Better with local: Unlocking national growth for GLL through local SEO

Client: Greenwich Leisure

The largest operator of public leisure facilities in the UK, Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) is a social enterprise and trusted community-focused provider of accessible health and wellbeing services. But their mission to get local communities moving was hampered by one thing: local search visibility across their 250+ centres.

Our challenge was to deliver a scalable SEO approach that would strengthen GLL’s local presence, increase memberships, and drive business growth. To reverse the lack of search visibility, we created a two-part local-first SEO strategy. First, we optimised more than 200 Google Business Profiles (GBP), doubling category coverage and boosting local ranking potential—an approach that drove an 18% YoY uplift in non-brand organic traffic and a 30% increase in local visibility UK-wide.

Next, we launched a hyper-local landing page test in Belfast, creating bespoke content targeting gym-goers and fitness classes. The results were transformative: a 99% YoY increase in non-brand traffic, a 25% rise in gym membership sign-ups, and #1 ranking for “gyms near me.”

GLL is now rolling out this strategy across more regions, proving that local SEO doesn’t just build visibility—it drives direct, measurable business growth.