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Kathryn
Volume Four
The Art of Websites and SEO
A study of my experience in Search Engine Optimization.
For SEO writing — blogs and landing pages — see Writing and Editing.
My SEO Experience
I have experience across all three pillars of SEO — on-page (keyword research, content optimization, meta titles and descriptions), off-page (link building and outreach), and technical SEO (site audits, indexing, and site structure).
Industry Experience
SEO Tools Used
Ahrefs
Semrush
Phrase.io
SurferSEO
Yoast SEO
Google Search Console
SE Ranking
Screaming Frog
Google Analytics
Hotjar
Content Management Systems
WordPress
Wix
Shopify
Webflow
Zoho
Open the envelope for a small disclaimer
Case Studies
A closer look at a few campaigns — full write-ups coming soon.
Unless otherwise noted, results below compare the 6 months after SEO work began against the 6 months prior.
Online Shoe Retailer
Brief
Increase traffic to the site, increase keywords, add blog posts, and make the site SEO friendly.
Project Duration
SEO project began in 2021 and continued to August 2022.
Notable Results
Keywords went from 130 to 27.8K. Monthly traffic stayed close to flat from 2019 through mid-2021, then climbed sharply to roughly 22K by early 2022.
7.5K%
Organic Traffic Increase
15.3K%
Increase in Keywords
Ladies Shoe Brand
Brief
Increase traffic to the site, make it SEO friendly, and rank for specific keywords related to ladies shoes.
Project Duration
SEO project began in 2021 and continued to August 2022.
Notable Results
Keywords went from 200 to 1.5K over the course of the project — and kept climbing afterward.
200%
Organic Traffic Increase
2.8K%
Organic Keyword Increase
Photo Safari Website
Brief
Increase traffic to the site, make it SEO friendly, and rank for specific keywords.
Comparison Window
6 months of SEO work vs. the 6 months prior.
Notable Results
Users rose 564.9% to 11K, and new users rose 1,110.7% to 20K. Organic search was by far the largest traffic source, ahead of referral, direct, organic video, and organic social.
564K%
Organic Traffic Increase
4.5K%
Total Clicks Increase
1.2K%
New User Increase
4.4K%
Total Impressions Increase
Online School Website
Brief
Increase traffic to the site, make it SEO friendly, and rank for specific keywords.
Comparison Window
6 months of SEO work vs. the 6 months prior.
Notable Results
Keywords went from 218 to 408. "Online School South Africa" went from not ranking at all to position 17, and the site picked up an unplanned ranking for "Online schooling South Africa" at position 16.
149
Keywords in Top 10
368
Keywords in Top 30
25%
Bounce Rate Decrease
27%
Organic Traffic Increase
Vegan Dog Food Brand
Brief
Increase traffic to the site, make it SEO friendly, build links, write blog posts, and add keywords — starting from a site with none.
Comparison Window
6 months of SEO work vs. the 6 months prior.
Notable Results
Keywords went from 0 to 230.
2.8K%
Total Clicks Increase
4.5K%
Total Impressions Increase
100%
Organic Search Traffic Increase
300%
Referral Traffic Increase
Speciality Coffee Shop
Brief
Increase organic traffic to the site through on-page, technical and local SEO.
Comparison Window
6 months of SEO work vs. the 6 months prior.
Notable Results
Monthly organic users climbed from close to zero in January to a steady 500–600 range by summer.
666%
Organic Session Increase
1.7K%
Organic Traffic Increase
A small confession
Over the years I've worked with far more clients and campaigns than what's shown across this page — more industries, more websites, more SEO work than I've had the chance to write up.
The honest reason so much of it isn't here is that I simply didn't think to take screenshots at the time. I was heads-down doing the work, not archiving it, and by the time I thought to look back, a lot of it was already gone. If I could tell my past self one thing, it would be that.
So please take this page as a window into the work, not the whole of it — I'm slowly tracking down and rebuilding what I can.
Kathryn
Agency Experience
Over my career, I have worked with multiple agencies as support for SEO, website development, website design, UX, and copywriting. This page does not include work done within full-time roles, but there is some overlap since I freelanced for companies I previously worked full-time for.
My Content Pal
The Company
Content Writing Agency
SEO Work
SEO writing for a major SEO company.
Digital Squeak
The Company
Digital Marketing Agency
SEO Work
On-Page, Technical and Local SEO
Digital Briefcase
The Company
Digital Marketing Agency
SEO Work
On-Page, Technical and Local SEO
Bellwether Brands
The Company
Marketing Agency
SEO Work
On-Page SEO
Titan Creative Group
The Company
Digital Marketing Agency
SEO Work
On-Page and Technical SEO
Imagine This/BDA
The Company
Full-service Marketing Agency
SEO Work
On-Page, Off-Page, Technical and Local SEO
Boa Concepts
The Company
Independent Marketing Agency
SEO Work
On-Page SEO
Travel Tractions
The Company
Travel Marketing Agency
SEO Work
On-Page, Off-Page and Technical SEO
Your Digital Assembly
The Company
Digital Marketing Agency
SEO Work
On-Page SEO
Link Building
Over my career I have worked a little with off-page SEO. I have the most experience with citations but I have also been involved in the management and outreach for a few linkbuilding campaigns.
1.
Parenting Website
Campaign Goal
Press release distribution to help increase site Domain Authority and raise awareness of the event promoted in the press release.
Results
Over 60 links secured.
2.
Digital Marketplace Launch
Campaign Goal
Press release distribution to help increase site Domain Authority and raise awareness of the site shifting to become a digital marketplace.
Results
Multiple high Domain Authority links gained.
3.
Online Shoe Retailer & Associated Brands
Campaign Goal
Increase Domain Authority by reaching out to existing retailers that stocked the different shoe brands, add citations, and secure publication of a press release for a new brand launch.
Results
Secured links from high authority sites including leading online retailers, increasing Domain Authority significantly.
4.
Miss Tourist
Campaign Goal
Increase Domain Authority through guest posts and HARO.
Results
Secured multiple publications, leading to an increase in Domain Authority.
Personal Projects
Three websites I designed, developed and managed myself. Both Asana Tribe and The SEO Collective are no longer accesible to search engines. Only the Art of Anxiety has been recently made accessible again.
Asana Tribe
A nomadic aerial yoga studio running pop-up classes and workshops across South Africa.
What I Did
Designed and built the website, then continued to manage and maintain it, including its ongoing on-page and local SEO.
The Results
Ranked in the top 3 for several target keywords, reaching around 3k monthly traffic. Over 6 months, 13 blog posts brought the site from 0 to 487 keywords.
195
Total Clicks
9.37K
Total Impressions
2.1%
Average CTR
34.4
Average Position
Art of Anxiety
A personal blog exploring anxiety, mental health and related topics. Created so I could not only test out SEO content and strategies, but also help other people struggling with something similar feel less alone.
What I Did
Designed and manage the site myself, including writing SEO articles, publishing and optimizing the SEO content on it.
The Results
Achieved a #1 ranking for "types of fears", including a featured snippet, and ranked within the top 10 for multiple keywords. Over 6 months, 24 blog posts brought the site from 0 to 110 keywords.
25
Total Clicks
5.6K
Total Impressions
0.4%
Average CTR
25.5
Average Position
The SEO Collective
A website designed for my freelance SEO business — since I'm no longer working that way, I shifted it to be usable for my writing portfolio instead, though the content itself is now outdated.
What I Did
Designed and managed the site myself. Used it to publish and test SEO-focused content and strategies, as well as to share content with clients to help them better understand the SEO work I was doing for them.
The Results
Ranked within the top 10 for multiple keywords.
Vol. IV — The Art of Websites and SEO End of Volume
