HVAC Parts and Equipment Distributor

Opportunity

An HVAC parts and equipment distributor is a reliable, one-stop source for commercial HVAC equipment and hard-to-find parts. With a deep inventory, fast shipping, and dedicated customer service, this Client has over 20 years of experience in the heating and air conditioning industry, and is a trusted distributor for skilled professionals.

To continue to elevate the experience for customers and search engines alike, the Client collaborated with Br8kthru on digital marketing activities, including search engine optimization (SEO).

Discovery + Analysis

Br8kthru began our engagement with the Client with an in-depth Discovery + Strategy assessment, in which we did deep dives into the company’s digital marketing activities across our areas of expertise. One of our specific areas of focus — and an area in which the Client was interested in improving — was SEO.

When making improvements to SEO, we always remind Clients that the process is a long-term investment. With the right approach and tactics, SEO can improve site traffic, increase users, and, ultimately, improve conversions. Over time, these efforts compound on themselves to create a strong impact and meaningful results related to brand awareness, user experience, and revenue.

With the results of our Discovery + Strategy in hand, we were prepared to make on-page SEO improvements the focal point of our work. By making changes to on-page factors like page layout and meta descriptions, we planned to improve the user experience of the site, which is a top ranking factor for Google. These improvements would make finding relevant pages easier for users and provide them with the relevant information needed to make a purchasing decision once on the page.

Strategies + Tactics

After digging into the work, we discovered a handful of SEO items that required more immediate attention, as well as additional lower-priority changes. To make the most of our work with the Client, Br8kthru decided to focus on user experience by way of on-page and technical SEO.

On-Page

On-page SEO optimizes content on web pages to be best understood by users and search engines. To maximize on-page SEO, Br8kthru researched pages that needed content updates based on user metrics. We found that many pages, including category and brand pages, could be improved by following on-page SEO best practices.

To implement these best practices, we conducted keyword research and keyword mapping based on the content of the pages, finding keywords based on Search Console, SEMRush, and competitor data then tactically assigning keywords to relevant pages on the site. We also leveraged seasonality to find relevant — and timely — keywords that users were more likely to be searching for throughout the year. We then incorporated those keywords into the content. Combined, these tactics created a strategic approach to keywords that allowed us to ensure pages better met customer expectations and performed well in search. In all, we wrote or improved content on approximately 20 category and brand pages.

Technical

Technical SEO is the practice of optimizing websites to be more effectively crawled and indexed by search engines to increase rankings. Many aspects of a website involve technical SEO, such as 404s, code and scripting, image compression, and URL structure.

When we started collaborating with the Client, the company had over 7,000 404 errors on the site. Through intentional 301 redirects, we were able to reduce that number to 2,000.

Other technical SEO tactics we pursued included improving load time on the website. Excessive or poorly optimized JavaScript or CSS files and uncompressed images can slow down a website’s loading speeds and impact the ability of crawlers to understand site content.

Finally, we made URL structure updates, which made page URLs more descriptive and readable. Poorly structured URLs can negatively impact individuals’ and search engine bots’ experience of a page.

Results + Measurements

By improving over 5,000 404 errors on the site, we improved the user experience, which positively impacts page rankings. Updating scripting items and compressing images allowed us to improve loading speeds, mobile friendliness, and core web vitals. Changing the URL structure of over 1,000 pages across the site improved both the user experience and the crawlability of pages.

As a result of the on-page and technical SEO done on the Client's website, the company was able to improve its rankings significantly, grow its impressions, and increase clicks site-wide.

Before collaborating with Br8kthru, the Client did not consistently receive high levels of organic traffic. After Br8kthru conducted our SEO improvements, the Client began receiving significant organic traffic, bringing in over 1,200 daily clicks on average.

Impressions also rose, shifting from 1.1 million impressions in July 2022 to 1.85 million impressions in July 2023, after starting working closely with Br8kthru.

Given those impressions, clicks also rose, with a year-over-year (YoY) improvement of 11,000 click-throughs on the Client's website.

Finally, the Client's average organic ranking improved from 27.8 to 23.3 YoY.

Improve Your SEO with Br8kthru

Br8kthru is a digital marketing + technology firm committed to achieving results for our Clients while building long-term relationships of trust. These relationships allow us to act as an extension of our Clients’ teams.

If your team is interested in making meaningful progress toward digital marketing and transformation goals, contact Br8kthru for a complimentary Digital Marketing Gap Audit. Our subject matter experts will analyze your current digital activities and make recommendations for improvements and optimizations that can help you get closer to your goals.