Case Study: CDAP program delivered a strategic digital adoption SEO plan that drove massive lift in demand gen. & sales performance

SEO Case Study

An SME from the Canadian Digital Adoption Program partnered with MJ Digital to deliver a “fit for business” search engine optimization (SEO) digital adoption plan to expand market reach and participate in revenue opportunities being left on the table. The client is now participating in new customer demand from Google, lowered sales channel costs and penetrated competitor rankings in Google.

The SEO adoption plan massively increased our brand visibility in Google and local markets, resulting in a substantial boost in organic website traffic and a remarkable improvement in our lead generation and sales lead targets.

1205

Keyword penetration in Google organic search results (SERPs)

Executive Summary

This case study delves into the partnership between with a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME), and MJ Digital under the Canadian Digital Adoption Program (CDAP).

The CDAP program, or Canadian Digital Adoption Program, is a government initiative designed to support Canadian businesses in adopting digital technologies, strategies, and solutions to enhance their performance and competitiveness in the digital economy. Approved businesses can receive up to 90% of a $15,000 grant, access a $100,000 interest-free loan through Business Development Canada (BDC), and qualify for a $7,500 student grant.

In response to the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDAP program aims to guide SMEs through the digital adoption journey by providing a comprehensive digital adoption strategy tailored to their specific needs, while mostly funded under the CDAP grants. The digital adoption strategy focuses on areas such as revenue growth, capability/technology enablement, operational cost reduction, security, and customer engagement in the digital and online ecosystem. The goal is to ensure businesses are well-equipped to navigate the digital landscape and maximize their potential for success.

This study focuses on the challenges faced by a Canadian SME who began the journey with a CDAP digital adoption strategy focussed around digital marketing and SEO, which led to the strategy execution to deliver previously untapped business performance.

MJ Digital’s SEO services crafted an SEO strategy that addresses the business and sales strategy gaps around low online brand visibility in Google, lack of customer demand participation actively taking place in Google, and untapped sales opportunities to be generated from Search/Google.

The SEO adoption strategy addressed the subsequent “how to” for a sophisticated SEO strategy that directly aligns with the client’s business goals, data-driven measurement with real-time KPI dashboards, SOP (standard operating procedures), operating model to continue strategy sustainment and areas change management for knowledge-transfer and upskill the SME’s team.

By leveraging advanced SEO techniques, the client aimed to improve search engine rankings in Google, grow search engine market share (aka share-of-voice) in local and international search engines, grow website traffic, and drive new sales leads and revenue performance.

We lowered our lead acquisition costs by 35% thru search engine optimization, and lowered our paid advertising costs by over 42%

Problem

Expensive sales channels and leaving money on the table

Low online visibility in Google poses a significant obstacle for many businesses to participate in the existing market demand of customers using Google to find brands with products, services and solutions that meet their needs.

The client, like many others, struggled to establish their digital presence and suffered the consequences of missed opportunities, both locally and across the country. By not getting found on keywords customers use to find the client’s products and services, and not appearing prominently in Google search results in-the-moment when a customer is in need, the client was unable to capitalize on the missed market demand and sales opportunities to drive the desired business performance, among securing a competitive edge.

Opportunity

After sharing data-informed insights and a forecasting model that demonstrates the clients invested dollars into the SEO plan, the client could quickly understand and attribute the opportunity and importance of SEO as a key driver of online success.

The client seized the opportunity to engage with MJ Digital through the CDAP program, and had 90% of the costs of the project subsidized through CDAP’s Workstream 2: “Boost Your Business Technology” workstream.

lower sales channel costs through digital marketing channels as Google / search engine

Traditional sales channels place significant pressure on our profit margins. SEO was a more intelligent and cost-effective way to reach new customer and grow our direct sales channel.

We can now forecast X% lift in leads and sales tied back to the investments we put into search engine optimization and the content strategy.

Solution

Business impact and up-skilling staff

In partnership with the client, MJ Digital, a local SEO agency, developed a sophisticated “fit for business” SEO strategy that encompassed advanced areas of SEO techniques including leveraging data and AI to inform the strategy.

Through thorough data-driven keyword research, customer sentiment, analytics analysis, on-page optimization, technical SEO improvements, content creation and optimization, building online authority, and an education change management approach to upskill the client’s staff, the SEO plan aimed to position the client as a leader in their industry for their target markets.

Upon delivery of the digital adoption plan through the CDAP program, the client continued the partnership to execute the SEO strategy to accelerate the results.

To date, the client has yielded exceptional results, driving significant growth and improvements in their online visibility and share of voice with Google (34% lift vs competitors), organic search rankings (5 page 1 rankings, 20 page 2 rankings), and overall sales funnel performance driving more lead volume to sales at a +40% lower CPA.

Our approach was rooted in meticulous data-driven research, enabling us to identify new opportunities, target keywords, customer buying behaviours, analysis of competitor strategies and what’s working and not, and uncover valuable insights into customer search behaviour.

The technical SEO optimization drove 40% of the growth and then plateaued. The technical SEO ensured that the website searched engine-friendly, mobile-friendly (40% of website traffic), improved website speed, and optimal site structure. Following the technical engineering updates, on-page SEO, content marketing, and new authority and influencer relationships boosted past the plateau and still growing.

A well-crafted content strategy was the backbone of the SEO success beyond the technical SEO, delivering high-quality, keyword-rich content that resonated with our target audience across their buyer journey and addressed their questions and pain points.

Regular blog posts, informative articles, engaging website copy, and syndicated thought-leadership content to establish themselves as a thought leader in their industry, resulted in attracting more organic traffic and fostering customer trust which accelerated the sales funnel velocity to close more deals faster.

This content orchestration was complemented by leveraging other marketing channels, such as social media, email marketing, sales team enablement, and more to amplify the SEO efforts and drive even greater saturation in Google, and visibility with customers.

Furthermore, the SEO services and strategy aligned with the recommended operating model, which emphasized ongoing monitoring, analysis, and adaptation to evolving customer demands and competitive landscapes.

By continuously tracking and measuring key metrics in an online real-time dashboard, conducting regular audits, and staying abreast of industry trends, we ensured that the clients SEO efforts remained effective and adaptable.

This allowed to swiftly respond to changes in search engine algorithms, competitor tactics, and customer preferences, enabling us to maintain and expand our market share.

The results of the SEO strategy have been truly transformative for the client’s business. They have experienced a substantial increase in organic search traffic from Google and Bing, resulting in a significant boost in website conversions and sales.

The improved search engine rankings have positioned the clients brand as a top choice in their industry, leading to enhanced brand visibility, credibility, and customer trust. Additionally, the cost per acquisition (CPA) has decreased as a result of organic traffic growth, providing a more efficient and sustainable customer acquisition channel.

Beyond business performance, coaching and knowledge transfer to leadership, management, and teams on search engine optimization and digital marketing have proven to be an invaluable service, providing businesses with the necessary knowledge and skills to navigate the complex world of digital channel adoption and search engine optimization.

Through expert guidance, individuals and teams gained a much deeper understanding of SEO best practices, enabling them to implement effective strategies, drive organic traffic, and achieve higher search rankings.

As a result, the client unlocked the potential to enhance brands’ online visibility, attract targeted traffic, and increase conversions and sales revenue. Moreover, the knowledge gained in leadership and management helps teams optimize their decision-making process, align SEO efforts with broader business goals, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. This comprehensive approach to coaching and teaching empowers businesses to maximize the value of SEO and drive sustainable growth in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Moving forward, the client is committed to sustaining and building upon their SEO strategy, and defending their new online market share as competitors respond to the results. By staying vigilant, monitoring performance metrics, and regularly updating our content to align with changing customer demands and search algorithms, the client is now confident in their ability to continue driving business growth and maintaining a competitive edge in the digital landscape.

SEO has grown our website traffic over 300%%, and significant cost savings in paid advertising and traditional sales channels.

Highlights & Features

Consumer sentiment and buyer journey research
Customer journey(s) and persona(s)
Keyword research: Keyword intent across the customer journey, high demand, niche segments, question and answer, competitors’ share-of-voice
Website technical SEO treatment
Website on-page SEO treatment (core content)
Content strategy and marketing
Local Google My Business Listings strategy

Competitor intelligence: what’s working, what’s not
SOPs: Standard operation procedures (aka SEO playbook)
Measurement: Real-time KPI reporting and dashboards
- Executive KPIs, Sales & Marketing KPIs, and SEO KPIs
Training & education
- Ex. simplified business owner understandings to technical hands-on team training
Website information architecture (IA) improvements and schema

“Always-on” content strategy, copywriting and content marketing
Sales forecasting: Market opportunity vs. sales funnel modelling
Financial and revenue forecasting
- ex. Every $1 invested into SEO returns $X (and forecasted)

RESULTS

Lowest cost sales channel and value gained from the knowledge-share and training has set us for sustainable long term success.

340%

CUSTOMER (VISITOR) GROWTH FROM GOOGLE

1,205

KEYWORD PENETRATION IN GOOGLE TO EXPAND “SHARE-OF-VOICE” AND GET FOUND

LOWEST COST SALES CHANNEL TO ACQUIRE NEW CUSTOMERS

~2X

SALES FUNNEL VELOCITY (CLOSING MORE SALES FASTER)

Who are we?

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