additional clicks)
- keloid on ear — +2,800% (56 additional clicks on page)
- how to prevent keloid on ear piercing — +1,800% (36 additional clicks)
- cheap keloid removal — +350% (7 additional clicks)
- how to flatten keloid scars naturally — +150% (6 additional clicks)
Lead Generation & CTA Performance
Smart event tracking was configured at the start of the campaign to measure all meaningful conversion signals across the patient journey. The results between last month (April 2026) and this month (May 2026) showed strong growth across every tracked CTA:
| Conversion Event | April 2026 (Last Month) | May 2026 (This Month) | Growth |
| Outbound Click | 81 sessions | 224 sessions | +177% |
| Request Quote | 68 sessions | 129 sessions | +90% |
| Book | 50 sessions | 108 sessions | +116% |
| Show More | 45 sessions | 90 sessions | +100% |
| Contact Us | 30 sessions | 87 sessions | +190% |
| Submit Form | 25 sessions | 41 sessions | +64% |
| Upload | 4 sessions | 12 sessions | +200% |
The Book and Request Quote events — the two highest-intent CTAs directly tied to patient appointments — both more than doubled month-on-month, confirming that organic traffic growth is translating into genuine business leads, not merely informational visits.
Answer Engine Results (AEO)
AI citation presence grew across the campaign period, with the site now appearing in AI-generated summaries across multiple platforms:
| AI Platform | Dec 2025 Baseline | May 2026 | Notes |
| Google AI Overviews | 10 (8 pages) | 19 (9 pages) | +90% citation growth |
| ChatGPT | 0 pages | 0 pages | Growing with content depth |
| Perplexity | 0 pages | 2 pages | First citations recorded |
| Gemini | 0 pages | 0 pages | Targeted in next phase |
| Microsoft Copilot | 0 pages | 0 pages | GEO infrastructure live |
| Grok | 0 pages | 10 (5 pages) | Strong first appearance |
The appearance of the clinic in Grok and Perplexity results for the first time validates the AEO and GEO strategy, as these platforms index independently from Google. Grok's 10 citations across 5 pages is a particularly strong early result in the AI-native discovery space.
Website Health & Authority
| AI Platform | Dec 2025 Baseline | May 2026 | Notes |
| Google AI Overviews | 10 (8 pages) | 19 (9 pages) | +90% citation growth |
| ChatGPT | 0 pages | 0 pages | Growing with content depth |
| Perplexity | 0 pages | 2 pages | First citations recorded |
| Gemini | 0 pages | 0 pages | Targeted in next phase |
| Microsoft Copilot | 0 pages | 0 pages | GEO infrastructure live |
| Grok | 0 pages | 10 (5 pages) | Strong first appearance |
The appearance of the clinic in Grok and Perplexity results for the first time validates the AEO and GEO strategy, as these platforms index independently from Google. Grok's 10 citations across 5 pages is a particularly strong early result in the AI-native discovery space.
Website Health & Authority
| Metric | Dec 2025 | April 2026 (Last Month) | May 2026 (This Month) |
| Health Score | 90 | 93 (+3) | 93 (stable) |
| Domain Rating (DR) | 5 | 60 (Apr) | 51 (recalibrated) |
| Referring Domains | 144 | 164 (+20) | 271 (+107) |
| Backlinks (current) | 346 | — | 929 |
| Organic Keywords | 65 | 83 (Apr) | 213 |
| Organic Traffic Value | $316 | $309 (Apr) | $511 |
| Crawled Pages | 359 | 383 | 383 |
The referring domain count jumping from 164 to 271 in a single month — an increase of 107 unique linking domains — is a significant backlink acquisition milestone that will compound domain authority growth over coming months.
Traffic by Location
The geographic spread of organic traffic showed a marked shift toward the UK — the clinic's primary commercial market — between April and May 2026:
| Country | April 2026 Traffic | Share | May 2026 Traffic | Share |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 226 | 62.3% | 659 | 71.2% |
| United States (US) | 129 | 35.5% | 256 | 27.6% |
| Australia (AU) | 0 | 0% | 3 | 0.3% |
| Canada (CA) | 0 | 0% | 2 | 0.2% |
| South Africa (ZA) | — | — | 2 | 0.2% |
UK traffic nearly tripled month-on-month (226 to 659 visits), while UK organic keywords expanded from 41 to 100 — reflecting the restoration strategy successfully recovering rankings for locally relevant treatment queries.
Performance vs Projected KPIs
| KPI | Expected | Actual (May 2026) | Outcome |
| Click Growth | Gradual recovery | +730% vs baseline | Exceeded |
| Impression Growth | Gradual recovery | +1,022% vs baseline | Exceeded |
| Organic Keywords | Expand gradually | 213 (+228%) | Exceeded |
| CTR | Stable | 1.0% (dilution from scale) | Expected |
| DR Growth | Slow improvement | 5 → 51 (+920%) | Significantly Exceeded |
| Referring Domains | Maintain / grow | 144 → 271 (+88%) | Exceeded |
| Lead / CTA Events | Establish baseline | Book +116%, Quote +90% | Exceeded |
| AI Citations | Establish presence | 19 AIO, Grok 10, Perplexity 2 | Exceeded |
| Health Score | Maintain 90+ | 93 (maintained) | Met |
Analysis & Key Learnings
Why the Results Exceeded Expectations
Several compounding factors produced above-forecast results within six months:
Page recovery as a compounding catalyst: Restoring 56 deleted pages at their original URLs did not simply recover lost traffic — it re-activated historical link equity, anchor text associations, and topical authority signals that Google had previously indexed. As Google re-crawled and re-evaluated the restored content, ranking signals returned faster than a typical new-content timeline would allow.
Medical niche content depth: In YMYL categories, Google rewards comprehensive, clinically authoritative content that answers patient questions completely. Articles targeting specific patient queries — ingrown hair keloid, keloid on ear piercing, keloid on vagina — generated disproportionate click growth (442%, 3,400%) because they addressed underserved, high-specificity search intents that competitors had not covered.
Internal linking as a backlink substitute: With a DR of 5 and limited external link growth in early months, systematic internal linking was the primary PageRank distribution mechanism. By ensuring restored pages and new articles were embedded into the site's topic graph — rather than sitting as isolated orphan pages — authority flowed effectively to commercial conversion pages.
AI readiness as a first-mover advantage: The UK keloid clinic space had near-zero AI citation presence at baseline. Implementing AEO and GEO infrastructure early produced disproportionate citation share — including a strong Grok debut of 10 citations — before competitors began optimising for AI search surfaces.
The YMYL Advantage in Medical SEO
Google's E-E-A-T framework disproportionately rewards specialised medical content that demonstrates genuine clinical expertise. London Keloid Scar Clinic's position as a genuine specialist — operating from Harley Street with verifiable clinical credentials — meant that well-structured content naturally earned the trust signals Google uses to evaluate medical pages.
The 3,400% growth in 'ear keloid' query traffic illustrates this dynamic clearly. By publishing comprehensive, clinically accurate content about keloids specifically on ear piercings — a very specific patient concern — the clinic captured patients at a high-intent research moment where most competitors offered only generic keloid information. Specificity in medical content is both an SEO and a conversion advantage.
CTR and Position in the Context of Impression Surge
The average position declining from 8.8 to 9.1 while clicks increased by 730% requires the same contextual interpretation applied across all high-growth SEO recovery campaigns: when a site moves from 65 ranked keywords to 213, the blended average position naturally dilutes because the majority of newly ranked pages begin in positions 10–20 before climbing. The correct metric is absolute click volume (up 730%) and the strong CTA conversion data — which together confirm that the new rankings are generating commercially relevant traffic, not merely impression volume.
Conclusion
The London Keloid Scar Clinic case demonstrates that an integrated SEO + AEO + GEO strategy can generate exceptional compounding returns even when beginning from a position of significant organic damage — provided the restoration work is executed with precision and the content programme is aligned to genuine patient intent.
The key differentiators were:
- Page recovery strategy that re-activated historical Google authority rather than rebuilding from scratch
- Content depth and clinical specificity that matched real patient search behaviour, including high-growth niche queries
- Internal linking as a domain authority multiplier during the backlink acquisition phase
- Early AEO and GEO infrastructure investment, producing AI citations across Google, Grok, and Perplexity before competitors entered the space
- Lead tracking from day one, confirming that SEO growth converted directly into booking and quote events
The 730% click growth and 1,022% impression increase achieved between December 2025 and May 2026 — alongside a DR improvement from 5 to 51 and the doubling of booking and quote conversion events — are not anomalies. They reflect the compounding effect of six months of consistent, structured execution across technical SEO, content, internal linking, and AI readiness in a specialist medical niche.
London Keloid Scar Clinic is now positioned to become the dominant digital presence for keloid treatment in the UK and a growing international reference — a position that will become increasingly difficult for competitors to replicate as the domain authority and topical coverage gap continues to widen
