This SEO case study shows how focused SEO helped Mindpath Tutoring go from no first-page Google rankings to 15 in a little over a year, more than double its search clicks, and start showing up in ChatGPT’s answers.
The headline numbers
In a little over a year, Mindpath Tutoring went from no first-page Google rankings to 15, more than doubled its search traffic, and started showing up in AI answers.
135%
more Google search clicks, May–October 2026 vs the same months of 2025 (1,537 vs 654)
15
of 27 tracked search terms on Google’s first page, up from none
63%
of tracked ChatGPT answers mentioned Mindpath in September–October, up from 16% in early June
10
form submissions from AI assistant visitors since May 2026, a 21% conversion rate
Background
Mindpath Tutoring provides primary and high school tutoring, with a focus on Newcastle and online tutoring across NSW. Parents find a tutor the way they find most things now: they search Google, or increasingly they ask ChatGPT.
Method Marketing manages Mindpath’s SEO, Google Ads and Meta Ads. Mindpath manages its own Wix website, and we brief changes and content to the team each month.
The challenge
When we started tracking in mid-2025, none of Mindpath’s target search terms ranked on Google’s first page.
- Invisible in local search. “Tutoring Newcastle”, “maths tutoring newcastle” and “hsc tutoring newcastle” didn’t rank at all.
- No presence beyond Newcastle. The business wanted visibility with parents on the Central Coast, in Sydney and in Wollongong, but didn’t appear for any of those searches.
- A new channel to plan for. Parents were starting to ask AI assistants like ChatGPT to recommend a tutor, and Mindpath had no way of knowing whether it was being recommended.
Our approach
We focused on the searches parents make when they’re ready to book, and on being the answer when they ask an AI assistant instead.
Local and location targeting
We targeted the location searches that matter to Mindpath, starting with Newcastle and expanding in September 2025 to the Central Coast, Sydney, Wollongong, Maitland, Lake Macquarie and Port Macquarie.
Google Business Profile
We built out Mindpath’s Google Business Profile, including its services, so it appears in the local map results when parents search nearby.
Content that answers parents’ questions
Each month we give Mindpath blog topics and recommended FAQ or content changes built around the questions parents ask, which the team publishes on its Wix site.
Tracking AI visibility
In June 2026 we began tracking parent-style questions in ChatGPT (43 today), such as “What are the best tutoring services available for high school students in Australia?”, to see whether Mindpath is mentioned and linked in the answers.
Parents don’t just search ‘tutor near me’ any more. They ask ChatGPT which tutoring service is best for their child. We wanted Mindpath to show up in both places, so we built its search presence around the questions parents actually ask.
Katie Cowling, Co-Founder & Director of Digital Services, Method Marketing
Key results
More search traffic
From May to October 2026, Mindpath’s site earned 1,537 clicks from Google search, up 135% on 654 in the same months of 2025. Organic search sessions rose 111%, from 941 to 1,986.
First-page rankings across its service areas
By late October 2026, 15 of Mindpath’s 27 tracked search terms ranked on Google’s first page, up from none. Mindpath ranks first for “tutoring Newcastle” (390 searches a month) and appears in the local map results for its key Newcastle searches.
| Search term | Searches/month | Before | 27 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| tutoring Newcastle | 390 | Not ranked | 1 |
| tutoring newcastle nsw | 390 | Not ranked | 3 |
| Sydney tutoring | 250 | Not ranked | 8 |
| Central Coast tutoring | 210 | Not ranked | 4 |
| Wollongong tutoring | 140 | Not ranked | 4 |
| maths tutoring newcastle | 110 | Not ranked | 7 |
| online tutoring Sydney | 70 | Not ranked | 4 |
| hsc tutoring newcastle | 30 | Not ranked | 3 |
| Maitland tutoring | 30 | Not ranked | 2 |
Search is bringing in enquiries
Organic search produced 189 tracked form submissions between January and October 2026, a third of all form submissions recorded on the site.
AI visibility is starting to grow
Mindpath is starting to appear in AI answers, and AI assistants are now sending enquiries.
- In the 43 ChatGPT prompts we track, Mindpath was mentioned in 16% of answers in the first week of June 2026. Across September and October it was mentioned in 63% of answers on average, and linked as a source in 61% (up from 15%).
- SE Ranking‘s AI search data shows Mindpath mentioned in 70 Google AI Overview answers in Australia, and linked as a source in 24.
- Google Analytics recorded no visits from AI assistants in 2025 or early 2026. From May to October 2026 it recorded 48, 37 of them from August to October, mostly from ChatGPT.
- Those 48 AI assistant visits produced 10 form submissions: a 21% conversion rate, against about 6% for the site as a whole.
Mindpath’s first-page rankings are bringing in enquiries every month, and the AI numbers are an early signal of where search is heading. Parents who find Mindpath through ChatGPT are already among its most likely to get in touch.
Angela Henderson, Director of Client Services, Method Marketing
In the client’s words
We’re now showing up when parents search for a tutor in Newcastle and beyond, and we’re starting to hear from families who found us through ChatGPT.
Ben Harborne, Mindpath Tutoring
Want to show up when your customers search Google or ask ChatGPT? See how we approach SEO, browse more case studies, or let’s talk.
Frequently asked questions
From May to October 2026, Mindpath’s site earned 1,537 clicks from Google search, up 135% on 654 in the same months of 2025. Organic search sessions rose 111%, from 941 to 1,986.
By late October 2026, 15 of Mindpath’s 27 tracked search terms ranked on Google’s first page, up from none in mid-2025. Mindpath ranks first for “tutoring Newcastle” and on page one for Sydney, Central Coast, Wollongong and Maitland tutoring searches.
Yes. Across 43 tracked ChatGPT prompts, Mindpath was mentioned in 16% of answers in the first week of June 2026 and in 63% on average across September and October, and linked as a source in 61%. Visitors from AI assistants converted at 21%, against about 6% for the site as a whole.
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