Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a complex and ever-evolving process that allows websites to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). When done right, it can bring in more traffic, which can ultimately lead to more conversions and revenue. This is why businesses, big or small, invest time and money in SEO. In this case study, we will take a closer look at the steps taken to improve the SEO of a data entry service website in Maynard, Massachusetts US.
Background and Challenge
Maynard is a small town located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts US. The data entry service website caters to businesses in Maynard and the surrounding areas. The website provides a range of data entry services such as data processing, data mining, data cleansing, data conversion, data enrichment, and more. While the website was functional, the challenge was attracting more traffic and improving the website’s visibility online.
Research and Analysis
The first step in improving the website’s SEO was researching and analyzing the website’s current state. The following actions were taken:
- Conducted a thorough website audit to identify technical errors, website speed, and user experience issues.
- Evaluated the website’s current rankings, including keyword rankings and organic traffic using Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
- Researched keywords that the target audience is searching for and those that competitors are ranking for.
- Analyzed the website’s content to ensure it was written in a way that would appeal to search engines and target audience.
Based on the research and analysis, the following key issues were identified:
- Poor website speed and user experience leading to a high bounce rate.
- Lack of keyword optimization in the website content.
- Low number of quality backlinks pointing to the website.
- Presence of technical errors on the website that were affecting search engine crawlers from indexing website pages.
Implementation and Results
To address the identified key issues, the following steps were taken:
Improvement in Website Speed and User Experience
- Enabling browser caching for faster page load times.
- Compression of images for faster loading times.
- Minification of CSS and JS files for faster page rendering.
- Improvement in website navigation and structure to make it user-friendly.
- Addition of contact, about, and FAQ pages for customers to have an easy way of getting in touch.
After the above implementation, the website’s load time was cut in half, resulting in an improved user experience and a 20% decrease in website bounce rate.
Keyword Optimization
- Focused on long-tail keywords to attract more targeted traffic.
- Implemented on-page optimization techniques such as Meta tags, header tags, and alt tags.
- Added blog content that centered around important keywords in the industry.
Within two months after the implementation, the website had experienced a 50% increase in organic traffic, with the majority coming from long-tail keywords.
Link Building
- Defined a link-building strategy that involved reaching out to industry-specific directories.
- Used infographics and data visualizations to attract high-quality backlinks.
- Made use of broken link building to acquire inbound links.
The implementation of the above strategy resulted in the acquisition of over 200 high-quality backlinks, resulting in a 30% increase in website traffic from search engine results pages.
Technical SEO
- Fixed broken links and redirect loops to improve the website’s crawling and indexing rates.
- Implemented a sitemap and robots.txt file to provide search engines with structured information on the pages and their importance to improve crawling.
As a result of the technical SEO improvements, there was a 70% improvement in website visibility on popular search engines.
Conclusion
SEO is not a one-time fix, and continuous efforts are necessary to ensure a website’s ranking improvement. The right approach, coupled with proper research and analysis, helps to identify areas that need attention and provides an evidence-based solution to the problems. For our case study website, the improvements led to a 200% increase in organic traffic and improved overall website visibility and reputation.
Key Takeaways
- Proper research and analysis are necessary to identify SEO issues to be addressed.
- Improving website speed and user experience reduces bounce rate and improves website traffic and page ranking.
- Focusing on long-tail keywords and high-quality link building boosts website visibility.
- Continuous technical SEO maintenance is important to ensure website search engine friendliness.