How To Increase Traffic By 96% (SEO Case Study)

Regardless of your website’s size, the keys to a palmy SEO run are (on-page), links (off-page), and method factors.

Your contented acts similar the assemblage of a contention car, and it’s referring backlinks similar contention fuel. The method factors enactment similar the nuts and bolts allowing everything other to execute astatine its best.

If you miss either of these past your website volition conflict to fertile overmuch similar a contention car struggling to get down the track.

In this lawsuit study, you’ll larn the nonstop steps that my squad astatine The Search Initiative took to summation our client’s integrated postulation by 96%. You volition get a clang people successful the 3 pillars of SEO (on-page, off-page, and method factors) done the lens of this lawsuit study.

In this article, you’ll larn however to:

Before getting into the details of the strategy, here’s immoderate important accusation astir the website’s goals and the main challenges that were faced.

The Challenge

The main nonsubjective for this run was to summation the magnitude of prime integrated postulation connected the tract to turn the fig of leads.

The lawsuit is simply a US-based SaaS (Software arsenic a Service) B2B institution that builds and offers unreality bundle with web pages targeting a scope of countries including English speaking countries specified arsenic the U.S.A., arsenic good arsenic Japan, China, Korea, and France.

With this successful mind, 1 of the main challenges was scale bloat. There were implicit 30k crawlable URLs connected the English mentation of the website unsocial – rather excessive for a SaaS website. Fixing these crawl fund issues and uploading the XML sitemap which was missing erstwhile the lawsuit joined TSI was a priority. More connected that, below…

The client’s hreflang (a mode to archer Google astir the connection and people determination of your content) setup had not been implemented correctly.

This is simply a precise important constituent of planetary SEO and needs to beryllium addressed to debar imaginable duplicate contented issues.

Although the halfway landing pages of the tract were comparatively good optimized, determination was a deficiency of supporting contented to thrust postulation towards them. This is due to the fact that the client’s blog was not active, with conscionable a fistful of articles published.

This was tackled by researching and penning informational blog articles to people long-tail keywords. This helped physique the client’s topical relevance wrong the niche arsenic good arsenic supply interior linking opportunities towards the main pages connected the site.

The last measurement was to physique authorization with a link-building strategy that focused connected gathering leafage authorization connected the website’s astir important pages: the homepage and work pages.

Follow the steps beneath and find retired however you tin besides flooded these challenges for your ain websites.

Crawl Budget Management

What Is Crawl Budget & Why Is It Important?

Google lone has a constricted magnitude of clip and resources that it tin allocate to crawling and indexing the World Wide Web. Therefore, Google sets a bounds connected however overmuch clip it spends crawling a fixed website – this is known arsenic the crawl budget.

The crawl fund is determined by 2 elements:

If you person a ample website with hundreds of thousands of pages, you’re going to privation to marque definite that lone the astir important pages are being crawled i.e. that you aren’t wasting your crawl budget connected unimportant URLs.

Crawl fund absorption is astir making definite that you’re stopping Google from crawling irrelevant pages that origin scale bloat.

How To Fix Index Bloat

Index bloat occurs erstwhile Googlebot crawls excessively galore pages of mediocre quality. These pages whitethorn connection small to nary worth to the user, beryllium duplicated, beryllium bladed successful content, oregon whitethorn nary longer exist.

Too galore unimportant and low-quality pages being crawled wastes precious crawl fund arsenic Google spends clip crawling those URLs alternatively of the important ones.

Our client’s English tract had implicit 30k bequest lawsuit pages indexed – these were pages that included precise small contented astir manufacture events wrong the client’s niche i.e. a flier for the lawsuit on with indispensable accusation specified arsenic dates and times.

Let’s look astatine immoderate of the astir communal culprits that origin scale bloat and however you tin find them utilizing a tract search:

You whitethorn besides travel crossed these kinds of pages:

There are respective ways to archer Google which pages you privation crawled, and which ones you don’t:

Here’s the robots.txt record for my site:

You tin mostly find your robots.txt by accessing: yourdomain.com/robots.txt

The basal format for blocking Google from crawling your page(s) is:

Here’s an example:

The supra regularisation prevents each robots from accessing immoderate URL that contains /author/.

Find retired much astir the champion practices for your robots.txt record here.

If you person a WordPress website, you tin bash this easy via a plugin similar Yoast SEO.

On immoderate page, scroll to the Advanced tab connected the plugin and wherever it says “Allow hunt engines to amusement this Post successful hunt results?” prime No.

An important happening to remember is that you request to guarantee that these pages haven’t besides been blocked connected your robots.txt file. Otherwise, Googlebot volition ne'er spot the “noindex” directive, and the leafage whitethorn inactive look successful the hunt results if, for example, different pages nexus to it.

Find retired much astir however to negociate your crawl fund here.

XML Sitemaps

While your robots.txt record is utilized to forestall hunt motor bots from accessing definite pages, there’s different important record that you request to usher Google successful the close absorption regarding which pages you do privation it to find and index.

That’s the XML sitemap – which our lawsuit happened to person missing from their website.

What Is An XML Sitemap & Why Is It Important?

The XML sitemap is simply a “map” of URLs utilizing Extensible Markup Language.

Its intent is to supply accusation astir the contented connected your website i.e. the pages, videos, and different files, on with the respective relationships betwixt them.

XML sitemaps are important due to the fact that they let you to specify your astir important pages straight to Google.

Here’s an illustration of what a sitemap looks like: https://diggitymarketing.com/sitemap.xml

Providing this accusation makes it easier for crawlers similar Google to amended crawl ratio arsenic good arsenic recognize the operation of your web pages. Think of it arsenic a array of contents for your website.

By doing this, you’re expanding your chances of your web pages getting indexed much quickly.

Here’s an illustration of a basal XML sitemap:

More often than not, your XML sitemap volition apt look similar this auto-generated 1 from Yoast: https://lakewoodrestorationpro.com/page-sitemap.xml

Why? Because it’s overmuch easier to usage a plugin/tool to make your sitemap than to hardcode it yourself manually.

How To Create An XML Sitemap

There are galore ways to make an XML sitemap for your website depending connected your CMS.

Your sitemap should present beryllium automatically generated and disposable astatine either com/sitemap.xml oregon yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml

Name your record “sitemap” it volition beryllium saved successful .xml format.

There are besides XML Sitemap generators similar XML-Sitemaps.com wherever each you request to bash is:

One happening to enactment astir the methods elaborate supra is that they whitethorn incorporate URLs oregon pages that you bash not privation to beryllium included. For example, crawlers similar Screaming Frog whitethorn see paginated pages oregon /tag/, /author/ pages – which arsenic you learned above, origin scale bloat. So, it’s ever bully signifier to reappraisal the generated files and marque definite that lone the close pages are there.

There’s besides the enactment to codification your XML sitemap manually, this is good for tiny websites with precise fewer pages but possibly not the astir businesslike for monolithic sites.

Regardless of which method you choose, retrieve to upload the sitemap.xml record to the public_html directory truthful that it volition beryllium accessible via domain.com/sitemap.xml.

How To Submit Your XML Sitemap To Google

To taxable your XML Sitemap to Google, spell to your Google Search Console and click Sitemaps > participate the determination of your sitemap (i.e. “sitemap.xml”) > click Submit.

That’s it!

Remember to besides adhd a nexus to your XML sitemap wrong your robots.txt record utilizing the pursuing directive:

If you person aggregate sitemaps, simply adhd different directive, truthful you person thing similar this:

This last measurement makes it that other spot easier for Google (and different crawlers) to find your sitemap and crawl your important pages.

Many plugins similar Yoast automate this process for you, they’ll automatically adhd your sitemap into your robots.txt file.

Implementing hreflang Attributes Correctly

Implementing hreflang attributes correctly is an precocious method that should lone beryllium done by experienced web developers, SEOs and those who recognize the risks. However, if your website’s contented is disposable successful aggregate languages, past the hreflang property is particularly important for you.

If you acceptable this up correctly, you could fundamentally clone your English website into antithetic languages to maximize your postulation and keyword visibility crossed your people locations.

Now, I cognize not each of you volition person websites that request to beryllium translated into a scope of languages. Don’t worry, there’s inactive thing you tin bash to marque this enactment for you.

Say you person a website successful American English targeting the USA, you tin past make a UK, Canada and Australian mentation of your tract (which needs precise small translation) to easy prime up much postulation wrong these regions. Read connected to find an illustration of however to bash this.

What Is hreflang?

Hreflang is an HTML property (or tag) utilized to archer Google astir localized versions of your web pages. You tin usage this property to specify the connection and people determination of your content.

Why Is hreflang Important For SEO?

Hreflangs are important for SEO arsenic they assistance hunt engines similar Google to service the astir applicable mentation of your web pages based connected the user’s determination oregon preferred language. This improves the idiosyncratic acquisition of your website arsenic it minimizes the chances of users leaving your website to find a much applicable effect wrong their preferred language.

Correctly implementing hreflang tags has the added payment of preventing duplicate contented issues. Imagine you person 2 web pages that are written for British and American readers respectively.

These pages are beauteous overmuch identical, but Google whitethorn spot them arsenic duplicates and frankincense prioritize 1 leafage implicit the different successful its index.

Thus, implementing hreflang tags helps item the narration betwixt them: i.e. you’re telling Google that contented connected these pages is similar, but that they are some optimized for antithetic audiences.

Here’s an illustration of a real-world tract making large usage of this by fundamentally “cloning” their website (with minimal translation) to people a fig of English speaking locations.

When Should You Implement A hreflang Attribute?

You should instrumentality a hreflang property if:

How To Implement hreflang Attributes Using HTML

The astir communal and simplest mode to instrumentality hreflang attributes is by utilizing HTML statements.

All you request to bash is adhd the pursuing enactment of codification to the <head> conception of your web page:

For WordPress websites, you tin adhd hreflang tags by updating your header.php file. To entree this file, navigate to Appearance > Theme Editor, oregon usage File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

Once you’ve opened the file, you tin adhd the aforesaid enactment of codification into the <head> section.

Let’s interruption this down:

IMPORTANT: Ensure that you see the afloat URL of your alternate page. This means including “https://”, “http://”, “https://www.”, “http://www.” etc.

Let’s spell done an illustration utilizing the pursuing 2 pages again:

The close hreflang implementation for these pages would see adding the pursuing codification to the <head> conception connected each of the pages:

This method seems elemental capable for the supra setup, but what if aboriginal connected you take to construe the leafage into Danish and French?

You’d person to spell done each leafage and adhd the further lines of code:

The last effect successful this illustration is that you person 4 unsocial pages each with their ain respective language. Each of those 4 pages has each 4 hreflang attributes successful their respective <head> sections.

You tin usage a plugin similar Insert Headers and Footers to marque this process easier. However, this is an precocious process and we urge lone experienced web developers and those who recognize the risks instrumentality this yourself. If you request immoderate assistance implementing this, scope retired to america astatine The Search Initiative.

How To Implement hreflang Attributes Using Your Sitemap

Another mode to instrumentality hreflang attributes is by utilizing your XML sitemap.

This way’s a small tricker, but the large happening is that you tin velocity things up by utilizing Erudite’s hreflang Sitemap tool to make hreflang sitemap markups automatically.

But, if you’re funny successful learning much astir the however and why, work on:

To specify antithetic variations of your contented utilizing your Sitemap, you request to:

Let’s spot however this would look with our 2 illustration URLs:

This whitethorn look much analyzable than utilizing conscionable HTML, but if you person a ample website with aggregate versions of the aforesaid contented successful antithetic languages, past alternatively of having to instrumentality changes to each URL, you lone person to update your XML sitemap.

Here’s an successful extent guide connected hreflang implementation if you’d similar to larn more.

Best Practices & Common Pitfalls When Implementing Hreflang

Regardless of which method you choose, here’re immoderate champion practices and communal pitfalls to debar erstwhile implementing hreflang:

If you don’t, Google volition disregard the tags.

In this case, the default leafage that volition beryllium shown to users is: https://www.domain.com/uk/hreflang/

For much accusation connected however to instrumentality hreflang attributes, cheque retired this detailed usher from Google.

Establishing Topical Relevance With Supporting Blog Content

If you person a website that sells sportfishing equipment, you astir apt privation Google (and your readers, for that matter) to cognize that you’re adept fishers.

One mode to bash this is to make supporting blog contented that allows you to showcase your expertise wrong your niche and build topical relevance. You besides person the added payment of targeting long-tail keywords that possibly aren’t arsenic competitory arsenic the halfway keywords that you people connected your superior pages.

For example, you whitethorn privation to make guides connected however to usage definite pieces of instrumentality oregon make an eventual usher connected sportfishing successful general.

This is thing that our lawsuit was missing retired on, arsenic their blog conception hadn’t been touched successful a agelong time.

Finding Long-Tail Keyword Ideas

A large mode to find long-tail keywords is via Ahrefs’ Keyword Explorer tool.

In this example, we’ve utilized the “Questions” study to place a imaginable taxable that searchers mightiness beryllium asking astir NFTs.

To find long-tail keywords that are comparatively casual to fertile for, filter the keyword database by:

With these long-tail keywords that are applicable to your niche, you’re solidifying your website’s topical authorization wrong Google’s eyes.

Writing & Optimizing Blog Content

When it comes to penning the blog content, I highly urge utilizing Surfer’s Content Editor tool.

You’ll past spot a leafage that looks similar this.

What the instrumentality has done is analyse the length, the fig of headings, the fig of paragraphs, the fig of images and astir importantly, the communal phrases and keywords utilized wrong the contented of the top-ranking pages for your keyword.

Pay adjacent attraction to:

Check retired this video to larn much astir however to interlink your pages together.

Building Links To Important Pages

One happening we noticed astir the client’s backlink illustration erstwhile they archetypal joined was that galore of the important work pages had small to nary backlinks pointing to them which prevented those pages from ranking.

Let maine interruption down however you tin signifier a link-building strategy based connected the above.

Identifying Link Building Opportunities Using Ahrefs’ Best by Links Report

Ahrefs’ Best by Links study is large for identifying which pages connected your website person the astir and slightest interior and outer links.

Also, benignant the results successful Ascending bid based connected Referring domains.

When looking done these results, place immoderate pages that are important to your website. These are astir apt pages that look successful your main paper i.e. class pages for eCommerce websites oregon Service pages for SaaS websites.

Select pages that you cognize are targeting important keywords and are important for bringing successful much gross oregon conversions for your website. These are the pages that you chiefly privation to physique links to.

You present person a database of important pages connected your website with the slightest fig of referring domains. Remember, these could beryllium “money pages” arsenic described supra (i.e. category/service pages connected your main menu), but you could besides see blog posts that you consciousness are important successful presumption of their quality to fertile for precocious volumes of keywords.

Once you’ve identified these pages, the adjacent measurement is to commencement to physique the existent links towards them to boost their leafage authorization and rankability.

An effectual maneuver you tin usage is blogger outreach – here’re the main steps:

Looking astatine your competitors’ nexus profiles is simply a large spot to commencement arsenic they’ll already person links from topically applicable websites wrong your niche.

Remember to support your pitches abbreviated and concise:

Here’s a template that you tin usage for your pitches:

Learn much astir however to transportation retired blogger outreach successful item here.

The Results

Here’s what we’ve achieved by executing the supra strategies successful conscionable implicit six months.

When compared year-on-year, the integrated postulation grew by 96%.

The graph below, which is taken from Ahrefs, shows the site’s keyword visibility wrong the apical 10 positions of Google.

The fig of keywords that the tract is ranking for successful the apical 10 positions of Google accrued from 259 keywords to 357 keywords a twelvemonth aboriginal – an summation of 37.8%.

Conclusion

Without a technically dependable foundation, the contented you constitute and the links you physique won’t beryllium anyplace adjacent arsenic effective. You privation to marque it arsenic casual arsenic imaginable for Google to find and scale the pages you privation to beryllium ranked – this is what method SEO is each about.

In this lawsuit study, you’ve learned however to:

Implementing the supra strategy volition assistance guarantee that the close pages marque it into Google’s scale truthful that you tin maximize your visibility wrong the hunt results. Doing this tin beryllium beauteous time-consuming, particularly if you person a ample website with thousands of pages.

If you’re looking for a squad to instrumentality attraction of each of your SEO needs, get successful interaction with my squad astatine The Search Initiative.