Jamie Stenton, Business Development Manager at Lilac James Co., writes:
Lilac James has been a member of Cambridge Network for many years and several times a year we are invited to present training on SEO and digital marketing at its fantastic breakfast networking events.
Earlier this year, we were chosen to deliver an on-page search engine optimisation (SEO) project to the Network’s existing website. During the research phase of our project there was significant disruption due to COVID-19 and lockdown, meaning we had to continually evaluate and understand changing consumer behaviour to deliver the best possible outcomes.
One of many great things about Cambridge Network membership is that it provides a backlink from its website to its 1200+ members. Given the Network’s domain authority is very credible at 65/100, this is extremely beneficial to its members’ SEO. Naturally, the stronger Cambridge Network’s SEO, the more this benefits the members.
Objective
At the outset, Cambridge Network already had strong SEO with a range of page 1 rankings for competitive local search terms. Our task was to improve it even further – with a specific focus on its range of available training courses.
SEO positions are a key indicator for clients searching for a new product or service. If Google deems you credible enough to rank you higher than your competitors, this is a strong sign for potential clients that you are trustworthy and credible. It was therefore important for us to ensure Cambridge Network’s SEO positions widely reflect its standing as Cambridgeshire’s best business network and training provider, including online courses.
We also wanted to ensure that all goal conversion metrics were set up in Google Analytics so that we could consistently monitor and improve all KPIs.
What we did
The first task was keyword research and mapping. This ostensibly looks at what search terms and volumes are put into Google every month. Once the best targets were identified, they were mapped across the site, allocating target keywords to specific pages. Pages were then individually optimised for the terms in question, ensuring that all elements crawled by Google confirm the keyword intent.
This strategy also reduces bounce rate and increases conversion by improving the customer journey. The user is more likely to find exactly what they are looking for and will land on a specific page that directly satisfies their need.
The on-page optimisation project also included improving internal linking, another ranking factor.
Results
When we started this project, Cambridge Network’s overall search engine visibility stood between 21-23%. Search engine visibility is the overall share of traffic that a website receives through its rankings in the organic search results.
We are pleased to report, that in September, a mere three months after we concluded our project, the Network now has a search engine visibility of 74%.
This represents a 220% increase.
Despite being in the middle of a significant recession, the Cambridge Network team was prepared to invest in and develop their SEO strategy.
The 220% increase in search engine visibility has delivered a 31% increase in web traffic from organic SEO and a 50% increase in new users from organic SEO.
As we know SEO builds over time, I am confident that the results we have already seen are just the beginning for Cambridge Network and the team can continue to grow their SEO and business despite these challenging economic times.
The team at Cambridge Network has always been an absolute delight to work with and we look forward to future collaborations.