Important notice: Beware of fraudulent recruiter messages on WhatsApp! More details on our LinkedIn profile

How to Increase Organic Traffic by Over 500% in Less Than One Year

client

ARS

tools

Ahrefs

Screaming Frog SEO

Google Search Console

client

ARS

tools

Ahrefs

Screaming Frog SEO

Google Search Console

content

Client 

ARS is a chain of home improvement & furniture stores. 

Challenge

  • Increase brand awareness online.
  • Ensure a constant increase in traffic to the site and bring the organic search channel to the level of profitability.

Initial Data 

By 2021, the ARS company had two online stores, divided by construction and furniture topics. They received a total of 12,000 sessions per month.

The sites were not optimized, and there was confusion in the language versions: a user who came from Google with a Ukrainian-language query ended up on a page with Russian-language content, and vice versa, a user coming from a Russian-language query landed on a Ukrainian-language page. Additionally, the site was not mobile-friendly.

Considering the situation, the brand team started to work on a new online store using the latest technologies and approached us for SEO support.

Since the new site had to be more functional, it took time to develop. During this period, together with the client's team, we created an MVP (minimum viable product) in order to start generating at least minimal sales as soon as possible.

Solution

For the creation of the MVP and further development, we prepared keyword research and catalog structure. We divided all technical tasks into three stages:

  • Mandatory for release.
  • Desirable for release.
  • Post-release deferred tasks.

Mandatory Steps for Release

  • Formatting URLs;
  • Site adaptation for mobile devices;
  • Name and placement of page code elements;
  • The mechanism for allowing and prohibiting indexing using templates;
  • Breadcrumb navigation;
  • Language versions of the site;
  • robots.txt and sitemap.xml;
  • Ability to place tests on category and filter pages;
  • Mechanism of work with Title, Description, and H1 and transition to the HTTP on every page and en masse by metatags;
  • Micro-marking: breadcrumbs navigation, products, company contacts;
  • Optimization of pagination pages;
  • In advance content creation for priority categories. 

In addition, it was important to work on the redirect map from the old sites. All pages that had organic visitors were redirected to similar thematic pages on the new resource. We also enabled the site migration procedure from subdomains in Google Search Console.

Release and the Start of Work

The MVP release took place a few days before the New Year. By that time, the ARS team had formed its own eCommerce department. They had inconsiderable experience in eCommerce but had the opportunity to learn through practice.

The most important task was to fill the online store with products quickly.

In the existing conditions, creating a comprehensive SEO strategy that would provide the maximum result in the shortest possible time was necessary.

Firstly, we created template metadata for categories and products, as they have the greatest impact on search engine rankings.

Secondly, we implemented the ability to optimize filters in the catalog. Now we could work on categories one by one, starting with the highest priority ones.

We manually added metadata, allowed useful filters for indexing, and blocked unnecessary ones. We filled priority pages with content for search engine optimization.

In parallel with the developers, we worked on fixing technical issues.

The results: Within the first three months, organic traffic increased to 21,000 sessions. In February, we launched paid advertising channels, with Google Shopping campaigns becoming the main channel for promotion.

Problems of a New Online Store

The work speed of the website 

Before the start of our project, the ars.ua website was operating on the Magento platform, which had a significant drawback in terms of speed. Loading a single page took 8–10 seconds. This slow speed not only impacted the user experience but also had a negative effect on the site's search engine rankings.

The developers promptly addressed this issue by optimizing database queries and server configurations, resulting in a page load time of 5 seconds. While this result was not ideal, it was satisfactory at that time.

A low conversion rate 

This was a critical issue that raised a logical question from the client: "Visitors are good, but where are the sales?" The conversion rate was 0.17%, while the optimal range for a construction online store is considered to be 0.4-1%. To address this situation, we analyzed the catalog, product pages, and the ordering process, and decided to make certain changes to improve the situation.

These changes allowed us to increase the conversion rate to a satisfactory level within a short period of time.

The Impact of Quarantine in 2020

In the spring of 2020, all offline stores were closed, and most products could only be purchased online. Furthermore, at the beginning of the lockdown, Ukrainians were buying only essential items. However, the feeling of uncertainty passed in just a few weeks, and sales gradually started to increase. In such circumstances, the revamped online store saved the client's situation.

The brand quickly adapted to the new conditions and launched an informational campaign in target regions, encouraging customers to order products online. As a result, the brand's organic traffic to the website increased tenfold and maintained high levels until the end of May, when offline stores reopened.


Dynamics of Brand Traffic

Branded traffic refers to conversions from the Organic channel to the main page, the contact page, and the pages with store addresses.

Quarantine became the impetus that allowed to quickly increase knowledge about the ARS brand online.

Further development of the project 

We deliberately postponed work with links to the site, as we wanted to see the results of the site release first. Subsequently, they selected promising pages that could quickly get to the TOP-3 and began to strengthen them with links. The result was almost instantaneous. For example, the client's site was already in the TOP-1 in May, based on the high-frequency request "wallpaper".

External links can help the site get to the top positions. However, they will not be able to move the page from the 50th position to the first.

Schema Markup of Quick Questions FAQ 

Micro-markup is one of the trends of 2019, which helped to increase the CTR of the site and improve the positions by increasing the textual relevance.

An example of a micro-markup display

Work on Improving Existing Pages 

Together with the ARS team, we regularly monitor the position of the site and highlight pages that have the potential to grow in search results. We carefully analyze and refine the published content, metadata, FAQ section, link profile, etc.

Such a thorough analysis should be done manually only for selected pages with high demand. It is unprofitable for all pages. After all, the specialist's time can cost more than the potential profit from the page.

Results

Dynamics of Organic Traffic Sessions 

Over the year, organic traffic to the ars.ua website grew fivefold. The Organic channel became profitable, and the profit from the channel exceeded the costs of SEO.

Key Success Factors 

  • ARS management: investment in the project, without demands for a quick result, is a calculation for the future.
  • Tenacity and engagement of the client's team.
  • Less competition in Google queries in Ukrainian (almost 3 times).
  • Qualified team of developers.
  • Content managers who quickly adapted to SEO requirements and recreated the entire range of ARS.
  • Immersion of our team in the details of the project.

Case studies

We’re proud of our success stories

Check out how we help companies like yours overcome challenges and rise to the next level.

+921.4%

Organic traffic growth

72.3%

Share of traffic generated by blog

12 months

Work period

Transforming the Website Blog: +921.4% Organic Traffic and Lead Generation for the MacBook Parts Provider
Consumer electronics
/
Learn more
204%

Non-branded traffic

173%

Organic traffic

1 year

Work period

+173% of Organic Sessions Over a Year in Healthcare: Esculab Case Study
Health Care & Beauty
/
Search Engine Optimization
/
European Union
/
Learn more
Grow your business
175
companies in the U.S. have
increased sales with Promodo

Get a free strategy session

We will analyze your business and share our ideas on how to improve your marketing strategy.

Valid number
Your company website
Send Message

By clicking on “Send message” button, you agree to our Privacy Policy and allow Promodo to use this data for our marketing purposes.

Thank you for reaching out, inquiry has been sent! We will get back to you shortly.
Got it
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Contact us