From “new opening” to Marylebone’s top recommendation.
We drove a 68% monthly surge in organic visibility for Aki London, securing #1 rankings for high-value seasonal terms and establishing a robust digital footprint that turns premium searches into confirmed covers.
Client and context
Aki London has quickly established itself as a standout player in Marylebone’s competitive dining scene. Housed in a Grade II-listed former bank on Cavendish Square, it brings Kyoto craftsmanship and Tokyo’s electric energy to Marylebone. With an 80-cover dining room, a late-night lounge, and one of the few licenses to serve authentic Kobe beef in the UK, the product is world-class.
However, as a new opening in London’s ruthless dining scene, “great food” isn’t enough. They needed to transition quickly from “brand awareness” (people hearing the name) to “top recommendation status” (Google trusting them as the answer to “best Japanese London”).
The objectives
Following a successful launch, the focus shifted to sustainable, long-term growth:
- Primary (Business): Drive consistent table bookings by capturing high-intent diners searching for premium Japanese cuisine, reducing reliance on PR spikes.
- Secondary (Authority): Establish Aki as an authoritative digital entity, trusted by Google for competitive terms like “Kobe beef London” and “Valentine’s Day restaurant.”
The challenge
New restaurants often face a “trust gap” with search engines. Aki’s digital challenges included:
The early-stage hurdles:
- Low domain authority: As a fresh domain, Aki struggled to rank for non-branded terms against established giants like Nobu or Zuma.
- Seasonal timing: The post-Christmas “slump” in January is notorious in hospitality; maintaining momentum required a flawless SEO strategy.
- Discovery friction: Potential customers were searching for “authentic Kobe beef” or “best sushi Marylebone,” but Aki wasn’t yet appearing in the “money zone” (top 3 results).
The strategy
We avoided generic “restaurant SEO” and deployed a “Trust & Relevance” strategy designed to signal maturity to Google fast.
We combined technical excellence with high-value content pillars. This meant targeting specific, high-intent niches (like Kobe beef certification and seasonal events) rather than fighting losing battles for broad terms like “restaurant London.” We also executed a targeted digital PR campaign to earn backlinks from editorial heavyweights, proving to Google that Aki is a serious player.
Key actions
Our roadmap for January focused on authority and seasonal capture:
- High-authority link building: We secured backlinks from “Tier 1” domains including Forbes (DR 94), Standard.co.uk (DR 89), and Wallpaper*, sending massive trust signals to search algorithms.
- Seasonal domination: We launched a dedicated “Valentine’s Day” campaign page well in advance, optimised to capture early planners.
- The “Kobe Beef” content pillar: We created deep-dive content around their rare Kobe license, answering specific user questions to capture premium diners.
The results
January is usually a quiet month for hospitality. For Aki, it was a record-breaker.
+39%Monthly increase in clicks (Jan vs Dec)
33.5kMonthly search impressions (+68%)
#1Ranking for “St Valentine restaurant London”
+70High reputation backlinks secured
The “trust gap” has been bridged. We achieved a #2 ranking for “Authentic Kobe Beef,” putting Aki directly in front of the highest-spending demographic. Furthermore, non-branded traffic is climbing, now accounting for nearly 12% of visits—a key indicator that the brand is reaching new audiences, not just repeat customers.