The Accidental SEO

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Manager of a manufacturing company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The manufacture of critical power solutions

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Accidental SEO to accomplish?

• A technical review of the website
• A structured content plan

SOLUTION

How did you find The Accidental SEO?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select The Accidental SEO over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from The Accidental SEO were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The website was fairly new and had spent a few months settling. We decided to take on some SEO support to audit the website, its performance, and plan for the future.

• Onboarding Process:
  From the initial consultation, it was clear that John at the accidentalseo had a deep understanding of SEO best practices and a strategic approach tailored to our industry. The onboarding process was smooth and well-structured, starting with a comprehensive analysis of our current website performance.
• Technical Audit:
  John conducted a meticulous technical audit, focusing on various critical aspects such as site architecture, page speed, mobile responsiveness, crawlability, and indexation issues. They used advanced tools to identify technical SEO problems that were hindering our site’s performance on search engines. The audit report was detailed and included actionable recommendations to improve our site’s health and search engine visibility.

Key areas covered in the technical audit included:

• Site Architecture and Navigation: Ensuring a logical structure that enhances user experience and search engine crawling.
• Page Speed Optimisation: Identifying elements slowing down our site and suggesting improvements to enhance load times.
• Mobile-Friendliness: Assessing the mobile responsiveness of our site and recommending adjustments to ensure it meets Google’s mobile-first indexing requirements.
• Crawl Errors and Indexation Issues: Detecting and fixing broken links, duplicate content, and other issues that could prevent our site from being properly indexed by search engines.
• Security Protocols: Checking for HTTPS implementation and other security features that impact SEO.
• Content Plan for the Next 6 Months:
  Post audit, John developed a comprehensive content plan aimed at boosting our organic traffic and improving our search engine rankings. This plan was based on a thorough keyword analysis and competitive research.

The 6-month content plan included:

• Keyword Research and Optimisation: Identifying high-traffic and relevant keywords to target in our content.
• Content Calendar: Creating a detailed schedule for content creation and publication, ensuring consistent and timely delivery of valuable content.
• Topic Clusters and Pillar Pages: Developing a strategy to create in-depth content around key topics to establish authority and improve internal linking.
• Content Gap Analysis: Identifying missing content opportunities and suggesting new topics to address gaps in our current content.
• On-Page SEO Recommendations: Providing guidelines for optimising meta tags, headers, and images for better search engine visibility.
• Performance Tracking and Adjustments: Setting up metrics to track the performance of the new content and making data-driven adjustments as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

I have worked with John in several different businesses, each time and each project has yielded significant results. 

From the outset of each project we took stock of how the website was performing, we then measured over the ensuing months, each time there was organic, sustainable growth.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

John has always been onhand to run the project. From the outset we set measurable goals, John took these and built them into the project with reporting structured at key points. 

All of the projects were managed effectively and created confidence in their success. 

What was your primary form of communication with The Accidental SEO?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I have worked with John across several businesses. Each time I had a requirement for SEO and each time I went to John to help me - without Fail. 

John undoubtably gets this, he can read the situation quickly and provide a suitable solution quickly. The results have always been there, from start to finish. 

On top of the above John is a great person to know, it certainly helps to work with someone you can get along with and most importantly trust.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Accidental SEO could have done differently?

Nothing.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Manager of GrantTree Ltd.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We connect innovative businesses with non-equity funding in the form of R&D Tax Relief, Grants, and loans. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Accidental SEO to accomplish?

• Reach page 1 of Google for the terms "R&D Tax Relief" and "R&D Tax Credits" in order to improve lead-flow from organic search.

SOLUTION

How did you find The Accidental SEO?

Referral

Why did you select The Accidental SEO over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from The Accidental SEO were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Our brief to John (the Accidental SEO) was simple: return GrantTree to the first page of Google for the search terms "R&D Tax Relief" and "R&D Tax Credits". These are the two most searched-for terms relating to R&D Tax Relief, a form of tax relief for UK businesses that invest in innovation. R&D Tax Relief consultancy - helping businesses prepare compliant R&D Tax Relief claims defended by technical data compiled by PhD-level subject matter experts - is one of GrantTree's key offerings.

We had previously ranked on page one for these terms but had since slipped way down the rankings, languishing, at the time we commissioned John, between pages 5 and 9. This had been the case for some years, and other SEO experts were unable to improve the situation. To achieve this, John prepared a comprehensive, data-driven plan looking at our website's content, information architecture, performance, and a range of other on-site variables that had affected our rankings.

The project was split into three phases: 

• Analysis:
  • Find out why we were ranking so poorly despite having what appears to us as a lot of high-quality and optimised content on the topic of R&D Tax Relief. 
• Planning:
  • Develop a strategy for significantly improving our rankings based on his analysis
• Execution:
  • Work with GrantTree's marketing manager to implement the plan

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

First and foremost, John accomplished the difficult goal we had commissioned him to accomplish. He returned us to page one of Google for the keywords R&D Tax Credits and R&D Tax Relief. Not only that, we regularly rank 4th or 5th on page 1 and have seen our rankings for a range of other related and important terms increase significantly as well. Our ROI in terms of leads generated by organic search following John's work has been phenomenal. Likely 40:1 or more at this point.

This is an outstanding achievement for three key reasons:

• First, John accomplished this extremely quickly. In just a few months, in fact. This was after we had been trying and failing to edge up the rankings for a number of years. 
• Second, the R&D Tax Relief market is extremely competitive. To reach page 1, we had to displace a number of other very good resources published by well-respected providers. 
• Third, the scale of the project was extremely impressive. It touched on every element of on-site SEO. Every one of his recommendations got us closer to our goal. 

Following John's help, we have seen an enormous increase in organic traffic and strong year-on-year growth in leads from organic search.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

John's project management is outstanding. He fully understood our needs and responded to them expertly. All deliverables were produced on time and to an exceedingly high standard. My team had little experience with SEO, so I was especially impressed how he was able to communicate what we needed to do so clearly. 

He was extremely patient with us, answering our questions and educating our team about what we needed to do in a way that was accessible and significantly improved our understanding of SEO. His communication throughout the delivery process was also excellent. He's highly responsive, answering ad-hoc questions we had quickly and in good detail.

What was your primary form of communication with The Accidental SEO?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Simply put, John is the most skilled SEO expert I have ever encountered. His mastery of his subject is extraordinary, his knowledge seemingly bottomless. This was evident from our very first call with him, on which he delivered a few initial tips which delivered instant results. 

The outcomes he achieved for us were absolutely phenomenal.  He took on a mission other SEO consultants had tried for years to solve and cracked it in just a few weeks. Seeing our ranking skyrocket was an incredible experience. A real 'ah ha!' feeling. He's also a pleasure to work with - intelligent, personable, patient. We're a small team always working to tight deadlines and tending to an ever-shifting list of top priorities. 

John was happy to be flexible, slowing down when we were overwhelmed and accelerating when we wanted to get going again. He was the perfect partner for us and would be for any fast-moving marketing team. John's great to work with, incredibly talented, and, above all, delivers results.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Accidental SEO could have done differently?

Not a thing. John and his work are five-star. I would happily recommend him to absolutely anyone. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Digital Acquisition and Communications Manager of Shorts Chartered Accountants

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Full service Chartered Accountancy firm, helping businesses and individuals manage their finances, accounts and taxes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire The Accidental SEO to accomplish?

• Review the wider market and overall performance of the website
• Understand and resolve technical issues that may be hindering performance
• Develop ongoing plans and approaches to improve overall organic performance
• Advise on content production, user experience and conversion rate optimistaion
• Identify opportunities for earned media

SOLUTION

How did you find The Accidental SEO?

Existing contact

Why did you select The Accidental SEO over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from The Accidental SEO were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Production of ongoing website performance and SEO audits on a quarterly basis. 
• Highlighting technical or performance issues and advising appropriate solutions. 
• Advice in key areas such as keyword research, website and content structuring, competitor analysis and earned media opportunities.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Each detailed website and performance audit presented numerous opportunities for improvement. Thanks to the advice, significant and sustained improvements have been seen in website performance (including page load speed, conversion rates and bounce rates), and our content production continues to drive impressive traffic and qualified leads for our services.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

John is a pleasure to work with. He is quick to answer any questions with clarity and authority. He understands our business, its aims and also our limitations (both in knowledge and resources), and his work reflects this. He understands when either detail or broad strokes are required, and this facilitates speedy progress and a clear understanding of what needs to be done, and why.

What was your primary form of communication with The Accidental SEO?

Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I have known and respected John's work as a performance marketer for many years. His hollistic approach allows him to present a wide range of opportunities that a consultant siloed in a specific area might miss. I am continually impressed with their ability to communicate technical detail in an understandable way, as well as his focus on the areas likely to make the biggest impact, rather than checking items off of a one-size-fits-all to-do list.

Are there any areas for improvement or something The Accidental SEO could have done differently?

None to speak of. John's work for Shorts so far has been excellent.