You can rank without blogs.

This WordPress website was a private therapy group that opted to not create blogs.

I would usually recommend creating blogs to create initial traffic and target keywords but it is also possible to rank without blogs, but this was only possible for them because they had a different kind of fresh content that they push through once every few months.

One common thing that gets overlooked is keeping your content fresh and relevant. Search engines love updated, useful content and it’s the reason why I recommend creating blogs—and when that’s combined with smart SEO, it can really make a difference.

If your site isn’t regularly publishing new content or updating old pages, that could be one of the reasons you’re not getting the traction you want.

But how was it effective for this website?

Continuous Improvements After the SEO Campaign

And just before we dive into the details here’s an update of the site’s performance months after the end of the campaign.

Remember how my usual 6 months of SEO gets a great spike in impressions just before the end of the campaign? Well this website did not have that since they opted to not have blogs, so I devised a different strategy for them that works better for their desired post-SEO maintenance.

The Challenge

This WordPress website didn’t want blogs but they already had brand traffic yet not much for their services and target locations.

This is an aged domain/website (more than one year after creations) and was created first last 2020.

When I first audited the website last March 2024, I found out that it did not have a sitemap submitted yet on their Google Search Console, so that was the first thing I did. This is the reason now why a 16-month lookback will show the date 3/7/24.

Below are the first two months of the website’s Clicks and Impressions.

You can see that the website’s Clicks and Impressions already doesn’t touch the zero-clicks/impressions in a day which means that they have already existing organic traffic that we need to build upon for improvement.

The Solution

No blogs but a lot of content creation

Usually I would recommend publishing blogs since this website already has good reputation from Google and could easily rank higher with new and fresh content. But they mentioned that blogs are unsustainable for them so I had to create a strategy that accounts for that.

Below are some of my recommendations for the site :

1. Creation of Specific Service Pages
   Initially, the website only had a general overview of their services, which limited its visibility in search results. I recommended creating dedicated pages for each individual service they offer.
   
   This helps search engines understand the full scope of their offerings and allows each page to be optimized for relevant keywords. It also improves user experience by making it easier for potential clients to find exactly what they’re looking for.
   
   
2. Internal Linking Between Therapist Profiles and Service Pages
   The existing therapist profile pages were then to be rewritten with added details that can be interlinked to the new service pages. I suggested building strong internal links between these pages to create a clearer site structure and keyword signaling and association for the new service pages.
   
   
3. Adding Therapist Pages to the Sitemap
   The therapist profile pages were missing from the sitemap, which meant search engines might not even be aware they existed.
   
   I made sure to include these pages in the sitemap to ensure they are properly crawled and indexed. This small step can significantly improve the chances of those pages appearing in search results.
   
   
4. Simple Off-Page SEO Strategy
   To support the site’s authority and help the new service pages rank for their targeted keywords, I implemented a basic off-page SEO strategy. This included building high-quality backlinks from relevant and reputable websites, as well as making sure the site had mentions in online directories and professional listings.
   
   These off-site signals help build trust with search engines and improve the overall visibility of the content.

The Result

Quick Improvement in Queries and why the strategy was effective

The website had a quick improvement in Queries from 203 (March 2024) to 1000 (May 2024). 1000 is the maximum Top Queries shown in Google Search Console.

Impressions (violet line) continued to improve to date as shown from below:

But how did this strategy become effective for them? This was only possible because they had more than 25 therapist profiles and they routinely add and deleted profiles, this could have given a signal to Google that they keep their content fresh.

This website could have improved more if they created a blog but what’s more important is that they have established stability and still had improvements even after the SEO services ended.

This case study is another testimony that a website that is optimized for sustainability is better than getting optimization that only diminishes after the end of campaigns.

If you’ve have a number of SEO Specialists before and you’re struggling to get actual results in a minimum of 6 months, then maybe they are not addressing the root issues needed by your website.

Read more case studies or articles about on-page SEO and technical SEO. You can also check out my available services:

• Squarespace and WordPress SEO
• Keyword Research Service
• Blog Writing Service

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