Traffic dropped after rebranding. Our SEO strategy reversed the decline.

Challenge

A CNC plasma cutter company approached us in April 2024 after switching domains and launching a new website, only to find their traffic and rankings declining. The main challenge was that they had transferred their website to a new domain on a different platform without an SEO strategy in place. The entirely new design struggled to index for key strategic keywords, so we were tasked with getting them back to their previous performance.

The domain migration reduced their URL count to just 500, creating structural issues from the start. Despite implementing redirects, basic on-page optimisation, and creating new pages, they struggled to regain their former visibility.

The rebranding effort behind the domain change was intended to streamline their online presence and better reflect their services. However, the underperformance significantly impacted their ability to generate leads and compete in their market. The decline in rankings created an impression that our client was less authoritative or reliable in their industry, potentially swaying customers toward competitors who appeared more visible and trustworthy in search results. As competitors gained ground for key industry search terms, frustration grew. Their traffic dropped below pre-migration levels, leaving their team in need of a robust solution. Their primary goal was to improve rankings for industry-related search queries and increase organic traffic.

Recognising the urgency of the situation, they needed a tailored SEO strategy that addressed technical, on-page, and off-page challenges to rebuild authority and achieve sustainable growth.

Approach

Our first step was to identify and address technical issues stemming from the domain migration, such as redirect and crawl errors. These foundational fixes were crucial in making sure search engines could properly index and display their pages in Google. We also worked closely with our client to define a clear keyword focus, narrowing it down to 27 high-value search terms. These keywords were selected based on their alignment with business goals and search intent, balancing volume with relevance to their audience.

In addition to conducting a comprehensive site audit and competitor analysis, we developed a sustainable link-building strategy centred on directory listings and niche-relevant websites. We carefully selected reputable, industry-specific directories that would add value and strengthen the site’s authority, without risking penalties from Google. This helped rebuild trust with search engines and supported higher rankings.

Our analysis also uncovered opportunities to improve on-page content. For example, the homepage and product listing pages didn’t have enough detail to match the intent behind certain keywords. We addressed this by optimising these pages with user-focused content, adding schema markup for greater visibility in search results, and including internal links to improve navigation. We also created new content aimed at long-tail keywords to attract more targeted traffic and provide additional value.

To maintain momentum, we regularly tracked performance and adjusted our strategy where needed. By combining technical improvements with focused content and link-building, we created a practical plan that resolved immediate issues and set the site up for long-term success.

Results

By August, the results of our efforts began to show. The homepage became the main traffic driver for most of the tracked keywords, while long-tail queries started directing more targeted traffic to the product listing page. These improvements were part of a broader strategy to strengthen keyword targeting and align content with user intent.

One of the most notable wins was for their primary keyword, ‘CNC Plasma Cutter,’ which moved from position 10 to position 1 by November. This improvement contributed to a 565% increase in clicks for this term alone, playing a major role in their overall traffic recovery.

By November, 18 of the 27 tracked keywords had reached the top 10 positions, with 10 securing top 3 rankings. These gains were tied closely to both commercial and long-tail keywords aligned with our clients product range.

Beyond individual keyword gains, broader performance metrics showed strong growth across the board. Visibility increased from 4.46% to 31.84%, clicks grew by 42.7%, and impressions rose by 75.6%.

These results far exceeded expectations and positioned our client as a leader in their space. The combination of technical improvements, strategic content updates and link-building played a key role in achieving these outcomes.