SEO promotion should be done at the website development stage. But mostly it happens that Clients come with ready-made websites that cannot increase visits from organic search. In this case, search engine optimization also bears fruit but slower than SEO at the development stage.
Because a website developed taking into account all the recommendations necessary for promotion will bring results faster than fixing an already created resource. This happens because the process of introducing improvements takes time not only to correct but also to re-index by search robots.
Below we'll share the case of our Client, who came to us when his website was at the development stage.
In the course of our work, we gave the Client recommendations and built a strategy that helped to increase the amount of traffic to 8,455 users per month! You will find out below what we have done for this to make it real.
1. About the Client
The Client came to us for the SEO service during the development stage.
The clinic works in such activities:
- dentistry;
- nerve canal treatment under a microscope;
- dental prosthetics (crowns, veneers);
- surgery and implantation;
- orthodontics.
The main audience is those who have dental problems (that is, clients who need both a one-time visit to the dentist - to pull out a tooth, put a filling, and multiple visits to treat dental diseases).
We drew up a step-by-step work plan, agreed on it, and kept the Client informed of all our initiatives and actions. Reports were drawn up and offered new ideas, advice for the website development after each month of maintenance.
Read about which approaches were used below.
2. Workflow
The Client came to us at the stage of website development. We have prepared recommendations for implementation, which allowed the project to grow faster from the start.
2.1 Our reccomendations:
Building the website structure. Based on the services provided by the Client's clinic, we have compiled the structure of the entire website. That is we have identified categories, sections, and subsections. Visualization of the recommendation:
Fig. 1 – Website structure
Home page. This is the first thing that users see when they visit the site. Therefore, it should catch and interest the user to stay. At the same time, the main page should acquaint the visitor with the resource and leave a pleasant impression. In addition, it is highly desirable to induce the user to go to other pages of the website. As a prototype, we recommended the Client design the home page according to this template:
Fig. 2 – Elements layout template on the home page
Recommendations also included advice on:
- content of the header, footer and "body" of the website;
- 404 pages;
- url forming;
- bread crumbs;
- canonical attribute;
- html and xml sitemaps;
- robots file settings;
- availability of a mobile version;
- download speed;
- using the https protocol.
Fig. 3 – The proposed example of an html sitemap
All recommendations were based on the analysis of competitors, so that after development, the Client's website was already more attractive not only for search engines, but also for users.
After the launch of the website, we conducted an audit of the implemented recommendations and prepared a new document with the audit results. In this way, we accompany the Client on an ongoing basis and pay attention to existing shortcomings.
Also, metadata was compiled for each service, which made it possible to form an attention-grabbing snippet in the search results, which at first glance makes the advantages clear to potential clients, the location of the clinic, and phone numbers for communication.
Fig. 4 – Example of developed metadata
It is important for SEO promotion that the information on the website is built based on the semantic core. Therefore, we assembled and prepared a kernel for the Client, and indicated which landing pages to create. We also drew up a technical specification for a copywriter and a content plan for filling a blog in order to implement the developed semantics on the promoted website.
A special feature in the collection of semantics was the need for a more detailed study of the keys, since one service can be called differently (for example, occlusion correction and orthodontics).
Fig. 5 – An example of semantic core split by query groups
According to the law of Ukraine, all new websites must have a Ukrainian version. For this, we have worked out the Ukrainian version of the Client's website, namely:
- collected the semantic core;
- created optimized content;
- implemented Ukrainian versions of website pages.
We are engaged in both internal and external project optimization. With regard to external optimization, we immediately began to work out the link profile from the moment the site was indexed. To do this, we used submissions and crowd links (in a small amount).
These methods allow you to form a natural link profile, which is important for websites created from scratch, so as not to fall under the filter of search engines.
Fig. 6 – In a separate block on the right, you can find the main information about the Client's clinic
In addition, the website gains an additional advantage, because it will be shown for geo-dependent queries (for example, a dental clinic near me) when a search engine based on the user's location suggests nearby properties.
If the user searches for a clinic through the maps, but your website is not there, then you will lose some of the clients.
It is also necessary to keep the information about the company up-to-date. Believe me, most people are looking for the first information about opening hours and services on the Internet. A profile on Google My Business with the latest information will allow you to gain audience loyalty. You can also see reviews there, which will affect the reader's decision to purchase services.
Fig. 7 – Client's clinic reviews
Reviewing feedback also helps your company profile rank among all local SERP results. Good reviews are essential for creating a positive first impression for leads.
GMB profile cannot be the main tool as a way to promote, but in addition to general optimization, it can bring a lot of new visitors and customers.
2.3 Blog development
In the cases of our agency for SEO promotion, it has already been repeatedly said that it is necessary to regularly work with a blog in order to attract additional traffic.
For our part, the terms of reference were prepared, the topics were agreed with the Client, and then the task was submitted to the copywriter. As regular work, we mean filling the blog with informational texts that are able to satisfy user queries, that is, to answer their questions in the amount of several texts every month.
A trip to the dentist is still scary for many, so often users are not looking for a clinic for the treatment of dental problems right away, but just an article. In which they could find what worries them and find out what it is, how it is treated, and how much it costs.
In most cases, such actions are the first step before calling for a consultation and making an appointment with a dentist.
Рис. 8 – Blog
The peculiarity of this area is also in the fact that it is a medical niche for which are applied more stringent ranking rules. According to it, the website should contain only high-quality texts, and the text itself should be written by an expert or approved by a doctor.
The website should contain information about doctors with all diplomas and permits. Also, such websites should not post images from operations with censorship of inappropriate content. In addition, it is forbidden to call for treatment without the advice of a specialist and you cannot push to sign up for any services.
In such conditions, the main task of the content is, with its expertise and accessibility for understanding, to push readers to seek services from the promoted institution.
Fig. 9 – Example of technical specification for a blog for August 2021
For example, articles on the treatment of stomatitis and braces consistently bring traffic to the website (total traffic is 12,939 and 202, respectively), and some of the readers then turn into customers. The more blog posts, the more likely users from the blog will go to the services page and make an appointment.
Fig. 10 – Blog page traffic
Fig. 11 – Traffic is small but stable)
Also, a mandatory requirement for improving blog page traffic is the use of internal linking of articles. So don't neglect it. It works.
2.4 Changing the appointment button
The registration form on the website contained a registration button under each service separately.
Fig. 12 – Appointment form
We recommended that the Client remove the buttons from under each service and add it to the top pinned menu (in the header), where it is now located.
Fig. 13 – Recommended location of the button for making an appointment with a doctor
And, replace the button with the one that moves with a scroll at the bottom of the page. That is, which moves around the page while the user is scrolling it.
Fig. 14 – Implementation of the Appointment button on the Client's website
This solution helps to improve the usability of the interface - you don't have to scroll down the page to get to the button, but you can see it on the left at any time. In addition, in this part of the website, the button does not interfere with viewing the content, but at the same time attracts attention.
In addition, we advised the Client to change the very form of the record and fields: reduce it and place it in the center.
3. Initial results
A month after the indexing, we conducted a technical audit to check for errors in the code and in the work of the website. And sent the document to the programmer for correction.
A month and a half after indexing, we saw that the site had traffic - 248 sessions from organic for the period August 7-September 7, 2020. Also, there were already 60 referring pages from 12 domains. Most of the calls came from Kiev.
Fig. 15 – Distribution of traffic to the Client's website by city
After receiving the first results, we focused on improving the link profile, working on reviews in the GMB profile and writing texts for the blog. In addition, we regularly make adjustments to the semantic core to support the development of the project.
3.1 Link profile analysis
In March 2021, we analyzed the link profile and saw the following link growth dynamics:
Fig. 16 – Donor domains
Fig. 17 – Referring Pages
During the period from August 2020 to March 2021, there was a 3-fold increase in the number of domains, of which there are links to the Client's website. In total, there are 465 referring pages themselves, which is 7.5 times more than in August.
In February-March 2021, emphasis was placed on the purchase of perpetual links, that will drive traffic on an ongoing basis.
Based on the analysis, we made the following conclusions:
- non-anchor links prevail among the anchor list of links;
- it is necessary to increase the volume of branded anchors.
In accordance with the conclusions, we made tips for building a link mass, a percentage breakdown for the distribution of anchors and indicated the key factors for choosing links.
We analyzed the link profiles of competitors and highlighted domains on which further links to the promoted project were placed for the main competitors.
Another feature of the niche emerged during link building - there are very few high-quality medical websites. Links from such websites are more expensive. In promoting, we also used links from news and general sites, which had sections about health.
We used our own texts and in this way controlled thematic for posting on such resources. That is the content in which the link was posted was 100% medical. Thus, it turned out to distribute the budget correctly: expensive links from medical websites and cheaper from news/regional platforms.
3.2 Position tracking
Starting from November 2020, we have been tracking how the positions of the site are changing in the search for queries with making statistics in Topvisor:
Fig. 18 – Dynamics of changes in website positions
In the second half of April, Topvisor calculated that 20% of the total queries are in the TOP-10.
At the same time, we continue to work on adjusting the semantic core, filling the blog with texts and creating content for external placement.
4. Deliverables
We have been working with the Client since July 21, 2020. The website was indexed on August 7, 2020. The website traffic is steadily growing despite some difficult communication and waiting for the approval of our actions and texts.
Fig. 19 – Traffic growth dynamics during the work with the indexed website
We have already provided above the data on the growth of the link mass for the period of link building. The following indicators have been achieved by purchasing eternal links, crowds and submissions.
Fig. 20 – Link profile growth at the beginning of October 2021
The domain of the Client's clinic is now linked to 88 sites, and 679 pages. The dynamics of change is smooth, which inspires confidence on the part of the Google search engine.
We began to work with the Client even before the opening of his website for indexing. After the website was included in the search index, we worked with it for another 14 months (August 2020 - September 2021).
From July 21 to August 7, our work was more of an advisory nature. And for the next 14 months, we focused specifically on increasing the visibility of the Client's website.
Fig. 21 – Growth of organic traffic when comparing the last and first 7 months of promotion
In the first 7 months (July 2020-February 2021), traffic reached 3,620 users. Over the next 7 months, traffic increased to 30,349 visitors, that is, the growth was 738%!
If we compare the first month when traffic began to come to the website and the last month, we see that the traffic increased 64 times.
Fig. 22 – Traffic comparison for September 2021 and August 2020
As a result, in September 2021 we have already received 8,455 users per month versus 132 users in the first month of the indexed site. There are an average of 281 users who visit the website every day, while in August 2020 it was only 4-5 people a day!
This is our overall contribution and we are very pleased that the Client is now receiving not only organic traffic on the blog, but also clients who are treated by the specialists of his clinic.
The number of queries that have improved their positions in the search results during the period of work with the site - 1114, which is 60% of all semantics implemented on the Client's website.
Conclusion
This case shows that SEO at the development stage saves money and time, since redoing a website is usually more expensive than creating from scratch according to all the rules of optimization.
The point is to initially do everything on the website with high quality and correctly, taking into account the requirements of the search engine for web resources.
After optimizing the website at the development stage, search engines crawl and add an already high-quality website to the index, which means that there are more chances to get a result in promotion faster than when finalizing an already indexed website.
