Taking Inventory
One of the reasons I got this client is because of our initial meeting. I was able to run through four or five things right there in the meeting to show them the hurdles they had. Their site had more than 2,300 HTML errors per page, major canonicalization problems, major problems with their on-page content, no keyword optimization, and more. The HTML code was the first hurdle to clear, as it was causing incomplete indexing of the site by the search engines, as well as problems correctly crediting the site with their existing link base. The problem was compounded by a complex content management system (CMS) running the back-end of this 20,000+ page site. Google was only able to index 9 pages and had credited the site with just 19 links.
The Fix
After our initial meeting, we negotiated the consulting agreement and then got to work with a complete SEO setup, including all the initial research and fixes required to get the site on track. The initial setup phase included not only fixing HTML errors, but also straightening out many other things on the site that were holding it back. The project involved coordination with their reporters, editorial team, IT staff, and CMS service provider.
Immediate Growth
Within two weeks of implementing the HTML corrections, sorting the URL structure, optimizing the internal linking structure, and all the other work that was required, Google was able to index 9,000 pages and credited more than 100,000 links to the site. Today the site has more than 75,000 valid URLs indexed and 1.3 million links credited.
Long-term Growth
After we started working with this company, organic traffic shot up more than 1,000%. Google, Yahoo, and Bing traffic has all improved by 10 times over the baseline. The site’s bounce rate is down, PPC spend is down, return visits are up, new visits are up, and the site is consistently ranking news stories at position one and two within hours of posting the article. All the efforts that went into this site certainly paid off, and it all started with knowing where to look, what to fix, and how to make the site work for search engines. This client’s success was not based solely on the initial HTML corrections or site optimization, but on a year’s worth of strategy which was implemented at the top with the owner, and flowed all the way down to the newest hires. It takes company-wide commitment to see a 1,000% increase in traffic, and rock-solid SEO advise.
Baseline Organic Traffic
Over the period of January 1, 2010 through March 18, 2010, Google sent 6,229 visits. from organic results.
Traffic after one year of work
Over the period of January 1, 2011 through March 18, 2011, Google sent 62,885 visits. An improvement of more than 1,000%!
Contact us today to find out how we can start setting traffic records for your site too!
