The client, an IT solutions and software company, already had a strong online presence with decent E-E-A-T and a robust blog section that established them as a topical authority. The client was proactive about their website’s performance and sought to further optimize it.
The primary challenges were:
The Starting Point
The client had a well-performing website with decent E-E-A-T and a strong blog section demonstrating topical authority.
The Process
A comprehensive SEO strategy was implemented to address the identified challenges and further enhance the website’s performance.
Technical and Content Audit
- A technical SEO audit was conducted, and minor errors such as redirection and schema markup issues were resolved.
- A content audit was performed to identify low-performing blog posts and address keyword cannibalization.
Content Optimization
- Low-performing blog posts with no backlinks were removed (404).
- Content from valuable but thin blog posts was merged into better-performing pages targeting the same keywords.
- The performance of the consolidated pages was assessed, showing increased rankings and clicks.
Addressing AI Overviews Impact
- The impact of Google’s AI Overviews was assessed. While clicks to main-performing blog posts decreased, impressions and positions remained largely unchanged.
- Long-tail and question-based blog posts and pages were heavily featured in People Also Ask and AI Overviews.
Content Brief Guidance
Detailed guidance was provided to the client on creating winning content briefs, including:
- Keyword research and clustering
- Page formatting
- Short intros with key insights
- Logical text grouping
- Strategic internal linking
- External citations for credibility
- Natural integration of secondary keywords
- Closely related sections that satisfy search intent
This guidance resulted in the creation of high-ranking new service pages and blog posts.
Service Page Cannibalization
- Cannibalization was addressed on the main service pages, especially for the client’s most important product.
- Competing service pages were slightly optimized, and internal links with exact keyword anchor text were added.
- Less relevant pages were deoptimized or put on draft, including some blog pages that were competing for the same product keywords.
Steady Growth, Even With AI Overviews
The implemented strategy successfully maintained and improved the website’s performance, even with the challenges posed by AI Overviews.
- The site overcame negative traffic tendencies from AI Overviews, maintaining steady performance.
- Core service pages improved their performance and achieved leading positions for the client’s key product terms.
- Competing pages were deoptimized or redirected.
- The site maintained stable traffic from informational queries and is heavily featured in AI Overviews for related keywords.
- The client achieved first-page rankings and featured snippets for several high-converting product pricing keywords.
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If you’re a software company looking to maximize your online presence, overcome challenges like AI Overview competition, and drive targeted traffic, let’s talk about taking your SEO to the next level.
Sonja Marinkovic, Founder of Digital Search Hero