CASE STUDY
Transforming Zero-Click Search into Social & AI Visibility for Mitchells & Butlers
Facing changing user behaviours and rising AI Overviews, we deployed our proprietary Market Share Index and GEO strategy to capture discovery across AI, social and traditional search for Mitchells & Butlers.
Background
Partnering with Mitchells & Butlers in late 2025, we took on one of the UK hospitality sector’s largest footprints: 1,700+ venues, including O’Neills, All Bar One & Toby Carvery. We launched amid tough macro conditions: a cost-of-living crisis, stalling YoY growth and complex attribution. Rising ‘zero-click’ search behaviors & AI Overviews (AIOs) were also eroding organic CTRs. With restaurants relying on website bookings & pubs on footfall, Mitchells & Butlers needed an innovative technical strategy to reverse declining brand interest & boost visibility.
Objectives & Strategy
With audience search behaviors fragmenting across divisions, legacy metrics like Google Search Console clicks weren’t reliable. We established 6 core growth pillars: Transforming generic pages into hyper-local hubs backed by optimised GMBs; Expanding beyond traditional SEO to capture discovery on TikTok, Instagram & YouTube; Launching reactive campaigns for key dates; Redesigning “Offers” pages around trending dining occasions to counter spending hesitation; Building local landing pages for high-intent queries; Reallocating paid spend to maximise organic & AI visibility. To prove true growth, we introduced the Market Share Index (MSI), a custom formula blending AIO presence, organic traffic & generic keyword performance. Benchmarking against competitors gave us a clear view of market dynamics to identify quick wins and agile adjustments.
Creative Implementation
Managing 1,700 venues required total alignment. We embedded a collaborative working model anchored by intensive “Hot House” workshops, training internal teams on social search & content creation optimised for pathways like Google AI Mode & AIOs. Based on our pillars, we built optimised venue content leveraging seasonal moments. Technically, we deployed our proprietary Landing Page Monitor to automate weekly maintenance & ensure flawless technical SEO across thousands of location pages. We also bridged search streams, collaborating with PPC teams to share keyword insights & optimise bidding efficiencies for incremental growth.
Impact
St. Patrick’s Day alone drove a +28% YoY surge in Food & Drink sales. Digital performance surged across key metrics: a +399% increase in seasonal impressions, a +116.6% YoY jump in venue page clicks, a +51.5% increase in new users (+44% total sessions) & a +135% surge in local venue visibility (+383% jump in Page 1 rankings). Custom tracking confirmed AIOs expanded reach, providing clear blueprints for localised queries. Overlaying these results with our MSI revealed a +10% growth across the Pubs Division, driving higher Page 1 keywords, traffic & AIO appearances against competitors. Now, we’ve secured a future-proof GEO strategy, ensuring Mitchells & Butlers’ digital footprint is ingested by LLM Knowledge Bases and next-generation AI search engines.Results
+28%
YoY Food & Drink Sales
+399%
Seasonal Impressions
+135%
Venue Local Visibility
