It’s Mark’s favorite holiday and, quite frankly, his second nature…

As our resident Halloween enthusiast, Mark has brewed up a Halloween sale fit for Frankenstein!

Save 20% Storewide 

with code “BOO

🔬 SEO Mad Scientist 🔬

How long do ranking gains from CTR last?

Hey, SEO testers!

We all get curious…

And after our final test update on our CTR tests, we were curious to see how the rankings fared after stopping the CTR work.

How long would ranking gains hold without additional CTR?

In our previous updates, we reviewed listings for an accountant and realtor in vastly different population sizes. One in a smaller town and one in a larger city.

Below, we walk through the local rankings at every step of the process.

“Realtor + city”

This CTR test began on April 3rd, starting with virtually 0 visibility.

Our last CTR run with this keyword finished on July 26th. At the time of the wrap-up, rankings were on the upswing…

It’s now been nearly 3 months since completing the CTR work and here is where the listing stands now:

We encountered a minor decline in maps rankings, but we think these rankings held pretty well! There was less negative movement than we initially expected.

Accountant + City

On May 8th we began testing CTR for this “accountant + city”. Here is what the grid looked like at that time.

We ran the last CTR test on August 1st, resulting in more growth than we expected…

After nearly 3 months, a minor decrease in rankings was observed, albeit less pronounced than in other scenarios.

 “Payroll Services + city”

We began CTR for this term on May 22nd with weak grids…

After CTR work ended on August 8th, geogrids had expanded.

Unexpectedly, even after we completed all CTR work, we continued to see increased rankings. Even 3 months after any CTR work was completed, rankings were still on the rise!

The results from these tests suggest that CTR manipulation can push (and sustain) rankings in a variety of population sizes and niches.

However, those results aren’t guaranteed to last. You must continue to optimize and build your brand!

Based on our research, CTR is an effective tool to add to your SEO strategy. But, we don’t recommend relying on it too much…

While this CTR test is wrapped up, be sure to follow along with our other interesting tests like the ranking impact of relevance v. links.

Until next time,

SEO Mad Scientist

💰 Are SEO Tools Price Gouging? + Relevancy V Links SEO Test, AI Images & More 💰

The SEO Vault: Episode 211

If you use SEO tools or AI tools, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!

Ahrefs not renewing legacy accounts led to an interesting discussion on pricing models and how they impact agencies.

+ We discuss AI-powered image generation and how to better leverage tools in your agency!

 Watch the episode to stay ahead in the digital landscape, and listen on your favorite podcasting platform.

This Week in the LCT Facebook Group…

We’ve given Custom Signals an Upgrade!

 3x the links are now built in each level with our supercharged custom signals link building – at NO additional cost to you.

If you missed the Q4 Webby, you’re in luck! Our Q4 webby replay is here.

We identified patterns to overcome obstacles faster by combining analysis of the hundreds of campaigns we manage + recent updates.

If you’re ready to uncover gems that’ll turbocharge your local campaigns and overcome obstacles faster, catch the replay!

🔬 SEO Mad Scientist 🔬

How high can you rank without building links?

Hey SEO Mad Scientists,

We’re back with another thrilling update on our topical relevance test, where we are testing how well we can rank based solely on content creation and on-page optimization. The journey so far has been nothing short of fascinating!

To provide some context, we launched a brand new website on September 1st, a site with no links, age, or prior relevance, apart from the advantage of a keyword-rich domain that included “nyctv”.

It’s been a little over six weeks since we embarked on this SEO adventure, starting with 32 pages and 2 blog posts. During this time, our dedicated team has been working tirelessly, producing 2-3 blog posts per business day and meticulously performing on-page optimizations to enhance our existing content.

Now, fast forward 12 days, and it’s time to unveil the latest results…

Despite not building a single link, we have seen rankings grow faster than anticipated in a highly competitive market – NYC.

As of October 4th, we had 39 keywords making their mark on our site. Today, on October 18th, we’re excited to report that our keyword tally has risen to 44.

However, we’ve also had to say goodbye to a few keywords in the process…

We suspect this is due to the initial relevance gained after publishing or optimizing a new content piece. But once the site stops covering that content or doesn’t build links to it, the relevance may potentially taper off.

But here’s where it gets even more thrilling: many of the keywords catapulted themselves 10-20 positions higher.

At the time of our last update (Oct. 4th), we only had 5 keywords in positions 11-20.

Now, we can see 14 keywords in positions 11-20. Some of these newly higher-ranked keywords had moved up from positions 21-50, but others had shot up from 51+!

Here are the keywords currently ranking at position 20 or above:

To better illustrate the ranking improvement since our last update, we pulled rankings on October 18 compared to rankings on October 4th – our last data pull.

Moreover, our homepage has emerged as a key player in this SEO success story, gaining both rankings and relevance. The majority of keywords are ranking on the homepage.

Topical relevance is building around the homepage from supporting blog post content. But the excitement doesn’t stop there.

Some of the blog content we’ve diligently published has also made its mark, landing on pages 3-4 for longer-tail search terms. All of this has been achieved without any link-building efforts.

While we cannot draw any solid conclusions yet, it’s clear that topically relevant blog content and on-page optimization are important aspects of any SEO campaign.

We’re excited to continue this journey and will keep you updated on any notable developments, or the lack thereof.

Keep testing and innovating!

The SEO Mad Scientist Testing Team

💰 Uncover Success Secrets In Branding, SEO Testing, And Podcasting 💰

The SEO Vault: Episode 210

Our latest episode of the SEO Vault is hot off the press, packed with insightful discussion about not-so-common SEO topics…

• Transparent SEO to build trust & increase sales
• Power of press releases,
• Relevance v. links test

If you want to sell more SEO services and supercharge your client campaigns, this episode is a must-listen. You can also catch the episode on your favorite podcast platform.

This Week in the LCT Facebook Group…

The SEO Mad Scientist 

Hey there, SEO enthusiasts!

We’ve got an exciting new test in the works all about uncovering the impact of citations and signals – how much impact do these really have on map rankings?

It can be difficult to pinpoint their impact in real-world campaigns because there are so many factors to consider.

However, this test will be run on an entirely new brand. No links built to the website, very little on-page, and minimal optimization of the listing.

When doing a brand search, the website is indexed, but that’s it. Not a single brand mention. This gives us a clean slate for our test, providing a more single-variable testing scenario.

Because there were no brand mentions, we expected lackluster local rankings. And that’s exactly what we found…

Local visibility is pretty much non-existent currently. The grids were the same for the 4 main keywords we are tracking – insulation company, insulation installation, insulation contractor, and insulation services.

Red, red, and more red…

To conduct initial competitor research and build the links, we’ve ordered level 2 Custom Signals. Then, we used ChatGPT to craft a keyword-optimized company description for the citations.

We plan to run this test for multiple months, building more and more citations and signals until we run out. So be sure to follow along on this testing journey!

We’ve always believed that citations and signals are some of the biggest bang for your buck in local, but now it’s time to put that theory to the test.

While we have done other custom signal tests in the past, they were on established listings and businesses. This brand-new listing and website will provide more definitive data that isn’t muddied by previous SEO work.

When all is said and done, we will have data that better pinpoints how much juice we can squeeze from these links, as well as some indexation data. While we aren’t testing indexation, we collect all the data we can get!

We will be back in a few weeks once the initial set of links is built, so stay tuned.

Happy Testing!

The Mad Scientist Team

💰 Unlocking The Power Of AI: Revolutionizing Content Creation And Strategies 💰

The SEO Vault: Episode 209

Mike, Mark, and Sophie are back this week, diving deep into Google’s “Helpful Content” update and how AI is shaping social media and affiliate marketing.

But here’s the real gem – we’re talking about how you can use AI to give your marketing strategies a turbo boost.

Stay on top of the ever-evolving world of AI in this week’s episode of the SEO Vault.You can catch the episode on your favorite podcast platform.

This Week in the LCT Facebook Group…

🔬 SEO Mad Scientist 🔬

Hey SEO Mad Scientists,

We’re back with our first test update for our topical relevance test! In our initial test setup, we launched a brand new website with no links, age, or relevance (outside of the keyword-rich domain). We are initially targeting TV mounting terms in NYC.

It’s been a little over a month since we launched the initial website with 32 pages and 2 blog posts. (launched Sept. 1st)

During this time, the team has been feverishly building blog posts (2-3 posts per business day) and performing on-page to the existing content. At the time of reporting, we had built 37 blog posts for the site.

Almost exactly one month after the website launch, we began to see some promising results. 39 keywords are now ranking on our site, a significant improvement from virtually no keywords ranking previously.

Surprisingly, many of the terms were ranking on page 2!

These aren’t obscure, low-volume terms. We’re talking about keywords with meaningful volume in the bustling NYC scene.

These ranking changes are pretty new… just popping up in the last couple of days.

So it’s taken just over a month and 30+ blog posts to build topical relevance that allows the site to rank.

While not all keywords were showing as high, the sheet number of keywords we became relevant for showed promising results.

We will continue to produce more topically relevant content and further optimize the existing content. Once we have notable updates (or lack thereof) we will report back!

Happy testing,

The SEO Mad Scientist Testing Team

💰 How To Streamline Content Creation & Leverage AI For SEO With AI Content Tools 💰

The SEO Vault: Episode 208

All the industry noise about AI content creation can be a lot to decipher. In this week’s episode of the SEO Vault, we ventured deep into the world of AI content tools, unraveling everything from what to look out for in pricing and features, as well as issues with some of the major tools out there.

If you want to unlock the diverse capabilities of AI and navigate the sometimes tricky terrain, listen on your favorite podcasting platform.

This Week in the LCT Facebook Group…

Unlocking Enhanced User Experience through White Label SEO Services

In the digital realm, ensuring an optimal user experience (UX) is paramount for sustaining user engagement and fostering conversions. Leveraging white label SEO services not only elevates your website’s visibility but also plays a crucial role in enhancing site usability, thereby crafting a seamless and user-friendly journey for every visitor. Let’s delve into how integrating these services can be a game-changer for your online presence.

1: The Interlink Between SEO and User Experience

a: Understanding the Core Principles of SEO and UX

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and UX (User Experience) are two pivotal elements in the digital sphere, each serving a unique yet interconnected purpose. SEO aims to enhance a website’s visibility in search engine results, driving organic traffic by optimizing various on-page and off-page elements. It encompasses keyword optimization, content quality, backlink strategies, and technical SEO, among other aspects.

On the other hand, UX focuses on providing users with a seamless, intuitive, and satisfying interaction with a website. It involves designing a user-friendly interface, ensuring easy navigation, and creating engaging content that meets user needs and expectations.

The intersection between SEO and UX becomes evident when we consider how search engines, notably Google, prioritize user experience as a ranking factor. Websites that offer valuable content, easy navigation, and a user-friendly design are more likely to rank higher in search results, thereby attracting more visitors and potentially converting them into customers.

b: The Impact of SEO Strategies on User Navigation and Satisfaction

SEO is not merely about attracting visitors to a website; it’s also about keeping them engaged and guiding them through a satisfying navigational journey. Effective SEO strategies, such as creating a logical site structure, utilizing descriptive URLs, and implementing intuitive navigation menus, directly impact user navigation and satisfaction. Moreover, optimizing page load times, ensuring mobile-friendliness, and providing high-quality, relevant content are SEO practices that significantly enhance user satisfaction.

For instance, a website that loads quickly and offers easily digestible information will likely retain visitors for longer, reducing bounce rates and potentially increasing conversions. Additionally, by ensuring that a website is accessible and navigable on various devices, businesses cater to a wider audience, thereby improving overall user satisfaction and experience.

In essence, SEO strategies that prioritize user navigation and satisfaction not only contribute to higher search engine rankings but also foster a positive user experience, which is crucial for achieving online success.

2: White Label SEO: A Catalyst for Improved Site Usability

a: The Role of White Label SEO in Site Optimization

White label SEO services have emerged as a pivotal tool for enhancing site usability without getting entangled in the intricate web of SEO strategies and implementations. These services, offered by specialized providers, allow businesses and agencies to rebrand and sell SEO services as their own, ensuring that their clients receive top-tier SEO solutions without having to develop them in-house.

The role of white label SEO in site optimization is multifaceted. Firstly, it provides businesses with access to expert SEO strategies, tools, and resources, which are crucial for improving website visibility and traffic. This, in turn, has a direct impact on site usability by ensuring that the website adheres to SEO best practices, such as optimized content, effective keyword targeting, and a user-friendly design.

Moreover, white label SEO services often include comprehensive website audits and optimizations, ensuring that all elements of a site, from its structure to its content, are fine-tuned to enhance user experience and satisfaction.

This holistic approach to SEO not only improves site usability but also ensures that businesses can provide their clients with a seamless, optimized online presence without having to become SEO experts themselves.

b: Case Studies: Success Stories of Implementing White Label SEO

The implementation of white label SEO has been a game-changer for numerous businesses, enabling them to elevate their online presence and usability without delving into the complexities of SEO. Let’s explore a couple of hypothetical scenarios that illustrate the impact of white label SEO.

In one instance, a small digital marketing agency, lacking in-depth SEO expertise, partnered with a white label SEO provider to enhance their client’s online visibility and usability.

By utilizing the white label SEO services, the agency was able to provide expert-level SEO solutions, such as website optimizations, content creation, and link-building strategies, under their own brand name. This not only improved their client’s website usability and rankings but also allowed the agency to expand their service offerings and client base without investing in additional resources or training.

In another scenario, an e-commerce business struggling with low website traffic and poor online sales turned to white label SEO to revamp their online presence. The white label SEO provider conducted a thorough website audit, identified areas of improvement, and implemented strategic optimizations to enhance site usability and SEO.

As a result, the e-commerce website experienced a surge in organic traffic, improved user engagement, and an increase in sales, all while allowing the business to focus on its core operations and customer service.

3: Enhancing User Engagement through Strategic SEO Techniques

a: Implementing User-Centric SEO Strategies

User engagement is pivotal in establishing a successful online presence. Implementing user-centric SEO strategies means focusing on providing a seamless, valuable, and interactive user experience, which, in turn, can significantly boost engagement and conversions.

One of the primary aspects of user-centric SEO involves creating high-quality, relevant, and valuable content that addresses the needs and interests of the target audience. This includes utilizing keywords and phrases that potential customers are likely to use, ensuring that the content is easily discoverable by search engines and, consequently, by users.

Moreover, a user-centric SEO strategy also emphasizes website design and functionality. Ensuring that a website is easy to navigate, with a logical structure, clear CTAs, and an aesthetically pleasing design, is crucial in providing a positive user experience. Additionally, mobile optimization is vital, considering the increasing prevalence of mobile search. A mobile-friendly website that loads quickly and is easy to navigate can significantly enhance user engagement and satisfaction.

b: Measuring and Analyzing User Engagement Metrics

Understanding and analyzing user engagement is crucial for refining SEO strategies and ensuring they are effectively enhancing user experience. Various metrics can provide insights into how users are interacting with a website and content.

Bounce rate, for instance, indicates the percentage of visitors who navigate away from the site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate might suggest that users are not finding what they’re looking for or that the page is not user-friendly.

Pageviews and average session duration provide insight into the user’s journey through the website. Analyzing which pages are most viewed and how long users spend on them can offer valuable information about what content is resonating with the audience.

Moreover, conversion rate, which represents the percentage of visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter, is a direct indicator of the effectiveness of a website’s user engagement strategy.

Utilizing tools like Google Analytics can help businesses track these metrics, providing a comprehensive overview of user engagement and interaction. By continuously monitoring and analyzing these metrics, businesses can identify areas for improvement, refine their SEO strategies, and ensure they are effectively enhancing user engagement and experience.

4: Addressing Common Usability Issues with SEO Solutions

a: Identifying and Rectifying Usability Challenges

Identifying usability challenges involves evaluating a website’s navigational structure, content accessibility, and overall user experience. Common issues might include slow load times, broken links, or non-intuitive site navigation. SEO solutions, such as optimizing images for faster load times and ensuring a logical, user-friendly site structure, can significantly mitigate these issues. Employing white label SEO services can provide a thorough website audit, pinpointing and addressing usability challenges to enhance user experience and satisfaction.

b: SEO Best Practices for Enhanced Site Functionality

Adopting SEO best practices is crucial for enhancing site functionality and user engagement. This includes ensuring mobile responsiveness, utilizing clear and concise content, and implementing intuitive navigation. Moreover, optimizing meta tags and using descriptive URLs enhance search engine visibility and user understanding. White label SEO services can seamlessly integrate these best practices, ensuring that websites not only rank higher in search engine results but also provide a superior, user-friendly experience to visitors.

5: Ensuring Mobile Responsiveness and Speed with SEO

a: The Significance of Mobile SEO in User Experience

Mobile SEO is indispensable in the current digital landscape, where a substantial portion of internet users access websites via mobile devices. Ensuring a website is mobile-friendly is not only crucial for ranking in mobile search results but also paramount for providing a seamless user experience. A mobile-optimized website ensures that users can easily navigate, interact with content, and complete desired actions, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter, effortlessly on their mobile devices.

b: Strategies for Improving Mobile Usability and Load Time

Improving mobile usability and speed involves several strategic SEO approaches. Implementing responsive design ensures that your website adapts to various screen sizes, providing a consistent user experience across different devices. Compressing images and utilizing browser caching can significantly enhance load times, while a clear, simplified navigation structure enhances usability on smaller screens. Employing white label SEO services can effectively optimize mobile usability and speed, ensuring that users enjoy a swift, seamless experience, which, in turn, positively impacts search rankings and user engagement.

Final Words:

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, ensuring a stellar user experience while maintaining optimal site usability is non-negotiable. White label SEO services stand out as a pivotal solution, providing a pathway to not only enhance your website’s performance but also significantly improve the user journey. Ready to elevate your digital presence and user experience? Contact Web20Ranker at (855) 896-6657, your trusted white label SEO provider in the US, and let’s craft a strategy that propels your online success.

 Circle this date on your calendar: Monday, October 2nd. It’s not just any day; it’s our final quarterly webby of the year! Even if you can’t make it to the live event, we’ve got your back. Simply sign up, and as soon as the event wraps up, we’ll whisk the replay link straight to your inbox. We can’t wait to reconnect and chat about all things digital marketing.

🔬 SEO Mad Scientist Back in Action 🔬

How Impactful is CTR for Local Rankings? We’re Closing the Chapter.

We’re back with the final test update in our CTR manipulation test. The core focus of the experiment was to see how far we could push rankings by manipulating the Click-Through Rate (CTR) of Google Business Profiles. To perform the experiment we adopted a dual-pronged strategy, manipulating search engine interactions and simulating genuine user engagement.

The experiment was built around four crucial keywords, known to trigger local pack results, in order to increase the visibility of your listing. We carefully structured and calibrated both our approach and interactions to emulate user behavior and avoid the potential risk of over-interaction.

Our CTR tests analyzed 2 GBP listings in dramatically different areas – Hawaii and Tennessee, and industries – realtors, and accountants. If we were able to increase visibility in both cases, we could better generalize the impact of CTR manipulation.

First, we actively searched for our profile using the targeted keywords (below) in order to signal an increased interest in the business profile. We repeated this over the course of the 4-month test. Next, we interacted with the profile posts, enhancing visibility and reinforcing the profile’s relevance to Google algorithms. We then took it a step further by visiting the website directly from the Google Business Profile, aiming to boost ‘dwell time’—a metric that affects search engine rankings.

Keyword #1: Listing Agent 

We don’t believe in saving the best for last, so we’re whipping out this baddy first.

The term “listing agency” saw movement from the beginning, but the final results really demonstrate the power of CTR.

In nearly 4 months, ATGR went from a dismal 15.0 to 7.91 with only CTR! Imagine if we took this test a step further…

Keyword #2: Realtor Franklin 

While the term “Realtor Franklin” didn’t explode in a full green grid, CTR took this listing from a forgotten 20+ ranking, to the map pack in the more populated part of the map. If we combined our CTR strategies with our work like building brand prominence and relevance, this could be a much bigger impact.

Keyword #3: Accountant Honolulu 

While many of the green nodes are out in the ocean swimming with the fishies, the cluster of green in the center is smack dab in the center of Honolulu. In some of the most competitive areas of the grid, CTR turned it green!

Keyword #4: Payroll services Honolulu 

This test term showed the least movement of all our grids, but many nodes jumped 10+ spots. Our book shows the viability of CTR.

However, it also demonstrates that CTR should not be used as a standalone strategy. If you are going to put our tests into action, make sure you’re supporting it with solid SEO basics like building the brand and relevance.

For this test, we leveraged a CTR tool to speed up the process. This is how we used the tool…

The tool takes the target keyword and googles that keyword then goes to the maps and searches for your Profile. Once it’s found the profile, it goes through the GBP posts and engages, goes back to the Profile, and hits the website link. Next, it simulates reading a page for about 30 seconds and simulates the same process 2 more times on 2 different pages (you can set up it to interact with 5, 10, or 15 pages… ). In the end, it leaves the website and continues the same process with each target keyword, as frequently as configured, ensuring all keywords are covered efficiently.

We tested this exact process with the CTR tool 4 times, and we consistently saw a ranking impact within 7-10 days on average. Some CTR rounds gave us quicker results, but we couldn’t pinpoint a reason for this.

While we can’t put a numerical value on the impact of CTR, the success of this test reinforces our confidence in CTR to increase rankings and visibility.

It’s important to keep in mind that you can’t manufacture engagements willy-nilly. The effectiveness of CTR lies in combining meticulous keyword selection, simulated engagement, and strategic Google interactions to boost CTR.

Have you used CTR in your local campaigns?

This Week in the LCT Facebook Group…