2.5x more B2B traffic and 60% better lead quality after a CMS movethanks to a complex SEO+PAID approach

Thanks to a detailed SEO audit and a creative paid ads campaign, we helped a major payment provider attract 136% more search engine traffic after a move to a new CMS. We also attracted 273 new leads and increased their quality by 60%. 

The challenge: boosting website traffic after switching CMS

Our client, a major payment solutions provider, moved the corporate website from Tilda to WordPress. This is often a painful transition resulting in a loss of traffic. We took it as a challenge and opportunity for a complete SEO rehaul. This also allowed us to kickstart a paid traffic campaign in the LATAM region, to which the client was expanding. 

BDC Consulting used a complex approach that combined a 360-degree SEO audit, competition analysis, and a test ad campaign.

The initial goal was to maintain the rankings and search traffic after the switch to the new CMS. The final result exceeded the client’s expectations: in just 3 months, we increased Google Search traffic from 730 site visits per month to 1730, while the number of organic keywords rose from 895 to 1323. We also increased lead quality and raised the conversion rate from lead to user by 7%. These are all impressive numbers for a B2B company whose sales cycle can last several months. 

How we did it

1) A full SEO audit

We used both automated and manual SEO analysis, checking for the following:

• coding errors
• functionality flaws
• responsiveness
• breadcrumbs
• load speed
• content relevancy to search intent
• visitor behavior and rejection rate (including context ads).

We also conducted an SEO analysis of the competition to see which of their SEO and content techniques can be used on the client's website to rank higher than the competitors.

2) SEO checklist

Based on the SEO audit and the competition analysis, we compiled a detailed checklist for the website admins, coders, and content managers on the client-side. It included:

• removing duplicate metadata (it can confuse Google and harm rankings)
• deleting broken and non-existent pages
• internal cross-linking
• building a new semantic core (the old one had poor search visibility)
• registering the company in various business directories
• purchasing links to increase the brand's visibility in the new target markets (Latin America and the US).

Thanks to these measures, the website's SEO rankings improved after moving to the new CMS. The site received 1,730 visits originating from search engines in a month (as opposed to 730 previously), and the number of keywords it ranked for grew from 895 to 1,495.

Insight:  adding internal anchor links allows you to show Google which pages are the most important and helps boost keyword relevancy.

3) Test campaign – stage 1

Duration: 1 month

As the client was looking to expand into both new industries and new regions (Latin America), we designed an experimental paid ad campaign that would tick both boxes:

• selected two test industries (real estate and alternative transport)
• selected two test GEOs (Brazil and Argentina)
• designed new banners, visuals, and SEO-optimized landing pages for each industry and GEO
• tested various combinations of banner visuals and texts
• launched campaigns for a target audience that was similar to existing website users
• tested different advertising objectives.

The test campaign confirmed that we could attract relevant leads via ads on social media, even though the client's product was rather specific (B2B payment solutions). In total, we got 130 leads (registrations) at $16.5 each. Considering that each user (merchant) can earn the company thousands of dollars a year in processing fees, this is a good acquisition cost.

4) Test campaign – stage 2

Duration: 1 month

We used the analytics data from the first month to scale the test campaign and increase lead quality. The resulting 143 leads cost $22.56 per registration (25% more than during Stage 1), but the share of quality relevant leads was 59% higher. 

Final results

The key objective was reached and exceeded: in spite of a move to WordPress, Google rankings improved and search traffic to the site increased by over 130%.

• +136% to search traffic (from 730 to 1,730 visits a month)
• +47.8% to relevant organic keywords (from 895 to 1,323)
• 273 new registrations
• +7% to conversion rate
• +59% to quality leads
• 2 new B2B market segments covered
• 2 new target GEOs

Insights 

Switching from one CMS to another (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Tilda, etc.) often hurts Google rankings and search traffic, but with careful SEO improvements and search marketing, you can maintain and even boost the site's popularity.

However, one has to keep in mind that search marketing in 2022 goes far beyond designing a landing page and buying links. Marketing specialists need to account for all of Google's 200 ranking factors, including YMYL ('Your Money or Your Life') and EAT ('Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness') – the guidelines that Google uses to evaluate content quality. 

A combined manual and automatic SEO audit is the only efficient way to see if a website matches all the ranking criteria. The result should be a detailed action plan covering code, metadata, content, visuals, keywords, page structure, and more. It's crucial to implement all the recommendations from the SEO audit checklist and check competitors' SEO strategies.