Increasing traffic is not the limit: how we improved a client's website after successful SEO optimisation

We wrote about how we doubled visits to a client's website here

And because we are of the opinion that a website is a process, it was impossible to stop there. Today we will tell you exactly how we improved the client's website and what results this led to.

Client site audit

There are a number of things that need to be done before you can engage in conversion.

To start with, our experts audit the site and compare it with competitors' sites. We usually focus on the top 10 in the client's niche and refine the site accordingly. No plagiarism, but simple logic: what is out there is ranked by search engines, and therefore we need it too.

Then we assess the feasibility of future edits: how long it will take, how urgent it is to introduce this feature/page, what it will achieve in the short/long term, what we can limit ourselves to for now, etc.

The tasks for this particular client's website were generated by the SEO specialist. We later agreed them with the client and worked on the quality of the website pages for six months.

What we have improved on the client's website

Our client, www.pnevmoportal.ru , provides pneumatic equipment rental, sandblasting and powder coating services. Here is a list of what we have improved on this site:

1. We redesigned the testimonials block - we took texts from Yandex.Gazetteer.There is such a thing as "social proof" in marketing. It is a trigger that makes us more willing to buy and more trusting if a product/service is praised by others. Websites with reviews, comments on products - all these things make us buy more effectively than a salesperson telling us about himself or herself.

An important nuance: people are less likely to believe filtered reviews put out by the site moderators. But the well-known sites like Yandex. Maps or Yandex.Gazetteer are great social proof.

2.We have brought out the Yandex.Gazetteer ranking on the website.Another social proof. In our case, the site owners were confident in the quality of their services, so they easily agreed to place a block of ratings straight from Yandex.Gazetteer.

3. We have added a calculator.Price is one of the main criteria when choosing a product or service. With services it is more complicated - the price can depend on many factors. In such cases, the best choice is the calculator on the website. Especially if there is a list of criteria that influence the final cost.

A customer has a service - powder coating car rims. Previously, this block was just a description of the service, followed by a general price list with powder coating prices.

Now the customer can calculate the approximate cost according to their specifications, which helps them make a choice.

An additional SEO benefit: search engines identify the usefulness of the page and promote it in the rankings.

Calculators are often used to collect leads, but not in our case. Customers get exactly the price of the service by specifying 5 characteristics. Such a thing increases the average time spent on the page.

The introduction of the calculator has increased the number of visitors to the page:

Graph of the number of visitors, Yandex.Metrika

4. We have added a block with frequently asked questions.One of the aims of the website is to make life easier for its visitor, to give them the maximum benefit, while not overloading them with information. The so-called FAQ is a very important section, but the client didn't have one. We placed blocks with frequently asked questions in all the most popular sections of the website.

5. The work examples block has been finalised.In their feedback, clients may limit themselves to evaluation and general impressions. That is why it is important to demonstrate the results of the work done in order to build trust. We have improved the block with examples of work by making it more informative, adding announcements and larger photos.

6. We brought the key benefits on the home page.Any contact with a company on the Internet is first and foremost a question of "Why should I buy from you?"

The advantages block helps you to know the main strengths of the company and to decide on a choice. We built this block from scratch, together with the management: they know better what they can offer their customers, their competitors and their strengths.

7. We have added messengers for communication.Studies show that Russians find it more convenient to communicate in messengers than to call: they can do other things, not disturb others, save their correspondence, and so on. When introducing messengers on a website, remember: you need to respond to clients quickly and extensively. Only then it will be an effective channel of communication.

The result one year after implementation: more than 2,000 people clicked on the 'Contact' buttons on WhatsApp and Viber.

8. A map has been added with the addresses of machinery car parks.Previously, their addresses were just a list. Instead, we put up a map to make it easier for people to navigate by geolocation, without the distraction of constructing a route in a separate app.

9.We worked on the mobile version.. We analysed the site and found out that 60% of the year's traffic is from smartphones. It is crucial to adapt content for mobile devices: speed up loading, adjust the correct display of pages, improve navigation, etc.

We regularly test the pages for mobile-friendliness and monitor the quality of the adaptive version.

10. Worked with external links.When ranking results, search engines take into account not only the site itself, but also the citation index. If a site is listed in directories, aggregators, regional sites, ad sites, marketplaces, etc., then the citation index is high and Yandex will show the site to the user much more readily.

We build up the volume of external links on all suitable platforms so that the site ranks better. This work cannot be done once - it has to be done constantly: links stop working, become obsolete, and new ones have to be built up all the time.

In addition to all this, we regularly filled the site with new content: constantly uploading news, updating the catalogue, service and rental pages, price lists, etc.

What has become of the promotion statistics?

The first article demonstrated our success in search engine promotion: we cleaned the site of "over-optimised" texts, rebuilt the semantic core, corrected technical errors and much more. The site literally took off in the search engines.

So how has site traffic changed since that peak improvement?

At the time of writing, traffic looks to be in the 25.10-31.10 range:

Search engine promotion results

Of course, after such a steep rise, the current result looks like a decline. But if we compare it with the results before promotion, it is clear: the current result has reached a qualitatively new level. In addition, the client has a steady flow of visitors and orders, which is the most important thing.

And we were also able to practically do away with contextual advertising, since the client has had enough organic traffic so far. SEO optimisation brings users in on a number of popular keywords:

• compressor rental
• wheel blasting
• painting of steelwork

These queries have been in the top 10 in Moscow at different times. They both brought and continue to bring targeted visitors to the site.

Summary of results.

Results on Yandex.Metrics

Thanks to all the work we've done, we've achieved an increase in conversions on the website. The work doesn't stop: we're still filling it with content and improving it to meet users' needs.