In 2010 Standard Water Control Systems of Crystal, Minnesota. was spending $1,000 per month with a nationally recognized search engine optimization (SEO) firm located in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. After 10 months the company had only realized a 2% growth in traffic which led them to consider other options.
Project Scope And Goals
Standard Water contacted 3rd Planet Media, a Content Marketing Agency, to take over all online activities for the company. The Content Marketing plan included a new content management system (CMS) and the production of videos showcasing Standard’s major service categories. Video was chosen for its ability to inform, educate and hold visitors on the site leading to increased sales.
Goals for a very large (80 page) website:
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Easier management of content
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Easier site navigation for visitors
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Increased sampling of website
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Higher quality engagement
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Longer time on site
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More pageviews (both overall and unique)
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New business
Results
On January 1, 2011 the new website and videos were rolled out and the company enjoyed one of its best years ever. According to Google Analytics, comparing Q’s 1-4, 2010 with Q’s 1-4, 2011 Standard Water’s Site Visits doubled, Bounce Rate fell 25%, Pageviews more than doubled, Time On Site went from just over 2 minutes to near 3 minutes, Pages Per Visit went from less than 3.5 to almost 4 and the number of Unique Visitors doubled. Most importantly, for every dollar ($1.00) Standard spent on the content marketing plan they realized eight dollars ($8.00) in new business for an 800% return on investment (ROI).
2012 Slow Year
The next year was slower due to a prolonged drought. Fewer homeowners request basement waterproofing services when they have no water in their basements. The company continued it’s content marketing plan and the website performed to expectations giving up only 15% of 2011’s remarkable advances.
2013 Site Refresh
The decision was made to refresh the site to make it more friendly for mobile visitors and search engines. With the advent of Google’s Penguin and Panda updates this was deemed a good time to make sure the site was working well within Google’s search parameters.
Project Scope & Goals
3rd Planet would create a new WordPress site that was fully responsive to tablets and smartphones alleviating the need for a separate mobile site. Content production would increase by posting more blogs per month and adding more videos, particularly in the Case Study category. Additionally, 3rd Planet would perform a deep dive in search engine optimization (SEO), making sure to follow Google’s new guidelines.
Goals for a very large (100+ page) website:
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Easier site navigation for mobile visitors
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Increased sampling of website
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Higher quality engagement
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Longer time on site
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More pageviews (both overall and unique)
-
New business
Results
As expected, Standard Water realized a uptick with the new website and content. In fact, site performed far better than expectations. In the first seventy (70) days of the new content marketing program the sites Bounce Rate improved by 30%, Site Visits were up 100%, overall Pageviews were up 3,200% and Unique Pageviews were up 2,775%. Business for Standard Water’s services was up significantly across the board.
One Page Stands Out
Something interesting happened with the Transit Heat page. Transit heat ducts run under a concrete basement floor and are typically made of galvanized metal. Galvanized metal will eventually corrode and leak. When this happens the pipes fill with water causing mold, mildew and other problems. The Transit Heat page on the Standard Water site contains a video showing the scope of the problem along with the companys solution.
Standard Water has averaged 1.5 transit heat jobs per year since 1977. In the first 70 days of the new content marketing program the company sold 10 transit heat jobs. In that time, for every dollar ($1.00) spent on the program the Transit Heat page returned thirteen dollars and fifty cents ($13.50) of new business for an ROI of 1,000%.
As mentioned previously, business was up across the board with 2013 surpassing 2011.
Going forward the company is investing more money in content marketing services from 3rd Planet Media.