Increasing Revenue From Organic Search by 278.55%
Find out how we graduated with first class visibility (increasing by 439% in the first 4 months) which led to a 521% increase in organic search traffic and most importantly, increased revenue from organic search by 278.55% compared with the previous year.
521%
23%
439%
278.5%
Traffic from Organic Search over the Last 6 Months
In the midst of the pandemic, Michael was faced with a number of challenges which were affecting his online sales and, ultimately, the viability of his business. Michael’s website developers recommended that he approach Zelst to see if, and how, they could help. We devised an organic search strategy to help him be seen and get found and grow his sales online.
Background
As soon as we met with Michael, we knew we had to pinpoint the issues he was facing. Firstly, the increasingly competitive market in the higher education sector was now saturated with new names as well as familiar competitors that has upped their SEO game in the last year.
Secondly, his website wasn’t being found for his target search terms and his current menu and navigation was confusing once you eventually landed on the site. And thirdly, the pandemic had changed how universities approached graduation ceremonies, meaning a monumental shift for Michael on how he was going to sell his products. This meant that a new strategy was needed and it was needed quickly.
The Strategy
After an in-depth analysis of the website, we uncovered a lack of authoritative content on the website combined with a confusing site architecture.
Content and SEO are heavily intertwined and both must work alongside each other for success. So, we developed a targeted organic search strategy that would overcome the challenges Michael was facing:
1. We devised an extensive keyword strategy to drive a new, optimised, site structure and redevelopment of site content. During the intensive keyword research and competitor analysis stage, we also included keyword variants and related topics, rather than keywords alone, so we could create meaningful content for Michael’s potential customers.
It was at this stage we uncovered the new content opportunities that were emerging as a result of the changes to graduation ceremonies, driven by the pandemic. We mapped this out with a dedicated strategy built around a core landing page and supported by detailed guides and blog content.
We needed to gain visibility quickly ahead of Michael’s peak period of summer. Therefore we looked at the opportunities with the existing content and how we could capture featured snippets by optimising and restructuring existing content to feature bullet-point lists, short introductory paragraphs and step-by-step guides.
We also began to create E-A-T content for ranking success. With every blog post and landing page that we created, we ensured a number of E-A-T factors were present. We created holistic content with depth and knowledge which showcased value to the reader and Google, whilst demonstrating the authority of the content and trust it is held in by other sites.
At the same time we focused on search intent. With the 2020 core updates prioritising search intent, the content we created had to evolve to fit the requirements of navigational, transactional and informational intent.
Lastly, we undertook an intensive technical SEO programme which involved technical optimisation of the entire website to ensure a seamless experience for both users and Google.
Search Visibility against Competitors (our client is the orange line):
The Result
From March to July 2021, traffic from organic search increased by 521% compared with the previous year. Search visibility also rocketed through the same period by 439% and the site now ranks in the top 3 ranking positions for Michael’s target search terms, as well as the newly identified terms that people were searching for as a result of the pandemic.
Traffic Improvements Year on Year:
Moreover, sales from organic traffic increased by 278.55% and Michael was now benefiting from profitable conversion model, built entirely by organic search:
We love achieving such great results for our clients and seeing them grow towards the market leadership they deserve. If you would like your business to achieve success like this, please get in touch with our experts, we’d love to help.
Services Utilised