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Search Engine Optimization Success

Uncle Bob’s Self Storage uncovers buried search engine optimization treasure after proper and complete implementation of fundamental best practices in search engine optimization. 

No experienced, reputable search engine optimization agency guarantees rankings or instant results in search engine optimization (SEO). Industry veterans and experts agree and preach this type of internet marketing campaign takes time to achieve favorable results. Search engine algorithms place a tremendous emphasis on the maturity of a website’s assets, including content and links. Therefore, changes rarely have an immediate effect on actual search engine results.  

These basic expectations are often set early on in the conversation process between brands and search engine marketing agencies. Such was the case when Uncle Bob’s Self Storage selected WebMetro to take over its existing SEO efforts.

Recognizing Missed Opportunity

Around the same time Uncle Bob’s was about to open a new location, the self storage company recognized the need to enhance its overall online presence. A new version of the website www.unclebobs.com had been launched, offering online rates and reservations. Uncle Bob’s hoped the website expansion would lend more relevance to local search, the primary way customers find self storage services online.

“We were way behind our competition in this area, so immediately after site launch, we contracted for SEO with a developer we had worked with before. After seeing little impact from the work, we contracted with a different firm promising big results. Again, we were disappointed,” said Chris Laczi, advertising director of Uncle Bob’s Self Storage

“Our SEO results needed tremendous improvement. We knew this was an opportunity we could not dismiss, that would lead to increased revenue from online customers and generate clients for Uncle Bob’s,” added Laczi.
Uncle Bob’s challenged WebMetro to close the SEO gaps and tackle SEO opportunities for new customer acquisition.

ResearchResearch for keyword phrase self storage

After conducting market segmentation research, WebMetro validated the search engines’ natural traffic could provide a valuable lead source for Uncle Bob’s.

For example: Using competitive intelligence tools, WebMetro determined 91% of the traffic produced for the keyword phrase “self storage” originated from organic rankings, compared to 9% for paid search. 

Baseline Rankings and Metrics

Poor organic rankings kept Uncle Bob’s from exploiting fully revenue opportunities as a result of consumers searching online for a self-storage facility:

  • Only about 15% of relevant keyword phrases were ranking on the 1st page of Google results
  • About 65% of all relevant keyword phrases ranked on 2nd, 3rd, and 4th pages of Google results
  • The remaining 20% of relevant keyword phrases ranked below the 5th page on organic results for Google

SEO Implementation

Within approximately a 1-month period, WebMetro’s team worked fervently with the marketing team of Uncle Bob’s Self Storage to guide and implement the following:

  • Site architecture review, analysis, and optimization
  • URL rewrite
  • Navigation optimization and introduction of CSS site wide navigation
  • Optimization of the home page and all city pages, state pages, and store pages
  • Internal linking optimization
  • Elimination of duplicate content
  • Removal of canonical problems
  • Externalization of excess scripts improving keyword to code ratio

Results Achieved

In less than five hours after the search engine optimization went live, Google spidered all of Uncle Bob’s city pages along with its home page. The following results occurred:

  • Approximately 70% of all relevant keyword phrases are ranking on the 1st page of Google organic search results
  • About 15% of all relevant keyword phrases are ranking on the 2nd page of Google results

Percent of Keyword Phrases Ranking OrganicallyWhile the remaining 15% are ranked below the 2nd page, they are increasing steadily in results.

“The WebMetro team has a real understanding of the search engines and quickly found the gaps and flaws keeping Uncle Bob’s out of top results,” commented Laczi.

Michael Behrens, WebMetro’s vice president of eMarketing, remarked, “The immediacy of such positive SEO results is unheard of in the search and internet marketing industry. However, properly addressing fundamental issues in SEO, as in Uncle Bob’s case, can provide major traction during the early stages of a campaign. It can uncover a treasure chest of opportunity.”



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