When it comes to construction and excavation companies, finding a trustworthy utility equipment provider is no small feat. In fact, once they find one, they tend to stick with them for decades. This creates a significant challenge for utility equipment providers: they have a limited opportunity to attract new clients. Marketing becomes essential, but it’s not always straightforward.
Among the various advertising methods available—such as email marketing, television advertisements, and newspaper ads—Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) stands out as particularly effective. This is because many companies use search engines like Google and Bing to research potential equipment vendors before making a decision.
The Importance of SEO
Research indicates that 66% of B2B buyers in the U.S. rely on search engines to discover new products and vendors. By optimising your website content to rank higher in search results, you can take advantage of these searches. When a decision-maker at a construction company types in keywords related to your business—like “underground utility equipment”—your brand will appear at the top of the search results. This is crucial because the top position on Google receives 31.7% of all clicks.
Proof That SEO Works
If you need evidence that SEO is effective for utility equipment providers, look no further. This case study illustrates how we used SEO to increase an underground utility equipment provider’s organic traffic by 44%, enhance their website’s authority, and generate a consistent organic traffic value of £495. Let’s dive into how we achieved these results.
The Client: An Underground Equipment Company Specialising in Hydro Vacuum Excavation
Our client has been in the hydro excavation equipment business for over 40 years. They have a solid reputation and have relied heavily on print and television advertising, as well as referrals, to generate business. However, despite having a decent website, their visibility on search engines was lacking.
The situation became critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many companies shifted their marketing strategies online. Even businesses that only provided basic information on their websites—like their name, address, and phone number—needed a robust presence on search engines like Google.
Consider these statistics:
- 76% of consumers who perform a “near me” search visit the business they choose within a day.
- 4 out of 5 consumers use search engines to gather information about local businesses.
These figures underscore the importance of search engines in consumer research, even for local businesses. For B2B companies like our client, the need for visibility on search engines is even more critical. Research shows that 72% of B2B buyers start their research with a Google search, and SEO drives 20% of all B2B revenue.
Recognising that they were missing out on significant opportunities, our client reached out to us after reading some of our positive testimonials.
The SEO Audit: Laying the Groundwork
We initiated the campaign by conducting a comprehensive SEO audit—this is standard practice for every Clout client. The audit involved analysing the website’s current performance on search engines and its overall architecture and user experience (UX).
We also looked for easy-win keywords—keywords for which the website was already ranking, but not in the top spots. Positions 4 to 30 are prime targets for these easy-win opportunities. On the UX side, we ensured that the site had a logical structure, was easy to navigate, and loaded quickly.
In this case, the client’s UX and website architecture were in good shape. However, they had several easy-win opportunities that we targeted to quickly boost their traffic.
The Primary Challenge: Backlinks
The main issue we identified was a lack of backlinks. Backlinks are links from other websites that point back to yours, and they are crucial for SEO. They serve as endorsements for the quality and relevance of your content. If your competitors have more high-quality backlinks, it becomes challenging to outrank them on search engine results pages (SERPs).
To address this, we developed a long-term backlink strategy focused on the client’s collection pages—their product pages. We aimed to increase the number of reputable backlinks pointing to these pages to drive more revenue.
The Game Plan: Targeting Backlink Opportunities
We kicked off our strategy by targeting backlink opportunities through targeted outreach. Our team reached out to other utility equipment websites, requesting link insertions, brand mentions, and guest post opportunities. We emphasised the value that our client’s content could bring to these sites.
The Results: A 44% Traffic Boost and More
Thanks to the easy-win keywords we targeted and the backlinks we secured, we achieved a remarkable 44% increase in organic traffic. This was just the beginning; our efforts resulted in over 500 keyword rankings, with 14 of them landing in the top three positions on search engines.
Additionally, our strategy generated a consistent organic traffic value of £495. The best part? The links we built and the optimisations we implemented will continue to yield results well into the future, leading to increased brand visibility, more leads, and ultimately, higher revenue.
Final Thoughts
The journey of this underground equipment provider highlights the power of SEO and the importance of a comprehensive strategy. With Clout’s expertise, they transformed their online presence and began to capture the attention of potential clients actively searching for their services. If you’re in a similar situation, consider how optimising your website and investing in a solid SEO strategy can help you achieve remarkable results.
