SEO Case Study: How I Increased a Client’s eComm Site by 717% Despite Stereotype Bias
To succeed in today’s SEO, you must understand customer search terms, create compelling content, build links with reputable sites, and invest in efficient indexing.
This is how I increased this website’s sales by 717%.
For today’s SEO case study, I will show you exactly how I did it while dealing with racial bias and my willpower when facing discrimination based on skin color.
You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, kids.
The Initial Challenge
A client with a Shopify site was referred to me and was desperate to have their online business make a profit after being outranked.
The client was devastated seeing their business being overshadowed by Amazon, leading to a significant loss of market share.
The client needed help maintaining their profit margins as even return customers had started losing trust in them based on the ranking.
It was a desperate moment that called for desperate measures such as hiring an SEO expert.
They believed that another SEO audit would yield only a few results.
With such a conflict between the client and the recommendations made by experts, it took a lot of work to develop a way to resolve prevailing issues.
Initial access to the necessary data was hard without performing the SEO audit, which promoted a need to approach the project from a strategy-driven and analytical standpoint.
After analyzing the situation, I decided that it was crucial to perform a technical audit in secret despite the skepticism depicted by the client.
Three capable tools used in the audit included Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Screaming Frog.
It was possible to extract valuable data that helped in understanding the structure of the website, its performance metrics, and potential issues that required immediate attention.
Strategy Employed
Based on the client’s unique circumstances, I developed a threefold strategy.
i. Rectifying the Broken Links
I realized that many broken links needed to be fixed from the technical audit.
Therefore, it was a strategic move to resolve them to eliminate the 404 errors that visitors would face.
The broken links result in adverse impacts on the website’s SEO due to delivering a poor visitor experience.
Such experiences often lead to a potential drop in the site’s Google rankings.
I identified and rectified the broken links to ensure seamless navigation and improved visitor experience.
ii. Comprehensive Keyword Research
The second strategic step was performing exhaustive keyword research using various SEO tools such as Google Trends, SEMrush, and Ahref.
Through these tools, I managed to identify high-performance keywords relevant to the client’s target market and closely related to the product range offered.
I achieved this strategy by carefully analyzing the search trends, the prevailing competition, and the prospective search volume.
iii. Optimization of Product and Category Pages
The third strategy was ensuring that I optimized 17 product and category pages.
This was the most demanding phase.
The phase involved several steps, starting with the on-page optimization.
I wanted to ensure there was a strategic approach to implementing the identified keywords within the content.
Achieving the three steps required an unmatched understanding of the semantic and technical aspects of SEO and an understanding of the client’s product offerings.
Case Study Results
The results of the comprehensive and intense SEO fix were impressive.
Thirty days after implementing the strategy, the client registered phenomenal results, such as a 27% increase in gross profits.
I realized the improvements through organic sessions, which increased by 449%, indicating the level of organic visibility and website health the client was experiencing.
The strategies achieved a comprehensive, wholesome impact since the returning customer rate increased by a stunning 23%, the average order value grew by 155%, an impressive rise in sales from traffic was recorded at 90%, and the online store sessions experienced a remarkable surge in every category.
The initial major problem the client highlighted was a worrying fall in ranking, which was the most important metric to focus on in the result.
Fortunately, this was the ultimate reward that the strategic approach realized, as the ranking improved, achieving placement on the first page of search results.
The click-through rate (CTR) also increased by 7%.
And Then Came The Boom…
The disappointing part was that, after sharing the results with the client, the client made a racially biased comment that depicted some of the issues currently ensuing in professional relationships when businesses fail to invest in diversity awareness and inclusivity.
The client commented, “Wow, Az, I’m impressed. You sure don’t sound black.”
This indicated that the owner never expected a black person to be as educated as I was.
As we advance
The comments made by the client were deeply disconcerting, which resulted in the end of our contract.
I felt insulted and decided to uphold my dignity by ending the professional relationship.
Even with the professional relationship ending, I was satisfied with my work, keeping my end of the bargain by realizing a significant difference to my client’s business.
By the time I parted ways with the client, the gross sales of the businesses had astronomically increased to $161,181.09, a resounding 717% increase from the previous financial quarter.
The Shopify store sessions had increased by an impressive 900%. The customer return rate had also realized incredible improvements, rising by 203%.
This might seem like peanuts to some in one year, but I knew it meant something extraordinary deep down at the time.
That’s One of Many SEO Successful Victories
The experience I encountered was a crucial milestone in my professional growth, where I came to appreciate the transformational power of strategic SEO in the current digital market spaces.
This case study underscores the value of determination, proficiency, and resilience in overcoming obstacles that professionals face and the implicit biases they may encounter.
The case highlights a crucial lesson: professional competence is vital in obscuring prejudices and biases in the business world.
The case study depicts that bias has no place in the face of unmatched competence, experience, and success.
It is, therefore, critical to understanding the importance of often adopting an open-minded, culturally sensitive, diversity-aware, and inclusive approach in all professional interactions or engagements.
SEO Marketing That Reflects in an Inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world we want to live in
Reflecting on my journey, I am profoundly grateful for every step I have taken and deeply thankful to those who made me question my place in the world due to biases.
Suppose you have ever felt silenced due to racial inequality.
In that case, you should always know that your skills and voice are powerful and can be used to shape a more inclusive digital space and world.
Now is the right time to adopt a data-driven, verified, basic On-Page SEO strategy.
The first step is downloading my free PDF checklist, which outlines the essential step-by-step aspects of my SEO strategy.
Through this checklist, you will gain the necessary knowledge and insight that led to the realization of the explained transformative SEO fix in the case study.
I implore you to try it and allow me and you to rectify the gaps in your online presence.
Let’s identify high-performance keywords for your business and products and optimize your content for maximum search engine visibility.
Misconceptions should not lead to missed opportunities and untapped potential.
Be part of the champions proving stereotypes wrong, fighting for inclusivity and diversity awareness, and using the power of SEO to overcome these barriers and challenges.
Always remembers that your determination to succeed is the measure of your potential and not how other perceive you.
Let your journey to elevating your business start today, now!
Be ready to tell your success story, empower, and inspire others.