In this case study, Explore how I helped four webpages to skyrocket from having just 11 to 33 first-page positions on search engine results in just 30 days.
Pick up the strategies used, and the smart moves that made all the difference. This case study is not just about numbers; it’s about the smart tweaks and consistent efforts that can significantly boost online visibility.
Whether you’re a website owner, blogger, or new in the SEO game, this case study offers valuable ideas into the power of effective content optimization. Let’s go.
About Pickleball Portal
PickeballPortal.com is a magazine-style website focusing on Pickleball. It has been around for several years and has generally done well on traffic.
However, as much as it is a good website, it still has pages written ages ago and languishing at the lower ends of search results.
These articles may have been written when the keyword is not very competitive, meaning they rank high, even when not optimized well.
This is likely the same for many websites – they are missing opportunities to increase traffic with just a bit of optimization.
Identifying Opportunities
From Semrush, I explored the website and identified several posts that have the following combinations:
- Between pages 2 to 5
- Has keyword difficulty of X or lower
- Has a monthly search volume of at least X
The idea here is to find ‘lower hanging fruit,’ which are posts that:
- Are targeting easy-ranking keywords
- Has some traffic potential
In many cases, just by improving and optimizing the SEO content, you can move the page up rankings pretty quickly.
Another reason to work with these articles is that they are not performing well. This means even if my methods fail, they do not harm the website’s traffic significantly.
I settled on four posts, believing they would improve once I applied my methodology. I organized these posts into an online spreadsheet that Dan (the website proprietor) and I can see and update as we see fit.
Optimization Work Begins
For SEO optimization, I primarily use Neuronwriter (NW). Neuronwriter is my preferred choice as it shows me a clear pathway to optimize the article for SEO.
It uses a scoring system, meaning the higher the score, the better the article is optimized. Neuronwriter also shows relevant scores that I can use to see how far I need to go to optimize the article:
- Highest scoring article
- Average top 10 scoring article,
- Target score to achieve and
- More.
I first copied and pasted the original article into NW and saw the scores NW gave to the article. In this case study, my average score for the five articles is 52/100.
52/100 is not enough, as the average highest NW score from the top 10 search results is 75. Some keywords, such as ‘singles pickleball,’ have NW scores as high as 88.
I started editing the article to build up the scores. I do this by following recommendations from Neuronwriter. These may include:
- Rewording title, meta description, subheadlines
- Inserting certain words and phrases, as recommended by NW.
- Exploring relevant headlines that may help bring up SEO scores and write about them.
- And more.
I achieve this using a combination of AI and manual handwriting. If requested, I can also do this with a manual, 100% handwriting.
I improved the five articles to score an average of 86/100 in Neuronwriter. I am careful not to over-optimize to keep the article sounding more natural and easy to read.
One article was optimized to 95/100 out of the original 48/100. This was achieved despite having fewer words, too.
Some Embellishment
I then look to improve the readability of the article. This is achieved in several ways:
First, I break paragraphs down. Generally, I kept paragraphs short, no more than three lines per paragraph.
I highlight or quote important lines to ensure visitors see them. Many website visitors skim and scan articles to search for info, so quotes make it easier.
Whenever I see opportunities, I create graphic organizers such as lists, tables, etc. I also include internal and external links in the article.
For very important sentences that answer search intent, I usually turn them into images with quotes. This helps break the monotony of texts and gives the article original images, without having to go purchase some. Unique pictures are generally helpful for SEO.
These images are also given descriptions, names and alt-text that are similar to the targeted keyword, again to help with SEO.
I also create a feature image. This is usually done in Canva Pro, using licensed images, with the website’s logo. Images like this make a blog professional, and also helps with SEO.
The article is then put through Grammarly Pro for grammar, spelling, and language accuracy checks.
I try to keep language within the Grade 7-8 level, so make the article as easy to read as possible but not sound childish.
I also use Grammarly Pro to check for plagiarism. If I detect any, I usually rewrite the section until it passes. The aim is to have none.
Grammarly may not be the best plagiarism check tool, but it works well for most clients.
Once done, I compile these screenshots into a Google Doc document for Dan to review. If he approves it, he gets the article published.
Results
Good things take time, and so is SEO. I waited for 30 days before starting to look at the results.
In general, all articles show improvement in rankings in the targeted keyword. All also show improvements in related keywords.
| Targeted Keyword | Position Before | 30 Days After |
| Nude Pickleball | 24 | 10 |
| Padel vs Pickleball | 57 | 13 |
| Pickleball Singles Strategy | 20 | 15 |
| Pickleball Skirts | 75 | 26 |
These articles also made it into the top 10 for many keywords. For example, the Nude Pickleball article went from having one to four positions in the top ten search results (Google US)
Before | 30 Days After |
For the Padel vs Pickleball article, the improvement is also noticeable. It went from only three first-page entries to having 17. It also has a top-three result (Google US), and has additional 25 entries into the search results:
Before | 30 Days After |
The articles contribute to the website’s traffic with just a little intervention. This is better than them just lingering around search results, but not high enough to generate any significant traffic.
Why Not 1st Place?
As much as the articles improved in position, they are not in the 1st position.
Many other factors influencing search results positioning are, unfortunately, outside of my control. The article editing work is only a portion of SEO work.
These SEO ranking factors usually lie with the website owner, such as:
- Backlinking
- Backlink quality
- Domain authority
- Website experience (eg. loading speed)
- Author profiles
Another major factor is the competition for the keyword itself. The more competitive the keywords are, the more difficult it becomes to rank, especially if your website is new, or lacks enough Domain Authority (DA.)
This means my optimization work can only improve the articles to a certain position – the website owner will have to take over from there.
Generate More Traffic To Your Website Today
This case study showcases how I help a website generate more traffic by improving its existing articles.
I improved these articles by optimizing their content and structure for SEO, which helped them rank higher and gain visibility. These, in turn, generate clicks and visits.
I always seek opportunities to apply my methodology to websites across all niches and styles. If you think your site can benefit from my SEO work, please reach out, and let’s chop it up.
