How We Ranked 900+ Keywords in Google's Top 3 (eCommerce SEO)

Want to increase the visibility of your products to more customers? We helped an outdoor gear company do just that. By focusing on key SEO strategies, we got their products ranking high on Google. This led to more traffic and more sales. Here's how we did it.

Big Growth Numbers

We started working with this brand in February 2024. In just nine months, we saw some great results:

• A 15% increase in yearly organic traffic.

• An 18% increase in new organic users.

• 900+ keywords ranked in the top 3 spots on Google.

These weren't just any keywords. They were money-making keywords, such as "kayak trailers," "kayak rack for car," and "river raft boating." These are the words people search when they're ready to buy.

The SEO Strategy

The outdoor gear brand had previously worked with SEO freelancers, who primarily focused on content and technical SEO. We built on that foundation. Our strategy had three main parts:

• Technical SEO

• On-Page SEO

• Off-Page SEO

Technical SEO

The brand's head of eCommerce was exceptionally skilled, having already taken care of most of the technical SEO work. This not only saved us time but also reassured us of the brand's competence. We could then focus on other essential aspects, knowing that we were building on a strong foundation.

On-Page SEO

The brand already had lots of blog content. But most of it wasn't ranking well. We examined ways to enhance their existing pages.

Collection Page Optimization

Our first major success was optimizing their collection pages. This is a process we implement for every brand we work with, consistently delivering results.

Here's how it works:

1. We look at data from Google Search Console. This indicates the keywords for which a page is already ranking.

2. We find keywords that are underserved or underutilized. These are words that the page could rank higher for.

3. We update the content on the collection page to target those keywords.

This simple change can make a big difference. We often see ranking increases of two to three spots in just a week or two. Sometimes, a page can jump 20 spots or more.

For this outdoor gear brand, it worked wonders. Within weeks, they moved the following keywords into the top 3 spots:

• Kayak rack (went to position 6)

• Kayak rack for pickup (went to position 2)

• Inflatable kayak two-person (went from position 17 to 2)

• Float bags work in kayaks (went to position 1)

• Kayak trailer for sale (went from position 3 to 1)

• Kayak rack for car (went from position 18 to 2)

• Kayak car mount (went from position 16 to 2)

• Two-person inflatable kayak (went from position 18 to 2)

• Kayak Mount Truck (went from position 32 to 1)

In the first month, we optimized 25 collection pages. After that, we optimized about 20 pages each month. We prioritized pages based on:

• Best profit margins

• Biggest revenue potential

• Best SEO opportunity (search volume and low competition)

Blog Content Optimization

We also updated the brand's existing blog content. We created 16 new blog posts. This was a lower number than we created for some other brands. However, they already had a substantial amount of content. We wanted to make the most of what they had.

We updated the blogs by:

• Adding more value

• Tweaking the intro paragraph

• Restructuring sections

• Adding internal links

Internal links are a huge opportunity for SEO. Most people don't use them right, or don't use them at all. We added internal links to help the collection pages rank higher in search engine results.

The brand had overused external links. We removed 60-70% of them. We then re-prioritized the remaining links. We focused on the collection pages that mattered most.

These changes resulted in a significant increase in blog traffic, from 3,000 visitors per month to over 13,000. The internal link changes directly impacted keyword rankings, with many of their blogs now ranking number one for hundreds of keywords.

Examples of keywords they rank #1 for:

• Colif by kayak R

• What size kayak do I need

• calories burn kayaking

• kayak cost

• How many calories does kayaking burn

• calories

• What length kayak do I need

• What size kayak do I need for my legs

Off-Page SEO

The brand mainly focused on technical SEO and content. But, they hadn't done much with backlinks. Backlinks are links from other websites to your website. They are essential for SEO.

To rank for competitive keywords, you need to build backlinks. It's not optional. If you want to make money with SEO, you need to rank in the top 3 spots. To rank that high, you need backlinks.

We employed a combination of reactive PR and link insertions to establish backlinks.

Reactive PR

Reactive PR involves responding to media requests and getting mentioned in news articles. We used platforms to pitch our client to journalists.

This helped us get links from websites like:

• Go Banking Rates

• Yahoo Finance

• MSN Finance

• AP News

• CNN

• AOL

These websites have high authority. A link from one of these sites can significantly help your rankings.

Link Insertions

Most of our success came from link insertions. This involves finding relevant websites in your niche. Then, you reach out to them and ask to insert a link to your website in an existing article.

This is better than guest posting because:

• It's cheaper.

• It's more efficient.

• The pages already have traffic.

We identified high-traffic pages related to kayaking and water sports. Then, we inserted links to our client's website.

We believe in quality over quantity when it comes to backlinks. By building fewer, but higher-quality links, we ensure that our clients not only rank higher but also maintain their position over time. This approach helps our clients stay ahead of their competitors in the long run.

Key Takeaways

• Collection page optimization is a powerful way to improve rankings.

• Internal links are an underutilized SEO opportunity.

• Backlinks are essential for ranking for competitive keywords.

By focusing on these three areas, we helped an outdoor gear brand rank for over 900 keywords in the top 3 spots on Google. This led to more traffic, more customers, and more sales.

Ready to see similar results for your eCommerce business? Contact us today to learn how we can help you reach the top of Google.