TargetWeb

In this case study, I explain how we achieved first ranking position for top competitive keywords for a Romanian automotive website. Over three years, traffic increased by 10x, and the site now ranks for almost all critical keywords. Here is a detailed breakdown of the strategies and steps I used to achieve this success:

1. Technical SEO Improvements

The website’s initial performance was significantly hindered by slow loading times due to:

    •    Large JavaScript and CSS files

    •    Oversized images

    •    Slow load times, affecting the website’s ability to rank and be crawled by Google efficiently.

Actions Taken:

    •    Optimized JavaScript and CSS to reduce their size.

    •    Compressed images to ensure faster load times.

    •    Implemented other technical optimizations to boost page speed.

Results:

    •    These changes resulted in a noticeable improvement in crawling rates, with pages that were previously crawled but not indexed starting to be indexed.

    •    Addressing these technical issues allowed us to move ahead of 80% of competitors in terms of site performance and crawlability.

2. Topical Map Creation

Initially, the website had millions of low-quality, unstructured pages, making it difficult to rank for competitive terms.

Actions Taken:

    •    Created a topical map to logically organize the website’s architecture.

    •    Grouped content into main and subtopics, aligning it with user search intent.

Example of Topical Map:

    •    Level 1: Dezmembrari auto

    •    Level 2: Dezmembrari auto Audi

    •    Level 3: Dezmembrari Audi A5

    •    Level 4: Dezmembrari Audi A5 diesel

    •    Level 5: Dezmembrari Audi A5 diesel 2.0 TDI

Results:

    •    Improved content structure led to increased impressions and crawling of critical pages.

    •    Technical fixes and content reorganization worked hand in hand, improving the overall site structure and efficiency.

3. Semantics SEO Method

Although content existed on the website, 99% of it did not follow SEO best practices.

Actions Taken:

    •    Performed detailed keyword research, identifying related and semantically relevant keywords.

    •    Structured content using main and secondary topics, ensuring a logical flow from top-level keywords to more specific terms.

    •    Worked closely with the client’s development team to optimize pages according to the keyword hierarchy.

Results:

    •    Google began recognizing the website’s relevance for various important keywords.

    •    As the content became more aligned with semantic search patterns, the site’s authority and rankings improved significantly.

4. Backlink Acquisition

Instead of purchasing backlinks, I focused on gaining links naturally through partnerships and related websites.

Actions Taken:

    •    Collaborated with partner sites and other relevant platforms to acquire high-quality backlinks.

    •    Avoided link purchases, focusing instead on building organic connections that enhanced the site’s authority.

Results:

    •    The backlinks provided positive signals to Google, improving the site’s relevance and helping to index important pages faster.

    •    The improved crawling and indexing of pages had a cascading effect, benefiting other posts and pages across the website.

Key Challenges

    •    Some sections of the website had low content, which needed to be expanded to ensure competitiveness across all topical map levels.

    •    Balancing technical improvements with content optimization to ensure long-term ranking success.

Final Results

    •    Achieved first position on Google for almost all targeted competitive keywords, significantly boosting visibility and traffic.

    •    File type breakdown showed major improvements:

    •    HTML increased to 70%

    •    CSS down to 10%

    •    JavaScript down to 4%

The combination of technical fixes, topical mapping, semantic SEO, and natural backlinks created a sustainable ranking strategy. As I’ve learned through this process, relying on a single tactic is not enough; success comes from a holistic SEO approach.

If you’re looking to improve your site’s rankings and need help, feel free to reach out, and I can suggest the next steps to take.