Case Study: Local Builder

Client Overview

Industry: Residential Construction 

Service Areas: NSW, Canberra, Southern Highlands, Wollongong, Sydney

This residential construction company operates in a highly competitive market where customers increasingly rely on AI-powered search to shortlist and recommend builders — often without visiting multiple websites.

The Challenge

Search behaviour had fundamentally changed.


Potential customers were no longer just Googling and scrolling results. They were asking AI platforms questions like:


  • “Who’s the best home builder near me?”
  • “Who builds homes in Canberra or NSW?”

Traditional SEO alone wasn’t enough to guarantee visibility in:


  • Google AI Mode
  • ChatGPT
  • Other AI-driven discovery platforms

The challenge was clear:


Become visible, trusted, and recommended when AI makes the decision — not just when users search.

The Strategy

Digitaldoor implemented a next-generation local business marketing framework, built around two priorities:

1. Human Creativity (Trust & Clarity)

We refined and structured their digital presence to clearly communicate:


  • Services offered
  • Geographic coverage
  • Expertise and authority
  • Trust signals for real customers

This ensured visitors immediately understood who they were, what they did, and why they should trust them.

2. AI Visibility (Understanding & Recommendation)

We then engineered AI-Ready Digital Architecture, including:


  • Structured service and location content
  • Clear entity and topical signals
  • Local authority building
  • Optimisation for Google AI Mode and ChatGPT interpretation

This allowed AI platforms to accurately interpret, summarise, and recommend the business.

The Results

Strong Growth in AI-Driven Visibility

  • 84% of tracked keywords ranked in the Top 3 of Google AI Mode during the reporting period
  • Multiple priority keywords achieved Position #1 in Google AI Mode

ChatGPT Visibility & Recommendations

  • 7 keywords ranked Position #1 in ChatGPT results
  • Additional keywords ranked within Positions 2–5, placing the client consistently in AI-generated recommendations
  • ChatGPT referrals were recorded directly to key service and location pages, confirming real AI-driven traffic

Search & Engagement Performance

  • 1,400+ total clicks
  • 68,100+ impressions
  • 1,141 engaged sessions from organic search
  • High engagement time from organic visitors indicating high intent and relevance

Local & Service Page Performance

High-intent location and service pages drove consistent visibility, including:


  • Home Builder Canberra
  • Home Builder Wollongong
  • Home Builder Nowra
  • Home Builder Goulburn
  • Multiple individual  home design pages

This confirmed the effectiveness of AI-optimised local and service architecture

Why This Matters

This case study demonstrates a critical shift:


Being “ranked” is no longer enough. You must be understood, trusted, and recommended by AI.


Our client didn’t just gain traffic — they gained AI-driven visibility, positioning the brand where decisions are now made.

The Takeaway

By combining:


  • Human-centred brand clarity
  • AI-Ready Digital Architecture
  • Next-generation local AI optimisation (AIO)

Our client secured consistent Top-of-Market visibility across Google AI Mode and ChatGPT — in a market where AI now acts as the gatekeeper.