Case Study: SEO and CTR Optimisation

A leader in travel and education needed to uplift their lead volume and conversion. Their existing website traffic and lead volume were increasing but were petering out over time. While their industry and search volume was declining there were a lot of smaller enterprises finding their niches with top to bottom of funnel keywords for specific locations.

Click-through rate (CTR) optimisation has emerged as a critical factor for achieving online success, especially in middle of funnel where the most amount of return visits happened. 

CTR optimisation is the art of maximising the number of clicks a webpage receives in relation to its impressions. By focusing on this crucial metric, I boosted organic search traffic and improve the website’s overall performance. In addition, this strategy bought clients already on a competitor’s conversion tunnel, but were converted by my client.

Case Study Click Through Rate Optimisation Process

Improving Meta Content:

  • All titles included relevant keywords.
  • All meta descriptions incorporated a brand value proposition statement, later changed to promote click throughs
  • All meta descriptions had a clear call to action (CTA) – see above.
  • All meta descriptions fit within character limits – 120 for mobile optimisation.

A/B and Keyword Testing:

  • The client’s value proposition that aligned with a key brand statement gave a clear directive for improving. But this did not really work out as the value proposition was not different enough from the competitor’s, plus pricing and overall packages were very similar.

    A/B testing was used. It is a powerful technique that compare sand contrasts different versions of a webpage to identify the most effective elements. From experimenting with different headlines and meta descriptions to testing various calls-to-action, A/B testing provides valuable insights into what resonates with a target audience.

    Meta Title and then Meta Description changes were made. While there was a minor change with CTR of 1% with different keywords, the main product pages started to have more rank movement and instability (irrespective of algorithm changes). However, including more appetising meta descriptions using terms using ‘more’ in keyword combinations like ‘discover more’, ‘find out more’, ‘explore more’ the site’s average click-through rate for these product pages and organic keywords increased by 10% over three months and then 15% as a average over time.

Technical Optimisation And Its Effect On Click Through Optimisation

  • An in-depth audit of the website’s code, navigation, content, and user experience was conducted. There was no change in navigation, although moving the landing page to first directory was considered, but deemed too abstract for the client. There were a lot of products within the directory and would have meant a movement and re-direction of 150+ pages.
  • Offsite presence, including social profiles and backlinks, was examined. Other than campaigns and social awareness, there were nothing significant to account for change
  • Thorough keyword research was conducted but no ‘gaps’, not even ‘value’ statements were apparent. The idea of mentioning intent in meta descriptions was key to this case study’s success.

CTR Testing Content Creation:

  • 5 updated pieces of optimised content were created for landing pages based over different products and product locations. The 15% increase in organic clicks remained, however it would increase or decrease given seasonality and search volume.

Results

  1. CTR and SEO Improvement:
    • The site’s average click-through rate for its organic keywords increased by 15% in three months.
    • Inverted pyramid writing was developed to answer the ‘piquing’ of interest from the meta description which decreased the conversion rate time by 50%. Meaning, more conversions in less time as ‘user intent’ was answered.
  2. Keyword Rankings:
    • The number of relevant keywords ranking on the first page of Google increased 18% during the trial (from data – the moved up by increased traffic and reduction of bounce rate for the pages).
  3. Organic Traffic:
    • Although organic traffic click throughs on these pages and tests increased during the test period – interest in the products remained similar to the search volume increase and seasonal trends.
  4. Similar Products and Differentiation
    • A lesson learned is that various top products had to be different enough so traffic and conversion could be considered a direct result of the CTR.

CTR Case Study Conclusions

In conclusion, by implementing a comprehensive SEO strategy that included meta content optimisation, A/B and keyword testing, technical optimisation, and content creation, the client was able to achieve a significant increase in CTR and organic traffic over a two-year period.

The case study demonstrates that a holistic approach to SEO, including CTR optimisation, can lead to substantial improvements in organic performance and lead generation.

CTR SEO Case Study Lessons learned: Very similar products – location, price were harder to analyse as multiple conversions for the same person happen at the comparison stage. With the breadth of products of similar standing being often chosen mid funnel, and not having a unique log-in on the portal made a difficult decision with very similar metas showing in the SERPs meaning a decrease of interest over time if it was spread over too many pages.