Case Study
Smallworks: recovering from a website migration to rank #1 for "laneway house Vancouver"
Smallworks - On-page content
- Technical SEO
- Google Business Profile
- Citations & link building
- AI search visibility
The starting point
Smallworks is one of Vancouver’s most respected small-home builders, with the awards to prove it.
In late 2024, they launched a beautiful new website. Like many site launches, it didn’t include a full SEO migration plan. As Google adjusted to the new site, visibility dipped. Between December 2024 and February 2025, monthly traffic moved from about 1,300 to 800, and top-3 keywords from 19 to 5.
That’s where we came in.
What we did
Technical foundation. We rebuilt metadata, added schema markup, restructured the site architecture around laneway houses and multiplexes, and built a deliberate internal linking structure.
On-brand content. Smallworks has a warm, design-led voice, so every page had to rank and read like Smallworks. We built bottom-funnel pages for people ready to build, and informational content on design, floor plans and costs for people still researching.
Google Business Profile. We overhauled their profile so it reflected the full scope of what they build.
Off-page authority. Consistent citations and targeted backlinks gave Google and AI tools more trusted signals about who Smallworks is.
The results
Traffic grew to 1,700 per month - about 30% above where it was before the new site launched.
Top-3 keywords climbed to a peak of 52 and now hold around 45. Beyond their core laneway terms (laneway house, laneway house design, laneway house floor plans), Smallworks now ranks for multiplex Vancouver, Burnaby multiplex, cost to build a small house, and the highly competitive “house builders Vancouver.”
They also went from zero AI Overviews to 50-70, and are the #1 recommendation for laneway house builders in Vancouver on ChatGPT, Claude and Grok.
The takeaway
A new website is a big moment for any business. With the right technical foundation, content that fits the brand and steady authority building, it can become the start of stronger growth.
Planning a new website? Talk to us before you launch.