The purpose of this case study is to evaluate the effect of purchasing the “Traffic From Google (80 secs retention time)” package, where each selected webpage was expected to receive 1,000 organic visitors. The pages chosen were all in striking distance, according to SEOGets.com, meaning they have a better opportunity to improve their rankings on Google. The SEOTesting.com platform was used to monitor the results, specifically focusing on key metrics like average position, click-through rate (CTR), clicks per day, impressions per day, and site clicks per day in Google Search Console.
Methodology
1. Service Purchased: The traffic package was designed to send 1,000 organic visitors to each selected page, with an average retention time of 80+ seconds, a metric aimed at boosting engagement metrics.
2. Tracking Tools: SEOGets.com was used to identify pages close to breaking into higher positions (i.e., “striking distance” pages), while SEOTesting.com was employed to track SEO performance metrics before and after the traffic was delivered.
3. Key Metrics:
- Average Position: Represents the ranking position of the page in Google’s search results.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of impressions that result in clicks.
- Clicks Per Day: The number of clicks each webpage receives from Google daily.
- Impressions Per Day: The number of times a webpage is shown in Google search results.
- Queries Per Day: The number of unique search queries that trigger the page to appear in Google’s search results.
- Site Clicks Per Day: The total clicks for the entire site, not just the individual page.
Results Overview:
1. Average Position:
- Out of seven webpages tested, only two websites saw an improvement in their rankings, while the remaining five pages dropped in Google rankings.
- It’s important to note that for this metric, a negative number is better (similar to golf, where a lower score is favorable).
- Conclusion: The majority of pages did not benefit in terms of ranking position, and five of them saw a decrease in average position, which is unfavorable.
2. Click-Through Rate (CTR):
- While CTR increased slightly, the difference was minimal and not significant enough to draw any strong conclusions. The improvement in CTR was not substantial enough to act as a determining factor in the overall success or failure of the traffic package.
3. Clicks Per Day:
- This is the key metric that matters the most because it represents the number of people clicking on the webpage directly from Google search results.
- Observation: The results were mixed. Some pages saw an increase in clicks, while others did not experience significant growth. However, on average, clicks per day were up by 18% across all tested pages.
- Conclusion: Despite mixed results, the average growth in clicks per day indicates that the traffic package had a positive overall effect on driving more users to the selected pages.
4. Impressions Per Day and Queries Per Day:
- Both metrics showed positive trends, with impressions per day up by 18% and queries per day increasing by 16%.
- Conclusion: While these numbers are encouraging, the data isn’t conclusive enough to attribute all of the growth directly to the traffic package.
5. Site Clicks Per Day:
- Observation: There was a fluctuation in site-wide clicks per day. This could indicate that other pages or the site as a whole were impacted by potential algorithmic changes, skewing the overall results of the case study.
- Conclusion: While the site clicks per day metric provides insight into overall performance, it is difficult to pinpoint whether the traffic package alone was responsible for these changes or if algorithmic shifts played a role.
| Result Type | Before | After | Percentage (%) Change | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Position | 18.99 | 15.64 | -17.64 | /what-does-valium-feel-like/ |
| Average Position | 33.3 | 30.05 | -9.76 | /anavar-detection-times/ |
| Average Position | 11.6 | 12.76 | 10 | /cyclobenzaprine-and-ibuprofen/ |
| Average Position | 8.85 | 11.39 | 28.7 | /mouth-swab-drug-test/ |
| Average Position | 13.96 | 15.91 | 13.97 | /valium-effects/ |
| Average Position | 10.67 | 11.38 | 6.65 | /detection-times/benadryl/ |
| Average Position | 12.06 | 13.28 | 10.12 | /how-long-do-shrooms-last/ |
| Total Average Position (Average) | 15.63 | 15.77 | 6.01 | |
| Click Through Rate | 0 | 0.36 | 7400 | /what-does-valium-feel-like/ |
| Click Through Rate | 0.01 | 0.01 | -4.1 | /anavar-detection-times/ |
| Click Through Rate | 0.01 | 0.01 | 7.07 | /cyclobenzaprine-and-ibuprofen/ |
| Click Through Rate | 0.04 | 0.07 | 48.31 | /mouth-swab-drug-test/ |
| Click Through Rate | 0.01 | 0 | -32.79 | /valium-effects/ |
| Click Through Rate | 0 | 0 | 0 | /detection-times/benadryl/ |
| Click Through Rate | 0.1 | 0.09 | -3.37 | /how-long-do-shrooms-last/ |
| Total Click Through Rate (Average) | 0.03 | 0.08 | 1059.3 | |
| Clicks Per Day | 1.14 | 1.43 | 25.44 | /what-does-valium-feel-like/ |
| Clicks Per Day | 5.57 | 6.86 | 23.16 | /anavar-detection-times/ |
| Clicks Per Day | 41.21 | 40.71 | -1.21 | /cyclobenzaprine-and-ibuprofen/ |
| Clicks Per Day | 309.07 | 698.64 | 126.05 | /mouth-swab-drug-test/ |
| Clicks Per Day | 7.43 | 5.07 | -31.76 | /valium-effects/ |
| Clicks Per Day | 7.86 | 7.5 | -4.58 | /detection-times/benadryl/ |
| Clicks Per Day | 1092.71 | 1003.71 | -8.14 | /how-long-do-shrooms-last/ |
| Total Clicks Per Day (Average) | 209.28 | 251.99 | 18.42 | |
| Impressions Per Day | 239.43 | 398.93 | 66.62 | /what-does-valium-feel-like/ |
| Impressions Per Day | 454.86 | 587.86 | 29.24 | /anavar-detection-times/ |
| Impressions Per Day | 4167.71 | 3850.07 | -7.62 | /cyclobenzaprine-and-ibuprofen/ |
| Impressions Per Day | 6970.14 | 10629.14 | 52.5 | /mouth-swab-drug-test/ |
| Impressions Per Day | 1219.93 | 1233.64 | 1.12 | /valium-effects/ |
| Impressions Per Day | 1772.57 | 1697.07 | -4.26 | /detection-times/benadryl/ |
| Impressions Per Day | 11152.79 | 10598.64 | -4.97 | /how-long-do-shrooms-last/ |
| Total Impressions Per Day (Average) | 3711.06 | 4142.19 | 18.95 | |
| Queries Per Day | 57 | 96 | 68.42 | /what-does-valium-feel-like/ |
| Queries Per Day | 145 | 153 | 5.52 | /anavar-detection-times/ |
| Queries Per Day | 917 | 888 | -3.16 | /cyclobenzaprine-and-ibuprofen/ |
| Queries Per Day | 731 | 1084 | 48.29 | /mouth-swab-drug-test/ |
| Queries Per Day | 245 | 230 | -6.12 | /valium-effects/ |
| Queries Per Day | 286 | 306 | 6.99 | /detection-times/benadryl/ |
| Queries Per Day | 1653 | 1632 | -1.27 | /how-long-do-shrooms-last/ |
| Total Queries Per Day (Average) | 576.29 | 627 | 16.95 | |
| Site Clicks Per Day | 267.64 | 290.71 | 8.62 | /what-does-valium-feel-like/ |
| Site Clicks Per Day | 33.5 | 30.43 | -9.16 | /anavar-detection-times/ |
| Site Clicks Per Day | 875.21 | 1443.36 | 64.92 | /cyclobenzaprine-and-ibuprofen/ |
| Site Clicks Per Day | 2815.57 | 3430.29 | 21.83 | /mouth-swab-drug-test/ |
| Site Clicks Per Day | 155.57 | 206 | 32.42 | /valium-effects/ |
| Site Clicks Per Day | 700.14 | 592.86 | -15.32 | /detection-times/benadryl/ |
| Site Clicks Per Day | 4562.79 | 3791.36 | -16.91 | /how-long-do-shrooms-last/ |
| Total Site Clicks Per Day (Average) | 1344.35 | 1397.86 | 12.34 |
Why Some Pages Dropped While Others Improved
Possible Reasons for Drops:
1. Algorithmic Changes: Google’s algorithms are constantly evolving, and it’s possible that during the test period, algorithm updates affected the rankings of some of the selected pages, leading to drops.
2. Irrelevant Traffic: Even though the traffic was sent with 80 seconds of retention time, if it wasn’t relevant to the users’ search intent, Google may have viewed the engagement as low quality. This could negatively impact rankings, especially for competitive keywords.
3. Increased Competition: During the testing period, competitors could have updated their content or built new backlinks, making it harder for the selected pages to maintain or improve their rankings.
Why Some Pages Improved:
1. Dwell Time Impact: Pages that improved may have benefited from the extended dwell time (80 seconds) provided by the traffic package. Google’s ranking algorithms may have interpreted this as positive user engagement, boosting rankings.
2. Topical Relevance: If the content on these pages was highly relevant to the target keywords, the additional traffic may have acted as a tipping point to push these pages higher in the rankings.
Conclusions
The traffic package delivered mixed results. While it did lead to an overall improvement in clicks per day (up 18% on average), it did not significantly improve rankings for the majority of pages, with only two out of seven seeing improvements in average position. This suggests that while traffic volume and retention time can play a role in driving engagement, other factors, such as content relevance, algorithmic changes, and competitor activity, have a more significant influence on rankings.
Relying solely on traffic packages may not be sufficient for sustained ranking improvements in future strategies. A comprehensive SEO approach that includes high-quality content, ongoing optimization, and organic link-building efforts is essential for long-term success.
