SEO Marketing for an Online Garden Supplies Store

Published On - 25.10.2019

Results

Over a period of two years, the website’s traffic has doubled. Additionally, there has been a notable 2.4x increase in conversions specifically from Google organic traffic.

Client

The Plants Club group of companies specializes in providing comprehensive solutions for home gardeners, landscape groups, and garden centers. With 11 years of experience in the market, they manage a vast area of 33 hectares dedicated to coniferous and deciduous trees and shrubs. Their collection boasts over 1000 plant varieties, complemented by an extensive range of garden tools. Furthermore, they serve as the authorized representatives of more than 20 global brands.

It is important to note that this particular niche experiences significant seasonality, which necessitates careful consideration in developing effective promotion strategies.

Initial Tasks

The client approached us during the summer of 2017, as they had experienced a significant decline in search traffic and sales over the preceding six months. One of the main contributing factors was their unsuccessful migration to another CMS, which coincided with their transition to HTTPS.

Our objectives were to recover and increase traffic, identify areas for further traffic growth, and develop a long-term SEO strategy to support the client’s business.

Cooperation Format

Given the client’s initial skepticism and negative experiences with previous SEO specialists, we adopted a cautious approach and divided the work into three distinct stages:

  1. Technical Site Problem Solutions: Our first focus was to address all technical issues on the website. This involved conducting a thorough technical audit, formulating precise technical specifications for the programmers, providing implementation support, and analyzing the resulting changes after 1-2 months.

  2. Optimization of Main Categories: Once we achieved positive results in resolving technical problems, we proceeded to optimize the main categories of the website. This stage encompassed tasks such as collecting the semantic core, writing meta tags, and optimizing texts to enhance search engine visibility and relevance.

  3. Comprehensive SEO Work: Upon achieving positive dynamics and improvements in the optimized categories, we embarked on the full cycle of SEO work. This included activities such as link building, aimed at further enhancing the website’s authority and visibility.

At each stage, we ensured that the client observed positive results before proceeding to the next phase, thereby instilling trust and confidence in our capabilities.

Commencement of Work: September 2017.

Work process

Stage 1. Technical audit

  1. After the CMS migration, the URLs on the site were changed, but unfortunately, the necessary 301 page redirects were not properly set up. As a result, when search engine bots crawled the pages, they received a 404 server response instead of being redirected to the new URLs. Consequently, it took some time for the search engines to index the new pages, and during this period, the content of the site appeared as duplicates of the old pages. This situation negatively affected the site’s performance and ranking in search results.

    To address this issue, we took appropriate action. Since a considerable amount of time had passed, it was not necessary to create a redirect map for all the pages. Instead, we focused on implementing page-by-page 301 redirects specifically for the pages that had external links pointing to them. By doing so, we ensured that visitors and search engine bots would be redirected to the correct and updated URLs, preserving the uniqueness of the content and mitigating the negative impact on the site’s performance.

  1. We discovered that there was a duplicate copy of the site on the developers’ subdomain, which was inadvertently accessible to search engine indexing. To rectify this issue, we took the necessary steps. Firstly, we removed the duplicate version of the site from the search engine index using webmaster tools. Additionally, we implemented measures to restrict general access to the subdomain, ensuring that it would no longer be indexed by search engines. By doing so, we effectively eliminated the duplicate content and prevented any confusion or dilution of the site’s search engine rankings.

  1. During our analysis, we discovered that each page on the website, including product and category pages, had duplicate versions specific to different cities. This duplication was facilitated by a city switch feature in the website’s header, resulting in URLs like https://plants-club.ua/ru//region/kharkov.

    Although the meta tags were tailored to each region, the content itself remained the same across all pages. This created a challenge for Google in determining the relevance of each page’s keywords, leading to a blurring of relevance signals. Consequently, these duplicate city-specific pages did not generate significant traffic and had a detrimental effect on the site’s performance in Google’s search results.

    To address this issue, we implemented 301 redirects from all city-specific pages to a single canonical page without any specific city designation. By consolidating the content under one canonical URL, we aimed to provide a clear and relevant signal to search engines, improving the site’s visibility and reducing the negative impact of duplicate content.

  1. We identified issues with the template used for the 301 redirects. These redirects were configured to work through 2-3 intermediate redirects, causing a loss of link weight for the site.

    To address this problem, we took action to establish proper and optimized redirects. By rectifying the redirect setup, we aimed to ensure a seamless flow of link weight throughout the site, preventing any unnecessary loss and maximizing the impact of the links.

  1. We discovered that the 301 redirect from HTTP to HTTPS was only functioning correctly for the main page of the website. As a result, there were two partial versions of the site indexed by Google.

    To resolve this issue, we took measures to implement the 301 redirect consistently across all pages of the website. By ensuring that all HTTP URLs were redirected to their corresponding HTTPS versions, we aimed to eliminate the duplication in Google’s index and establish a single, authoritative version of the site.

  2. We identified approximately 2000 broken internal links pointing to old products on the site. To address this issue, we created a comprehensive map to facilitate the fixing of these broken links.

    Using the map as a reference, we systematically updated each broken internal link, redirecting it to the relevant and current product page. By resolving these broken links, we aimed to enhance the user experience and ensure smooth navigation throughout the website.

  1. We took the necessary steps to prevent Google from indexing pages that contained GET parameters that were irrelevant and provided no value, such as sorting, search, service pages, and similar types of pages.

    To achieve this, we implemented the appropriate configuration to instruct search engines not to crawl and index these specific pages. By excluding them from indexing, we aimed to optimize the website’s structure and focus search engine attention on more relevant and valuable content.

  2. We implemented the markup of language versions on the website using the rel=”alternate” tag. This tag helps indicate to search engines the existence of different language versions of the same page. By implementing this markup, we aimed to improve the website’s language targeting and enhance its visibility in search results for users searching in specific languages.

    The rel=”alternate” tag allows search engines to understand the relationship between different language versions of a page and appropriately display the most relevant version to users based on their language preferences. This implementation helps improve the user experience by directing them to the most suitable language version of the website.

  3. During our analysis, we discovered numerous pages on the website that either lacked meta tags or had duplicated or irrelevant meta tags and titles. To address this issue, we developed template meta tags for different types of pages.

    By implementing template meta tags, we aimed to ensure that each page on the website had unique and relevant meta information. Meta tags, such as meta titles and meta descriptions, play a crucial role in conveying the content and purpose of a web page to search engines and users.

    With the use of template meta tags, we could establish consistent and optimized meta information across various pages, improving the website’s overall SEO performance. This approach also helped in providing accurate and concise summaries of each page’s content, enhancing the chances of attracting relevant organic traffic from search engines.

  4. During our analysis of the website’s sitemap file, we identified several pages that were generating 404 errors. These errors indicated that the pages were not accessible or did not exist on the server. To ensure the sitemap provides accurate and valid information to search engines, we took the necessary steps to remove these pages from the sitemap.

    By removing the pages with 404 errors from the sitemap, we aimed to prevent search engines from crawling and indexing non-existent or inaccessible pages. This helps to maintain the overall health and integrity of the sitemap, as well as provide search engines with an up-to-date and reliable representation of the website’s structure and content.

    Having an error-free sitemap contributes to improved crawlability and indexation of the website, enabling search engines to discover and understand the available pages more effectively. This can positively impact the website’s visibility and search engine rankings, as well as enhance the user experience by directing them to valid and relevant content.

  5. We created a detailed technical task to address the issue of slow website speed. The task outlined specific steps and optimizations to be implemented in order to enhance the site’s overall performance and loading times. The focus was on improving various aspects of the website’s infrastructure and code to ensure faster and more efficient page loading, resulting in a better user experience for visitors.
  6. We performed a comprehensive SEO technical audit using an extensive checklist. This audit allowed us to identify various issues and areas for improvement on the website. Based on the findings, we created a detailed technical task for our programmer, which included a comprehensive list of identified problems, accompanied by examples and specific solutions. The task served as a guide for implementing the necessary changes and enhancements to address the identified issues and optimize the website for better search engine performance.

  7. During our analysis, we discovered that a previous domain, budyak.net, existed. However, all its pages were redirected to the main plants-club.ua page, resulting in the loss of link weight for specific categories.

    To rectify this, we conducted a thorough examination of the best links associated with the budyak.net domain. Using this information, we created a comprehensive page-by-page redirect file for the budyak.net site. By implementing these redirects, we ensured that the link weight previously associated with the budyak.net domain would be appropriately transferred to the relevant categories on the plants-club.ua website.

  1. During our analysis of the backlinks, we discovered a significant number of low-quality links. To address this issue, we rejected these links through the search console and submitted them for disavowal.

Duration of the first stage: 1 month
Results of the first stage: We established written specifications for technical optimization and optimized the link profile, laying a solid foundation for future growth.

Stage 2. Keyword Research and On-page Optimization

Previously, the client had active copywriters who regularly produced content for various categories and products. This resulted in good traffic before the decline.

However, when searching on Google using broad match queries, the client’s texts often didn’t appear in the top search results, indicating that the site was underperforming (as explained in detail at the beginning of the case).

To address this issue, we created a comprehensive register of all site categories and subcategories, dividing the semantic analysis and optimization tasks into three months of work, prioritizing accordingly.

For each page, we developed a task list that included:

  • Collecting the semantic core
  • Analyzing current positions
  • Writing meta tags
  • Checking text uniqueness
  • Improving the text quality

Unfortunately, due to limitations with the 1C platform the site was using, we couldn’t expand the site structure extensively as it would have required significant additional resources.

Over a period of four months, with our guidance, the client’s copywriters either wrote or revised all the essential texts for the site.

Duration of the second stage: 3 months
Results of the second stage: The copywriters created new texts based on the established semantic core, meta tags, and technical instructions for all pages across the entire site.

Stage 3. Full Cycle of SEO Website Promotion

  1. In order to address ongoing SEO errors and ensure continuous improvement, we conducted a monthly technical SEO audit. This involved identifying and compiling errors from tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider and Search Console, and preparing technical specifications for the programmers.

During this stage, there were partial changes to the website structure, and new pages were created to target specific keyword clusters. The client’s copywriters were actively involved in writing texts for all product categories.

  1. For the initial phase of link building, our focus was primarily on securing high-quality inbound links from reputable and relevant news resources. We prioritized non-anchor links to ensure the quality of the incoming links. Additionally, we regularly posted links on forums and in comments under relevant articles whenever possible.

Considering the varying seasonal demands of different product groups on the site, our goal was to achieve top rankings on Google before the start of each season for the main product groups. To accomplish this, we selected pages for link building four months in advance of each specific season. We meticulously optimized the priority categories through on-page parameters, and included link building strategies specifically targeting these pages.

Results

  1. SEO traffic doubled over the course of 2 years of work.
  2. Conversions from SEO traffic increased by 2.4 times.

Conclusions:

  1. The primary reason for the initial drop in traffic was the lack of coordination between the programmer and the previous SEO specialist. When the site structure was changed and the transition to HTTPS was made, the necessary steps to properly redirect and consolidate pages were not executed in a timely manner. Additionally, outdated methods of generating traffic, such as creating separate pages for each category and city, were employed.

As a result:

  • Numerous duplicate pages were generated, negatively impacting the site’s search engine optimization.
  • The majority of the content became non-unique.
  • Many texts ranked poorly in search results.

It is crucially important to implement proper redirects when migrating to a new content management system (CMS) and changing URLs.

  1. Thanks to the effective collaboration between the client and the agency, significant improvements were achieved in the overall performance of the site.

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