Introduction
In March 2023, Google rolled out a major core update aimed at refining global search results by prioritizing high-quality content and improving user experiences. For businesses heavily reliant on organic traffic, this update signalled a crucial shift in SEO strategies. A prominent Marketplace, known for offering a wide range of consumer goods, recognized this as an opportunity to enhance its search engine visibility. By revisiting its digital strategy and focusing on content optimization, the platform sought to align with the new ranking criteria and solidify its position in a competitive market.
Business Challenge
Despite the Marketplace’s extensive product catalogue and competitive pricing, it faced challenges in reaching its target audience due to suboptimal search rankings. With a diverse array of products and numerous SKUs, the Marketplace’s online presence wasn’t fully optimized to capture organic traffic effectively. Google’s core update presented an opportunity to address these issues, but it required a thorough audit of the platform’s content and structure. Improving search rankings across such a vast catalogue meant meticulous attention to SEO details, content quality, and user experience, making the task both complex and essential for growth.
Solution
To capitalize on Google’s update, the Marketplace implemented a structured approach centred around three key areas: content auditing, technical optimization, and strategic SEO enhancements. A comprehensive content audit was conducted to evaluate and refine product descriptions, banners, and SKUs, ensuring alignment with search intent and relevant keywords. The product catalogues were enriched with more detailed information to create personalized customer experiences and meet the new content quality standards.
Additionally, the Marketplace employed advanced tools like SEMrush to detect and fix technical errors that could hinder site performance. This included addressing issues like page load speed, broken links, and crawl errors. Banners and visual elements were strategically adjusted to enhance user engagement and conversion rates. The combination of these efforts helped to not only meet Google’s updated requirements but also improve the overall shopping experience for customers.
Impact
The Marketplace’s content optimization efforts yielded significant improvements in search engine rankings and overall website performance. The impact was particularly noticeable on product detail pages (PDPs), where several items secured higher visibility in Google Shopping's Organic Rankings. In total, 3073 keyword rankings saw improvement, with 230 new keywords breaking into the top 3 positions and 315 into the top 10.
Additionally, 205 keywords began ranking within the coveted "Google Shopping Organic Ranking and Reviews" section. This increase in keyword performance led to a doubling of the Search Volume for the top 10 keywords, reaching 1.75 million, and a corresponding rise in the platform’s Share of Voice from 0.41% to 0.94%. The most notable outcome was a 30% increase in website traffic, reflecting the enhanced visibility and engagement driven by the optimized content strategy.
By leveraging Google’s core update, the Marketplace successfully improved its organic rankings, increased traffic, and strengthened its position in the competitive landscape of consumer goods. This strategic approach not only addressed the initial challenges but also paved the way for sustained growth and future success.
