From Launch to SEO Growth: Best Local Things Case Study

Craig Kanalley
Wed, 14 Aug 2024 13:59:41 +0000
Seo, Seo strategy, Cms platform, Cms seo, Case study

Let’s be clear at the outset: This was a complex migration. The task was to merge 50 existing websites into a single new website called Best Local Things for AmericanTowns Media. Whether it was perfecting the taxonomy, properly importing the data, setting up redirects for a seamless transition, or finding ways to tie everything together, this was an extremely unique project and it required all hands on deck to get the job done.

Constant communication, a well-defined plan, and making sure no stone was left unturned were all a part of the recipe for success. It wouldn’t have been possible without the leadership, dedication to excellence, and partnership mentality from Jim Maglione, Ed Panian, and Bekim Sejdic at AmericanTowns Media.

“It was a continuous journey of improvements from start to finish. The constant feedback from the client was incredibly valuable and really helped the team to stay on track,” said RebelMouse Account Manager Carolina Ramirez. “We truly collaborated as partners, and the results we're seeing are a testament to that teamwork.”

The efforts were worth it. The results speak for themselves.

We have a beautiful new website that we can all be proud of, with top-notch Core Web Vitals, exceptional technical SEO, fast performance, and a seamless user experience — plus we’re growing traffic and revenue, and this is just the beginning.

“Their team's deep involvement provided valuable insights and feedback, which was crucial to our success,” added RebelMouse Solutions Architect Vitória Caetano. “Migrating their extensive database of local information required meticulous planning and execution, and it took over a month to finalize a plan. We developed new tools and workflows to ensure a smooth transition, which was a significant achievement for our team.”

It all happened just in time for America’s Independence Day. The site was up and running on June 18, fully redirecting from the old 50 states sites at that point. The growth was spectacular, with localized helpful content available to Americans nationwide as they planned for and subsequently celebrated the Fourth of July.

Even without the Fourth of July, all of the metrics and milestones were very exciting. We normalized the data, and we still saw great results.

Hugely Improved Technical SEO

A Semrush analysis of AmericanTowns Media’s top 15 sites using the old 50-state format revealed an average Site Health Score of 69.5 — ranging from 65 (bestthingsma.com) to 74 (bestthingsmd.com). The new Best Local Things website has a Site Health Score of 86, a dramatic increase. Just like that, there’s now a single site that is set up so much better from a technical SEO perspective that scores well above industry average (which is 77 for both the People & Society and Travel categories, according to Semrush).

?Growth in Revenue?

As of August 5, here is the list of ad networks and ad partners we have onboarded so far:

Google AdX and Google Open Bidding

Prebid banner ad networks

AppNexus

OpenX

Magnite

AMX

Criteo

Next Millennium

ADYOULIKE

Media.net

Amazon

Undertone

Infolinks

Recommended content

Outbrain

Video outstream

Aniview

We are highly focused on improving ad performance, since the website is growing so fast. Here is how our optimizations are affecting user RPM (revenue per 1,000 users).

Looking at the time frame of July 5–August 3 vs. the 30 days prior to the website launch on June 18, 2024 (May 19–June 17), Best Local Things has had an impressive 79% increase in total revenue.

?Surge in Traffic

Comparing prelaunch (50 individual sites in aggregate) to post launch (one site), traffic increased by more than 150% over the course of the first month. That includes a 151% increase in page views, 173% increase in total users, and 183% increase in sessions. This is a tremendous accomplishment. This also excludes the viral peaks of July 3 and 4, so it’s truly impressive.

“Seeing our efforts translate into tangible benefits for their users was incredibly gratifying,” said Caetano.

?Safe Migration

If you go to https://bestthingsct.com, one of the old state sites, you redirect to the proper destination on the new site: https://bestlocalthings.com/ct. Each state receives its own subfolder within the new domain. Similarly, if you try to visit an article on one of the old sites, such as “The Best Places for Crab in Connecticut” (https://bestthingsct.com/crab-restaurants), you’re simply and safely redirected to the correct page URL on the new site: https://bestlocalthings.com/ct/crab-restaurants. This made sure that existing link juice was properly passed from the old site to the new one, and there are no 404s or poor experiences when users are trying to access a page on one of the old sites.

?Total Team Effort

Many people were involved from both the RebelMouse and AmericanTowns Media teams to make this migration and launch a success. Just have a look:

Want to see how RebelMouse can give your site a boost? Reach out today to get started!