The strategy
While branded local SEO terms such as “Higgins Dandenong” were triggering the correct branch pages and often ranking in the #1 position, more general local SEO terms, such as “commercial painter dandenong” weren’t delivering results in the top 3 positions, nor were they getting high conversions.
As a result, Bc and Higgins scoped a local SEO project into the 2020/21 strategy with the aim of improving Higgins’ rankings for local keywords and optimising their branch pages for conversions.
“Local marketing is a crucial element of our overall marketing strategy,” said Nicole Carbone, Higgins’ Marketing Manager. “We wanted to further push our visibility by getting our name on page 1 of Google SERPs for a variety of keywords, so that searchers can connect with our local experts more easily.”
The approach
Bc conducted a full SEO audit of the Higgins branch pages to identify where improvements could be made to improve SEO and optimise conversion. Additionally, local SEO research was completed for each branch to identify the most relevant keywords for optimisation.
The recommendations included to:
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Personalise and update copy with unique content for each branch page
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Optimise for local SEO keywords identified in the research
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Add contact forms to increase chance of conversions
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Improve consistency between pages for better UX and conversion
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Improve technical SEO elements, adding or correcting as needed.
Once Bc had identified what improvements were needed on each page, we determined the order of implementation based on how the branch pages were currently ranking.
Our account copywriter, search expert and marketing technologist then collaborated to update one branch page per month, with plans to complete the project by the end of 2021. By spreading the project out across 18 months, we were able to include the cost in Higgins’ annual retainer, while still driving other important marketing initiatives forward.
The results
In order to report on the success of the project, Bc monitors the local keywords that we identified as relevant to each branch on a weekly basis. The results consistently show that each branch page has significantly improved its Google search engine ranking for local search terms after optimisation.
“The local SEO project has gone really well,” said Ms Carbone. “Our search visibility has increased and we’re appearing on page 1 for many of our branded and non-branded keywords. It means we’ve been able to expand the number of keywords that we’re trying to rank for.”
The number of search terms for which Higgins is now in the #1 position has increased by 333% between August 2020 and 28 May 2021. More broadly, there has been a 100% increase in the total number of keywords for which Higgins branch pages appear on page 1 of Google SERPs (ie. positions #1-10).
Overall, Higgins search visibility has increased from 9.65% in August 2020 to 11.42% on 26 May 2021. The branch pages have also generated 68 leads in that time, compared to 24 for the same period a year prior, an increase of 183%.
We love working with Higgins, and have helped them achieve incredible results over the years. We've also partnered with them to help them get the most out of their HubSpot platform.