Lyons Wealth, a financial and wealth management firm, sought to establish a robust local online presence. Operating in a competitive industry, they faced significant challenges in attracting organic traffic and leads.
Despite their expertise in finance, their digital footprint was nearly non-existent before partnering with Boba Digital. They were losing potential clients to competitors due to low visibility in search results, especially in their target locations.
PROBLEMS & CHALLENGE
Before engaging with Boba Digital, Lyons Wealth struggled with several critical issues:
Zero Organic Traffic
Their custom HTML website was receiving no organic visitors.
Poor Local Rankings
They were stuck at #31 on the Local Map Pack rankings, missing out on valuable local leads.
Technical Issues
The website faced speed, mobile optimization, and page structure issues, negatively impacting user experience and search engine rankings.
Weak Backlink Profile
A low number of referring domains and poor-quality backlinks hindered their authority and trustworthiness in Google’s eyes.
Limited Marketing Budget
With constrained resources, they needed a cost-effective strategy that delivered results without compromising quality.
Boba Digital’s Strategy
To address the challenges faced by Lyons Wealth, we developed a holistic Local SEO strategy that balanced technical enhancements, content creation, and off-page SEO efforts within their limited budget. Our approach was carefully designed to not only boost visibility but also ensure long-term sustainability of the results.
TECHNICAL SEO FIXES AND WEBSITE AUDIT
Our first step was a comprehensive audit of Lyons Wealth’s custom HTML website. The audit uncovered several critical technical issues, including slow page load times, poor mobile optimization, and unstructured page content. These problems were significantly impacting both user experience and search engine crawlability.
We implemented a series of technical fixes, starting with image optimization to reduce load times without compromising quality. Mobile responsiveness was another priority; we restructured the site layout to ensure seamless navigation on smaller screens, recognizing that a growing number of users access financial services through their mobile devices.
Additionally, we revamped the page content structure to enhance readability and align with SEO best practices, ensuring search engines could efficiently index and rank the site.
KEYWORD RESEARCH & CONTENT STRATEGY
With the technical foundation set, we moved on to content strategy, underpinned by extensive keyword research. This phase was crucial in identifying location-specific, high-intent keywords that could drive qualified traffic.
Our goal was to establish Lyons Wealth as a topical authority in the wealth management sector. Given the client’s budget constraints, we optimized our efforts by focusing on five meticulously crafted blog posts per month.
Each piece of content was tailored to address common queries and pain points of their target audience, incorporating the identified keywords naturally. We emphasized a structured format to improve readability and engagement, boosting the likelihood of both user satisfaction and search engine favorability.
INTERNAL LINKING & ORPHAN PAGE FIXES
A well-structured internal linking framework was a key component of our strategy. During the audit, we discovered several orphan pages—valuable content pieces that were not linked to other pages on the site, thereby remaining hidden from both users and search engines.
To resolve this, we established an internal linking “web,” connecting related content pieces and creating clear navigation pathways. This not only improved user experience but also helped search engines better understand the site’s structure and context, ultimately enhancing the overall crawlability and ranking potential of the website.
QUICK BACKLINK BUILDING
Understanding the importance of a robust backlink profile, we devised a targeted link-building strategy. Despite the limited budget, we focused on acquiring 4-5 high-quality backlinks per month.
These links were carefully selected from authoritative, finance-related websites to ensure relevance and maximize SEO impact. Additionally, we built high-quality local citations to enhance Lyons Wealth’s local search visibility. Each citation was verified for accuracy, contributing to the consistency of the client’s online presence across various platforms.
GOOGLE MY BUSINESS (GMB) OPTIMIZATION
Since Lyons Wealth operated as a walk-in business, optimizing their Google My Business (GMB) profile was critical for success in local SEO. We collaborated with the client to upload high-quality images of their business premises, providing potential customers with a clear and professional impression.
Additionally, we meticulously optimized the business category, subcategories, and descriptions to align with relevant search queries. Building citations was another focus area, reinforcing their presence in local directories.
While we emphasized the importance of reviews for enhancing credibility and rankings, we adhered to ethical practices, advising against the purchase of fake reviews due to the risk of penalties and potential damage to the GMB profile.
Through this multi-faceted strategy, we laid a solid foundation for Lyons Wealth to achieve and sustain top rankings in their target locations, proving that a strategic, quality-focused approach can deliver impressive results even within a tight budget.
Our strategy unfolded over two distinct phases, each yielding significant progress in Lyons Wealth’s local SEO performance.
Implementation
FIRST THREE MONTHS
During the initial phase, we focused on laying a strong foundation. After conducting a comprehensive site audit, we implemented critical technical fixes to address issues such as slow page speed and poor mobile optimization.
This set the stage for better crawlability and user experience. Alongside these technical improvements, we published the first batch of targeted blog posts, designed to attract high-intent traffic and establish topical authority.
One of the standout strategies during this period was the implementation of a robust internal linking framework. By interconnecting key content pieces, we significantly enhanced the site’s navigability and ensured search engines could easily understand the context and relevance of each page.
Additionally, we began building a quality backlink profile, securing 11 high-quality backlinks from reputable sources. These efforts collectively led to noticeable improvements in the site’s rankings and visibility, with Lyons Wealth climbing from #31 to #11 in the Local Map Pack for two key locations.
NEXT THREE MONTHS
Building on the momentum of the first phase, the next three months were dedicated to scaling and refining our efforts. We continued publishing high-quality, keyword-optimized blog posts to maintain a steady flow of fresh, relevant content. Our internal linking strategy was further refined, ensuring that all new content pieces seamlessly integrated into the existing framework.
During this period, we intensified our link-building efforts, securing 13 additional backlinks from highly authoritative and niche-relevant websites, including Business Insider, Barchart, and The Globe and Mail.
These backlinks not only boosted Lyons Wealth’s domain authority but also played a crucial role in driving targeted traffic and improving local search rankings.
By the end of this phase, Lyons Wealth had reached the #1 spot in the Local Map Pack for both target locations, surpassing established competitors such as Forbes. This period also saw a dramatic increase in organic traffic, with the site attracting 16,400 visitors and generating a significant uptick in leads.
Results
Our efforts delivered exceptional results within just six months:
Traffic Growth
From 0 visitors to 16,400 organic visitors—a remarkable achievement for a previously dormant site.
Local Map Pack Rankings
Lyons Wealth climbed from #31 to #1 for two key target locations, outperforming local competitors and even established websites like Forbes.com.
Keyword Rankings
On February 3, 2023, the site was ranking for 332 keywords, with only 11 in the top 10. By the end of our campaign, several high-value keywords were ranking #1, significantly boosting visibility and lead generation.
Lead Generation
The client experienced a substantial increase in leads, directly attributable to improved search visibility and GMB optimization.
We significantly increased the website’s search visibility by an impressive 4130.77% within the top 10 results in a span of 9 months. This boost not only enhanced their website traffic but also raised brand awareness, informing the audience about the wealth management brand, Lyonswealth.
Additionally, we observed a significant increase in website traffic. The site was receiving almost no visitors back in February, but the number reached 16000 unique visitors in just six months.
Client Feedback
The results of our Local SEO campaign were evident not only in the data but also in the client’s enthusiastic feedback. By July 2023, Lyons Wealth had already seen remarkable improvements in both rankings and traffic. David Boemecke, their representative, noted the significant increase in leads, expressing confidence in the strategy by saying, “Definitely seeing an increase in leads, let’s keep the momentum going.” This feedback reinforced the success of our efforts and highlighted the impact of our approach in driving tangible business results.
The screenshot below shows that at the time, Lyonswealth was ranking for 244 keywords combined in the top 10 results.
CONCLUSION AND NOTE FROM THE SEO STRATEGIST
Lyonswealth’s success story has shown us that branding plays a crucial role in SEO. Having a strong brand makes it significantly easier to boost visibility and outrank even major publishers like Forbes.
One key factor in this success is a physical address and a Google My Business (GMB) listing, which greatly enhances the trust score of the website. Additionally, our keyword and content strategy allowed us to reach an audience of potential customers. For example, we targeted phrases like “Where to invest 1 million dollars,” as users searching for this information are often keen to manage their wealth and may seek professional assistance.
We also discovered that you don’t necessarily need a large budget for link building if you are patient enough to wait for 6 to 9 months for growth. If you prefer a more aggressive approach, that’s when investing heavily in off-page strategies—such as digital PR and link exchanges—can be beneficial.
NOTE FROM THE SEO STRATEGIST
Sometimes, even small changes can have a significant impact. During our audit of the site in March, I realized that improving internal linking could work wonders. After implementing these changes, we observed a substantial improvement in rankings.
Moreover, if the off-page budget is limited, it’s important to focus on acquiring strong and authoritative backlinks rather than opting for cheaper links just to inflate the quantity in monthly reports. When clients invest in your services, they expect their budget to be used for the most effective strategies. If they are overly concerned about quantity, it’s essential to have a conversation about how the goals should prioritize quality over quantity, whether concerning links or content.
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