Local SEO Recovery After Relocation: How a Brighton Business Regained Visibility in Hove
This case study showcases how we helped a client in the Brighton and Hove area (name confidential due to an NDA) recover their local SEO ranking after an unexpected business relocation (unexpected for us, the SEOs).
Most people think moving business locations is just a matter of packing boxes and updating your address. But when one of our clients shifted from Brighton to Hove, Google didn’t exactly welcome the change.
Overnight, their Google Business Profile dropped from ranking in the top 5 to somewhere past position 40. Calls dried up. Leads vanished. And the business owner had no idea why, until we took a closer look.
What Happened?
The business had always done well in Brighton. Their Google profile was pulling in 150 to 250 calls a month. Life was good. Then they moved, just a short distance (basically about 80 meters), technically still within the Brighton and Hove area, but crucially, outside Brighton city limits and juts within Hove.
That tiny change triggered a big problem: Google no longer considered them “in” Brighton for local searches. So the map ranking tanked, even though nothing else had changed.
Our Fix: Making Google Trust the Move
We tackled the issue on a few fronts:
Google Business Profile Cleanup
We fully updated the profile with the correct Hove address and rebuilt the profile’s relevance to Hove-specific searches.
On-Page and Content Updates
We rewrote core pages and added new content, making it clear the business was based in Hove now. No keyword stuffing, just helpful info, location references, and locally relevant landing pages.
NAP Consistency Across the Web
Anywhere the old address showed up – local directories, online listings, social bios – we updated it. Every mention of the business had to match.
Local Relevance Signals
We created posts and articles talking about local jobs, partnerships, and the business’s presence in the Hove community. It wasn’t just about changing a location tag, it was about proving to Google that they were truly part of the area.
The Outcome: Back in Business
A few months in, rankings started to bounce back. The Google profile went from deep in the 30s to sitting consistently around positions 4–8 on the map for searches in and around Hove.
Leads picked up again. Call volume grew. And the business was no longer invisible in its own neighbourhood.
Lessons We Took from This
Moving location?
Tell your SEO team before you hang the new sign outside.
NAP consistency
NAP consistency isn’t just a buzzword, it can make or break your Maps ranking.
Local SEO recovery takes time
And most of all, local SEO recovery takes time. Google needs to be convinced all over again that you’re relevant to a new area.
Thinking of Relocating?
Even though we’re an SEO agency based in Leicester, we help businesses across the UK avoid (or recover from) situations just like this. Whether you’re moving next door or to a different town, the wrong approach can cost you months of visibility… and revenue. Talk to us before you move, and we’ll make sure your customers can still find you after you do.