Search marketing case study: B2B

heavy equipment catalog company
finds SEO success!

SEO case study summary:

  • Company was facing poor rankings due to unethical SEO advice by another firm.
  • Company’s goal was to recover immediate rankings on Google
  • Company created new content and Titles to reflect searcher behavior and to gain positioning
  • Page now has top-10 positions for six different, highly relevant keyterms.
  • Due to the success of its search marketing campaign, the company has decreased the number of print catalogs from 500,000 per year to 150,000 per year and is using that budget to fund additional SEO efforts.

Searching for Google success

This heavy equipment distribution client has over 650 Web pages that were not positioning well in Google or the other spidering search engines. The company’s annual distribution of print catalogs was 500,000 print per year and their site was generating approximately 80-100 web leads per month.

When this company contracted with SuccessWorks, their first objective was to recover lost rankings that plummeted during previous SEO consulting. Furthermore, their goal was to establish immediate rankings in Google.

Cleaning up old SEO spam

Previous search marketing consulting had not been achieving long-term, measurable results. It was theorized that positions dropped as previous SEO firms recommended “borderline” SEO techniques that could be construed as spam. As an example, other SEO companies advised that the client buy multiple domains and build out multiple sites, which is considered a questionable SEO process and can actually get a side downgraded in the engines.

SEO’s position within the total marketing scheme

Currently this company uses many different marketing strategies including print catalog, trade shows and trade magazine ads as well as search marketing. The impact of search marketing has been such a positive one, they are slowly inching away from their printed catalogue and putting more money into search.

Measureable results with search marketing

As a measurable increase, they decreased their number of printed catalogs from 500,000 to 150,000. Also, their web leads per week have gone from the previous 80-100 to 350-400 per month. With trusted feed (a method that larger sites can feed their content directly to the engines on a per-click basis,) this company saw immediate results.

Search engine marketing and future business goals

As they stand now, their goals for 2004 are to have 10,000 pages indexed in Google (from 650 current amount) which is a matter of internal progress that still needs to be made as opposed to search consultation issues.

Summary

With SuccessWorks, this company has learned effective and manageable ways to regain and maintain rankings in Google. With their increase in web leads  going from 80-100 to an impressive 350-400 per month they have a lessening need for print catalogs. They are now able to put more of their marketing budget into proven successful search optimization strategies. The marketing head for this company maintains, “It doesn’t have to be trial and error. It should and can be trial and success.”

“The training that Success Works provided was excellent. SEO is critical in our industry and our challenge was to be able to pass on this information effectively to our clients. Heather was very effective in her review of our needs and objectives. Each session was carefully planned, organized and executed with key takeaways. As a result, with the knowledge we gained, we have been able to provide a higher degree of service to our clients. I would highly recommend Heather for your SEO training needs.”

Stewart WrightProduct Manager, LifeLearn Inc.

“I wanted to thank your team at SEO Copywriting and in particular Amy for the wonderful job she did with the copy rewrite for our site MdAuctions.com. I think the site reads 100 times better and is already converting new subscribers. Everyone was so easy to work with, responsive and pleasant; it made what seemed to be a challenging project, nothing more than a delightful walk in the park.”

Don Miller, Jr.Owner, MDAuctions

“Heather and her team at SuccessWorks have been instrumental in helping our company develop SEO copy for our new website as well as several of our marketing collateral pieces. They are so easy to work with from start to finish and really took the time to understand our company and products. The result was effective copy that both conveyed the key information we needed to share with our customers in a voice that represented Wolfe. Heather has also been an amazing resource when it comes to SEO tips and best practices and she is always offering up great ideas to help us promote our company and improve SEO. We will definitely be using SuccessWorks for future projects.”

Terry RendallInternet Marketing Director, Wolfe Internet Services

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Heather Lloyd-Martin—as both a presenter and a teacher. Heather is outstanding on all levels. She’s passionate, dynamic, and knowledgeable beyond words.”

Julie OblanderOnline Education Manager, F+W Media/Writer’s Digest

“Thank you, again, for talking to me yesterday. For the first time in months, I actually feel re-energized and hopeful about the direction of my business. You really cleared up a lot of the “head trash” and questions I had about where I was going. I am still processing our conversation (and reviewing my notes), but I am feeling pretty darn good! Thanks!”

Tess WittlerPresident, Tess Wittler Copywriting

“I engaged Heather and her team to write SEO friendly copy for 100+ pages on my directory website. After a few months, my sales reps started noticing higher search ranking for many of these pages. The higher rankings have made it easier for the reps to sell advertising and generate revenue for the website. I highly recommend Heather and her team.”

Ron SpinnerPublisher

“Working with Heather and the SEO copywriting team at SuccessWorks has been a pleasure! The team consistently produced outstanding content for our site that was well-optimized for search engine visibility. Her team’s expertise and organization were highly admired. Any time we had an urgent request or copy concern, the team was happy to oblige. If you are in need of a professional writing service that is easy to work with and can deliver SEO-friendly content in a timely manner, I would highly recommend SuccessWorks to do the job!”

Ana TaneySEO and Social Media Manager, FYI Direct

“We have re-written most of our current pages. We did a 2nd rewrite this year (tweak) and will relaunch our site in August with copy and design changes. In a year’s time, through our first re-write we increased organic search from 6% of all visits, to 27% of all visits. This is according to Google analytics. The in-house training class with you really paid off.”

Mary StraussVP Marketing, Mainline Information Systems

“There are many people who do speaking and training on search marketing, but Heather is one of the best. Her clear speaking style, with an emphasis on both what’s effective and what’s realistic in a business situation, is what differentiates her from the techno-speak that you usually get. On top of Heather’s experience and knowledge of search marketing and copywriting, she is a consummate professional who can be depended on to complete any engagement she takes on to your satisfaction. Plus, she’s fun, which is even better. I’ve worked with Heather on several speaking engagements, and would jump to do so again. Don’t miss your chance to work with her.”

Mike MoranDistinguished Engineer and Manager of ibm.com, Web Experience IBM

“If you’re looking for smart, enthusiastic and creatively talented in the copywriting and content strategy business, then look no further than Heather Lloyd-Martin. Whether she’s programming events for the national DMA or educating a huge crowd at a search engine marketing conference, Heather “tells it like it is” and I highly recommend her for consulting and public speaking.”

Lee OddenCEO, TopRank Online Marketing

“DEMCO has recently launched multiple product landing pages. I believe a large part of the success of these pages (an average of 27% lift!) was due to the work and advice from Heather Lloyd-Martin and her company, SuccessWorks. Heather was very friendly, knowledgeable and easy to work with, and helped keep our project on track. The training that we did as part of our engagement was very useful, and we are starting to write some of our own SEO copy now. I highly recommend Heather and her company for the success of your own web site!”

Pete WilliamsMedia Service Manager, DEMCO

“Heather helped us capture and articulate for our website the essence and dynamics of Ambit Electronics. Her enthusiasm and effervescent personality came through in the presentation of our website. Heather’s expertise in SEO writing has been an immeasurable help to us, in driving business to our website. I highly recommend Heather and her Team.”

Daniel OkolikaPresident, Ambit Electronics

“We recently hired Heather Lloyd-Martin of SuccessWorks to help optimize our Press Releases. Heather was extremely professional, energetic and eager to learn about our company. She was patient and took the time meet with key individuals in the company and to ask the right questions to help get results. The first release she wrote for us yielded 200% better results than our previous releases! We look forward to optimizing all of our future release with the help of Success Works!”

Cheryl MuellerDirector of Operations, USADATA, Inc - Sales Leads on Demand

“Thank you very much for your help with my website! I’m really pleased with how it looks and my search rankings are fantastic. You were great to work with and I’ll be sending several people your way that have been considering making their own sites.”

Benjamin D. KozowerMD Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Virginia

“Thanks so much for your jam-packed SEO copywriting course. As you might have seen in the comments, people wished that it had been twice as long and I don’t blame them. You mix tons of practical advice with an enthusiastic and charming presentation style and I was very glad that you agreed to contribute to our course.”

Matthew T. GrantManaging Editor, MarketingProfs

“It was my pleasure to work with Heather on numerous Direct Marketing Association Conferences. Heather is undoubtedly an expert in the area of Search Engine Marketing. For several years Heather has been a major contributor of her time and expertise to the DM Days New York and DMA annual conferences. Heather has pioneered the Search Engine Labs at these events which have proven to be an invaluable segment. Heather’s great personality and her ability to keep her audience engaged and informed with real world techniques make her an excellent addition to any event. I highly recommend Heather as a speaker.”

Sherry RobinsonProject Associate / Events Coordinator, Direct Marketing Association

“If you want to learn what really works in today’s search engine optimization world, look no further than Heather Lloyd-Martin of Success Works. Whether you are a business looking for a fantastic speaker, or a writer trying to learn SEO, Heather gives you the important information necessary to help skyrocket your Website to the top of the search engines. With Heather’s bubbly personality and extensive experience, you’ll have fun learning the science of SEO and increase your customer base fast.”

Melanie RembrandtCEO, Rembrandt Communications

“Heather is a thought leader in the copywriting field. The way she teaches expands far beyond just how to write good copy, but into how to develop a solid content marketing plan for your business. Anyone who is serious about becoming a copywriter or marketing their content online needs to hear what she has to say. Heather and I have worked together on numerous occasions with multiple clients and the strategy and expertise she brings to the table is invaluable.”

Kenny HyderFounder, Rockstar Consultants

“Heather is a dynamic speaker and a seasoned educational professional. I have worked directly with Heather at many Interactive Marketing events where she participates on expert panels and leads interactive training sessions. She is professional, enthusiastic, helpful and extremely knowledgeable.”

Patricia HurshFounder, SmartSearch Marketing

“Heather has always impressed me with her marketing know-how and rational approach to things. She is also a brilliant speaker, and I recommend you catch her at an industry conference if you get the chance. It’s her creative thinking and copy writing abilities that make her an outstanding business partner and search marketing vendor. The thing I recall most about Heather is that she can move quick, and she can instantly think of great ideas for whatever she’s involved with. For example, she developed HTML language skills and immediately applied them for use with Google in the form of controlling their snippet technology. That moment has lasted for years. That idea is completely relevant today. People only now in 2008-2009 imitate what Heather originated back in 2002. Heather can give you that leading-edge thinking.”

Disa JohnsonTechnologist, SearchReturn

“Heather is one of the best speakers I have ever come across. Her enthusiasm for copy-writing for the web knows no bounds. She both enthralls and educates the audience. Working with her is a dream as she brings both humour and knowledge to the project she is engaged on.”

David TurnerDirector of European Operations, Position Technologies

“Simply put Heather rocks! She is brilliant, fun, creative and she knows her stuff. She did consulting/training with my staff and was not only a joy to work with, she was full of knowledge. Well worth every penny. She also edited writing by some of my staff back in the day. I whole-heartedly recommend Heather as a trainer and as a writer.”

Jennifer HorowitzDirector of Marketing, EcomBuffet.com, LLC

“Heather has looked over some content for me and done her thing to it which turned it from ok content to awesome conversion compelling content…that is what we are all after anyway, right? Thanks Heather!”

Sam Snowdon III