SEO Case Studies

SEO Strategies Performed

Technical SEO Updates

On the technical side, I soon discovered an indexation issue that directly affected the site’s ability to appear in Google search. I found that a simple edit made to the website’s robots.txt by a former web developer some months earlier had inadvertently caused the entire site to be marked “noindex.” Any page that is marked noindex cannot be listed in organic Google results.

As a result, keyword rankings had started to drop precipitously as pages were removed from the search engine’s index. To restore keyword rankings, I requested that the current web developer remove a single line of code from the robots.txt file that caused the indexation issue. I placed the site’s pages on a priority crawl list with Google, and urls were added back to the site over the next few months. 

Content Optimization Updates

The bulk of work I performed for this client stemmed from its SEO content needs. To compete more strategically in organic search, I completed many keyword research projects that uncovered high-priority, low-competition topics that this franchise’s competitors had overlooked. These topics became the foundation for new content pieces written and published each month to directly target those online searches. 

In addition to new content writing, I refreshed existing pages with newly crafted keyword optimizations, metadata, and internal links to improve their rankings. Even a simple keyword ranking jump from Position #11 to Position #4 can mean the difference in hundreds of new monthly clicks. 

SEO Strategies Performed

Technical SEO Updates

I learned that this website had undergone multiple rebuilds in recent years, and as a result, it had broken links, duplicate content, indexation issues, orphan pages, and other issues that significantly impact SEO performance.

To begin, I focused on finding and fixing old internal links that remained after the latest website refresh. I found mostly broken pages and internal redirects throughout the site’s pages and replaced them with the correct urls. 

With regard to slow site speed, I removed a few old WordPress plugins that were no longer needed, and updated others that caused coding issues on the backend of the site. Then, I ran an image audit strategy to resize and compress dozens of massive images because they contribute to longer loading times.  

Content Optimization Updates

After catching the duplicate content issue, I made that error a top priority. It appeared that a prior marketing agency had built new pages to target individual neighborhoods, but it simply copied and pasted the exact same content into 10 new pages on the site. I removed and redirected those unranked pages to more valuable urls. 

I built a new content calendar to reflect the client’s request that I target users with an interest in dental implants and other types of oral surgery the practice provided. The calendar included a mix of new service pages and blogs, all backed by extensive keyword research. Because the site also hosted lots of thin content on its pages, I made sure those urls received heavy writing additions as well.

SEO Strategies Performed

Technical SEO Updates

From a technical SEO standpoint, this site hosted a wide range of both errors and optimization opportunities. It faced common on-page issues such as multiple and missing H1s, broken pages, and internal redirects, as well as sitewide problems like long loading times. 

To begin, I addressed the many status code errors that negatively impact both SEO performance and user experience. After fixing broken pages, internal redirect loops and server errors on the site, I turned my attention to site speed. Oversized, non-web-friendly images are one of the biggest contributors to slow loading times, so I resized and compressed dozens of images throughout the site. 

I then reworked page structure on the site’s most valuable urls. Multiple or missing H1s, unoptimized headings and other issues hinder a page’s ability to rank well in search results, so improving these is a high priority with regard to on-page content optimization. Finally, I wrote new meta titles and meta descriptions for more than half of the site’s pages to improve click-through-rates and general rankability. 

Content Optimization Updates

On the content side, the website was largely under-optimized for its target markets and local neighborhoods. Despite its status as a long-established practice in Columbia, the site struggled to rank locally for high-priority keywords, such as “dentist in Columbia” or “dental implants near me.” I ran through each indexable page of the website and optimized their body content, headings, alt text, and more for the office’s important keywords.

Next, I began planning new content pieces. I performed keyword research to find new sets of relevant, high-volume keywords to target with freelance content writing. Once I uncovered those keywords, I created a 6-month content calendar and published those new pages to the site each month.

SEO Strategies Performed

Content Optimization Updates

Because keyword research forms the foundation of every successful SEO content marketing strategy, I performed a range of research projects to better target the keywords their ideal audience uses to search for their travel offerings. With that data, I created content calendars with new, optimized articles the client received each month. 

I also completed on-page audits for some of the franchise’s most valuable pages to find areas of improvement with regard to optimization, headings, copy editing, metadata, and internal links. These audits work to build upon current SEO performance and attract more relevant traffic by making adjustments to both front-end and back-end elements.