[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/seo\/seo-case-study-increasing-plateaued-traffic-in-competitive-spaces\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/seo\/seo-case-study-increasing-plateaued-traffic-in-competitive-spaces\/","headline":"SEO Case Study – Increasing Plateaued Traffic in Competitive Spaces","name":"SEO Case Study – Increasing Plateaued Traffic in Competitive Spaces","description":"In high competition spaces like finance, disease, gambling, and adult entertainment, every aspect of your website matters.\u00a0 Especially if your site is technically sound from a rendering standpoint and you have every “high-quality” backlink available.\u00a0 Small things like a trailing slash on a canonical link when your URL structure doesn’t match, or sitemap links that […]","datePublished":"2023-08-07","dateModified":"2023-08-06","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/author\/adamriemer\/#Person","name":"Adam Riemer","url":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/author\/adamriemer\/","identifier":2,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fda62f751f2a6c2ec2b079fedff69720852e4a65633212ffb11832454c29160a?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fda62f751f2a6c2ec2b079fedff69720852e4a65633212ffb11832454c29160a?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Adam Riemer Marketing, LLC.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/arm-logo-2.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/arm-logo-2.jpg","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/seo-case-study-how-to-increase-flat-seo-traffic-and-add-new-keywords-in-competitive-niches.png","url":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/seo-case-study-how-to-increase-flat-seo-traffic-and-add-new-keywords-in-competitive-niches.png","height":1091,"width":1920},"url":"https:\/\/www.adamriemer.me\/seo\/seo-case-study-increasing-plateaued-traffic-in-competitive-spaces\/","about":["Press Room","SEO"],"wordCount":3284,"articleBody":"In high competition spaces like finance, disease, gambling, and adult entertainment, every aspect of your website matters.\u00a0 Especially if your site is technically sound from a rendering standpoint and you have every “high-quality” backlink available.\u00a0 Small things like a trailing slash on a canonical link when your URL structure doesn’t match, or sitemap links that go into a redirect make an impact.\u00a0 I got laughed at when I called that out at a conference in Australia, but our clients have seen the little things make a large difference.\u00a0 They’re not “flashy”, they’re not “ingenious”, “fun”, or “creative”, but they matter.Another example of something not flashy is checking title tags and descriptions that don’t properly reflect the experience on the page.\u00a0 Or they blend in from the titles and descriptions above them.\u00a0 Changes to these may not move you upwards in position, but they can increase click throughs and revenue off of the same position in the search results.This client came to use because they had trouble increasing traffic and gaining non-branded keywords in search, and they’re in a super competitive space.\u00a0 We’re talking mesothelioma keyword competition levels.\u00a0 We were told no link building, and we also could not produce new content for other pages or guides.\u00a0 And the site has minimal links pointing to it, so we had to remove part of the strategy we felt was important.\u00a0 The challenge was set, and we accepted.Below is the result and the project is over.\u00a0 SEO is back to the in house team with a road map on how to move forward.\u00a0 I’m proud of the work we did, we accomplished the goals, and the team said they would like to hire us again in the future.\u00a0 The project is ending in the best possible way. Here’s the results of our work, and the steps we took to increase flat SEO traffic in a highly competitive space.Screenshots with explanations of the results first, then the details.You can see the climbs in impressions in the screenshots below as we were making the changes and implementing the results from our tests.\u00a0 The climbs are the signs we were on the right path.In this next screen shot you’ll see the average position dropping as impressions increase.\u00a0 This is because we added a lot of new keywords and phrases to the indexes and we were gaining exposure.\u00a0 This post explains why average position dropping in search console can be a good thing.\u00a0 It is exactly what we wanted to see.\u00a0 Google better understands our site, our pages, and which ones matter for specific queries.\u00a0 Now we can begin moving the high-intent and topically-relevant phrases up to the top 5 positions.In this third screen shot you can see that traffic did increase, and as they increase their positions for the new keywords, it’s about to skyrocket.\u00a0 I can’t wait to watch from the sidelines.\u00a0 Some of the increases are from updating titles and descriptions only.\u00a0 Others are new keywords climbing up.\u00a0 The client is likely going to see a traffic climb in the next couple months too which is going to be exciting.\u00a0 I was not given permission to share a year over year, but there is a substantial difference from the previous year.Here’s how we did this.Update copy and topical elementsDeploy schemaFix on site tech issuesDelete thin copyUpdate internal linksUpdate copy againUpdate Copy and Topical ElementsOne of the first things we did was update the copy on the main pages so it became topically relevant to what the user was searching for.Note: When most of the traffic on a site is branded (making a general statement here, not client specific), chances are the search engines are having a hard time understanding what you do.\u00a0 The pages on this site were all crawled, indexed, and rendered perfectly, so content relevance was our most logical first step.We researched entities, keywords, the jargon people used in forums and when talking to customer support, etc… Then we looked at topic building elements.\u00a0 Topic building elements are things that help search engines understand what the pages and sections are about (the topic of the page and the sub sections within them).\u00a0 They include:Title tagsHeadersFAQsWords used on internal linksBreadcrumb wordingImage and video namesMenu item namesetc…From here we mapped out what each page should show up for by user intent so we could meet the consumers needs at every step of their journey.\u00a0 User intent mapping is an evaluation of which phrases are best for conversions, research, or a mix of the two.\u00a0 I give an example under the next header.If the query is direct conversion term, we bring them to a product or service page with a call to action (add to cart, form fills, contact us, etc…).\u00a0 If it is a mix, we take them to a detail page that has information, and the option to convert.\u00a0 If it is informative in nature, we go with blog posts, e-books, guides, podcasts, and other forms of content that build trust, create exposure, and keep us in front of the consumer until they are ready to convert.By making sure the content matches the needs of the searcher, we make it easier for search engines to know what each page is about.\u00a0 This in turn helps prevent cannibalization because although the pages are similar, they serve very different purposes and have clearly set goals.\u00a0 Most of the times there is an easy answer, and when it is middle-of-the-road, I do the yes or no test.\u00a0 The first response that pops into our heads decides where the content and topic goes.\u00a0 If it’s a “maybe”, “could be” or “it depends”, that’s a no.\u00a0 And we make no exceptions with this.Pro-tip: Use site structure with internal links to further help search engines understand each page.Here’s a generic example in a totally separate space so I don’t give the client away.Someone looking for which materials are best for running shirts isn’t ready to purchase, they want to know what to look for.\u00a0 But we don’t know the types of running they do, or why they need a special running shirt.\u00a0 For this query I would create a guide to the fabrics and share multiple common situations and solutions by fabric type.If they search for which is better X fabric or Y fabric, they may be ready to make a decision, but are still researching.\u00a0 For this user, a comparison table between the two, examples of situations where one is better than the other, and calls to action where the person can find our selection of each is a great user experience.\u00a0 It’s informative, builds expertise, and can drive revenue if we educated the visitor enough.When the person types in Red X Fabric Wicking T-shirts for Long Distance Runners, they’re in shopping mode and I bring them directly to the product category or product page.\u00a0 On this page we make the copy all about the useful situations and have a sales focus with trust builders like testimonials, reviews, money back guarantees, and as seen in PR bars.Deploy SchemaAn easy win for us was to deploy schema.\u00a0 Schema is a quick win for SEO.\u00a0 It is a form of code that defines what each element on the page is, and helps search engines know when to show the page or portions of the page in search results.\u00a0 Schema can be used to define products are for sale on the page, the user will find answers about those products by visiting, or how-to guides.\u00a0 If you sell software or enterprise systems to the government, or do Botox injections at specific locations and during set hours, this can be defined by schema for search engines.\u00a0 Same with in person or online events (and ticket sales), medical information, and reviews.Schema is fast and easy to do.\u00a0 We deployed to the entire site in under 3 hours including unique elements for page features.\u00a0 Depending on the platform you’re on, there are effective and efficient plugins that deploy common schema site wide.\u00a0 From there its a matter of adding the unique fields and additional types for your most important pages.\u00a0 Just don’t overdo it or worry about schema types that aren’t recognized or used any longer.Fix Onsite Tech IssuesRendering and caching were not an issue here, but getting the most important pages found and refreshed was.\u00a0 So we needed to find out why our core pages were not being found as often.\u00a0 Then once fixed, making sure we set them up for future success.\u00a0 Because this was a crawling issue, we spidered the site with a few tools, then compared the results and created a site hierarchy plan.Bonus-tip: This particular client was not a Shopify store, but this is the same thing we do with Shopify like in this SEO case study. Shopify is a flat structure so you need to build it on your own.\u00a0 That includes using their blog feature, even though it lacks the functionality of wordpress and other competitors.To create the right paths and make them as easy as possible to follow, we updated the following:Changed relative URLs to absoluteMatched all canonicalized pages with canonical links, sitemap, internal links, menu items, and social media tracking links (Google can and will come to your website through links shared on social media).\u00a0 When Google comes through, don’t make them go through redirects and non-canonicalized pages if it from organic shares on your own “same as” referenced social media accounts.Added breadcrumbsReduced excess items from menus, blog categories, the footer, etc…Pro-tip: When looking at removing category and menu items, make sure they aren’t competing with each other.\u00a0 Many times I’ll find a blog category that competes directly with a main site category.\u00a0 The blog is going to have more pages and more content, and that could give a signal it is more important than the revenue generating pages.\u00a0 Blogs are informative, your site is conversion, keep the two separate and keep the intent of the pages defined properly.Now comes the hard part, reducing copy.\u00a0 In a lot of the case studies you see here, and audits I do, we have to delete content.\u00a0 Especially content that was paid for or done by PR, branding, and the C-suite.Deleting CopyIf more than 1 in 10 posts in a blog or your website are self-serving, there is no reason for someone to visit your blog or your website.\u00a0 It is about you and has no value to people outside of your company.\u00a0 You may disagree, and your HR, branding, and PR teams will definitely disagree.\u00a0 But if the goal of your company is to grow revenue, build an audience, and increase awareness, you’re going to have to pull back on the self-serving content.This is especially important for Google and what they see as “helpful” content.\u00a0 Consumers don’t need to know or care to know about how many corn on the cobs Jane ate at the company picnic, or that Jessica’s team got promoted.\u00a0 Consumers want to learn how to improve their lives by finding solutions to problems, learning more about new offerings, and being educated on topically relevant subject matter.\u00a0 And that content needs to be on topic with your products, services, or core website themes.\u00a0 More important it has to be unique and add value.Google’s helpful content update is looking at your site as a whole and not individual pages.\u00a0 That’s why 1 in 10 posts is important.\u00a0 1 in 10 is a number I made up and not from Google or a best practice, but it is a good rule of thumb.\u00a0 If you can go 1 in 20, even better.\u00a0 If not, don’t worry, there’s a solution below.I’ll use blogs here as the example, but this applies to press rooms that aren’t updated, and product or collection page copy too.Blog posts that are thin and hurt both SEO and UX include:Company announcements like event coverage (conferences, corporate, office\/holiday parties), hires and fires, anniversaries, team member recognition, etc…Product or service updates – if these take up more than 10% of the postsProduct updates do provide value and are relevant. But they can also exist inside a company portal or on a separate blog (maybe in a subdomain blocked by robots.txt so you don’t waste your crawl budget, but they can still be indexed) which is healthier for your site.New visitors and potential customers don’t need to know about these new features in the discovery process when they’re not ready to convert yet.\u00a0 More important, they’ll find them on your sales, marketing, FAQ, and pricing pages which is where product features belong.\u00a0 That is why those pages exist.\u00a0 It is not for your consumer\/lead blog to feature if customer acquisition and growth are important.Press coverage (put this in your PR room)Holiday messaging and well wishes, or office and store hour updatesThis goes on your contact page, about us, and social mediaTestimonials and reviewsSome exceptions should be made for this.Some of the above is ok, just make sure it is less than 10% of the content.\u00a0 But remember, 10% is on the very high end, and a scary number.\u00a0 If you cannot avoid the thin content, place thin content in a folder about the company and block the folder in robots.txt from being crawled, and\/or mark the posts in that folder with meta robots “noindex, follow”.\u00a0 For the rest of it, keep the posts on an internal blog for your employees and vendors to see.\u00a0 This is who the content is for, and that is where they can find it so that it does not impact your revenue and growth potential.We went though four figures of pages of content and deleted most of it.\u00a0 In a few cases we combined.\u00a0 Just like you’ve seen in other case studies on this site.\u00a0 For years people published copy because they thought more content means better SEO and more traffic.\u00a0 This is not true.Publish content when there is a purpose and a need, not because you feel like you’re supposed to.\u00a0 And when you do publish, make sure it solves your current and future customers needs, not because it is fun or makes someone happy.\u00a0 If it isn’t helpful to your audience, you just wasted your audience’s time.Pro-tip: Proceed with deleting content carefully.\u00a0 Deleting these pages changes your site structure and internal linking.\u00a0 Keep track of this.\u00a0 I share how in the next step.Example of Helpful and Topically Relevant ContentIf you run a mechanic shop and teach guides for aspiring mechanics, or use the blog to cross-sell tools that solve problems, don’t talk about hobbies.\u00a0 Yes, the audience is the same and they may be interested in your recipe for a dry rub on a brisket for the smoker, but that recipe is topically irrelevant to vehicle repair and throws the site off.\u00a0 Send the recipe out as part of a newsletter and keep your blog focused on repairing cars, boats, and trucks.The recipe post may get a lot of traction because there is an audience match.\u00a0 This is the slippery slope.The excitement that comes from getting comments and shares leads site owners down a spiral of writing more recipe and similar content to replicate the excitment.\u00a0 It becomes addictive, and much like addiction, when left unchecked can destroy your site.\u00a0 Remember, you are a mechanic shop and not a BBQ joint or cookware company.\u00a0 Writing BBQ rub recipes and smoker tips will de-topic your site and chase away your loyal user base that was coming to you to buy tools and supplies.\u00a0 They want to improve their trade and niche, not become a pitmaster.\u00a0 You will lose both your customer base and your organic traffic.\u00a0 When the customers stop reading, they stop shopping through the links.\u00a0 When search engines decide you’re now a recipe site, you lose your authority on car repair and your revenue driving traffic.Update the Internal LinksNow that we audited the site, deleted the copy, and rebuilt core site structure, it was time to finish the crawl paths and see how Google’s spiders find and refresh our pages.\u00a0 I started by using the spiders again and watched their paths.\u00a0 Then I compared them by using the keywords linked off of and the landing pages they linked too.Put the internal links in a spreadsheet:Column A – Keyword or phrase with an internal linkColumn B – URL it is found onColumn C – URL it links tooColumn D – Where it should link toNow you have an easy way to see where there is competing keywords and which to adjust quickly and easily.We adjusted the links so they did not send conflicting signals, linking off the same or similar intent words to different pages..\u00a0 Then we did another round of crawls with our spiders and looked to see how the new structure looked both from a keyword and a priority perspective.\u00a0 From there we took a few specific pages, updated the copy a bit.\u00a0 These specific pages linked to other core pages where the links changed so we could hopefully have our most important pages recrawled through the new site structure.\u00a0 Then we requested a crawl from search console and watched Google come through, and it worked.The new copy began indexing and getting crawled more frequently, and then began getting displayed for new phrases.\u00a0 I used a third party tool to see how many keywords are in the top 100 positions.\u00a0 Most SEO software systems do this nowadays.\u00a0 I have my preferences, but go with the ones you can use the best.\u00a0 That is what matters most.\u00a0 If you want to know my preferences, reach out through the contact page.Updating the Copy AgainThe last and final step was to once again update the copy.\u00a0 We learned a lot about our pages since the first round, and about our customer intent.\u00a0 Normally this would be a bad idea, and it is not easy to explain to legal, branding, the C-Suite, and PR why you’re rewriting your website copy again.\u00a0 But when you realize something was off or missing, or the intent was wrong, it is needed to continue to grow.\u00a0 Other times it is the above people that want you to update, and although that is stressful on you, it is also an opportunity to get improvements from your learnings.We updated the copy and by sharing data got less branding and more function added in.\u00a0 The result was another climb.\u00a0 It is the same work we already did multiple times, and when it makes sense to update and when it is done correctly, it can lead to gains.\u00a0 But you also risk losing traffic, so do it wisely and always set positive and negative expectations so everyone knows the risks.And that is how the project went.\u00a0 It was successful for the client and we’re proud of the work we did.\u00a0 If you’d like to learn how we can help you with SEO, affiliate marketing, conversion optimization, email funnels, etc… click here to contact us today.\u00a0 And since this project is over, I have time for an audit or two until we replace the 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