How a Workforce Solutions Provider Grew Traffic by 381% in 3 Months
https://www.adecco.com/
Stats
141.7K to 681.7K Monthly Visits
Industry
Workforce Solutions
Niche
Staffing & Recruiting
Reporting Date
August 2024
Adecco is a workforce solutions provider with over 300 branches worldwide. They connect thousands of employers and job seekers daily, matching talent to job opportunities.
Recently, Adecco implemented several SEO initiatives to enhance its website's visibility in search engines. These efforts proved fruitful, increasing organic traffic by 381% in just 3 months.
This SEO case study dives into the specific strategies behind Adecco's online success. You'll discover the key drivers of their new organic traffic and get tips for implementing them on your website.
In This Article
The Catalyst: How Adecco Reached 681.7K Monthly Visits
1. Domain Consolidation: Merging Websites for SEO Gains
In the summer of 2024, Adecco embarked on a strategic move to consolidate its websites under a single domain, adecco.com.
This initiative sparked a more powerful online presence and streamlined the user experience.
The first website to migrate was Adecco Canada (adecco.ca) in July.
To ensure a smooth transition for search engines and Candian users, Adecco implemented 301 redirects.
301 redirects tell search engines that you’ve moved content permanently. It uses a source URL (old location) and a target URL (new location) to transfer search engines and users to the correct page.
Below, we see an example of a permanent redirect, which transfers traffic from the Adecco Canada homepage to its respective subfolder under the adecco.com domain.
301 redirects ensure a seamless transfer of SEO rankings and traffic.
This is important because the Canadian website was already well-established.
At its peak performance, it had over 150K monthly visits. And in the month preceding the migration, it ranked for 32.7K keywords.
Adecco’s redirect strategy preserved this organic performance and transferred rankings to the new domain.
The screenshot below demonstrates how adecco.com captured Canadian traffic following the migration.
The migration process continued with Adecco USA (adeccousa.com) in August.
Similar to the Canadian effort, redirects were set up to direct users to a dedicated USA subfolder on the new domain, as shown below.
The U.S. website had even more impressive metrics than Canada.
Just prior to the migration, it attracted approximately 434K monthly visits and held rankings for 128.4K keywords.
As expected, traffic on adeccousa.com dropped with the migration underway:
This U.S. traffic was immediately picked up by adecco.com:
Overall, this domain consolidation has been instrumental in creating a stronger, unified online presence for Adecco.
By consolidating its websites under one domain, Adecco streamlined the user experience and empowered search engines to better understand the company's offerings.
Subfolders within adecco.com allow for continued regional targeting while fostering a more cohesive brand identity.
Why this matters:
Adecco's domain consolidation strategy demonstrates the power of streamlining your online presence.
By merging multiple websites into a single domain, they achieved a more cohesive brand identity, improved user experience, and enhanced search engine rankings.
For website owners, these benefits can translate into increased traffic, higher conversions, and stronger brand recognition.
How to move your WordPress site to a new domain:
This beginner-friendly tutorial shows you how to migrate your WordPress site to a new domain.
Here’s a quick recap of the process:
- Back up your WordPress site.
- Create a new MySQL database for the new domain.
- Unpack your WordPress site on the new domain.
- Set up permanent (301) redirects.
- Test and troubleshoot to ensure your site works properly.
Tools for WordPress domain migrations:
Domain migrations can be intimidating, especially when you’ve worked hard to earn SEO rankings.
Luckily, plugins like All in One SEO (AIOSEO) make it easy to perform full site redirects while preserving SEO performance.
Simply navigate to the Redirection Manager and enter your old and new domains. AIOSEO will automatically implement 301 redirects, ensuring a seamless transfer of your traffic and rankings to the new domain.
Now, let’s see how one piece of new content greatly improved Adecco’s visibility on the SERP.
2. Content Homerun: One Article Dominates People Also Ask
At the start of the year, Adecco published the following article on its website: Millennials vs Gen Z.
It provides an overview of key differences between the two generations and features a comprehensive infographic.
This article quickly became the website’s top traffic-generating page, contributing almost 75% of all site traffic.
Its performance continued to carry the website until the domain migrations, when other landing pages were given time to shine in search engine results.
However, this single article continued to thrive in a particular section of the SERP: Google’s People Also Ask (PAA).
The PAA box presents users with questions related to their search. Users can expand these results to reveal the answer and source.
In August, the Millenials vs Gen Z article generated 74% of all Adecco’s PAA rankings.
This translates to over 53K monthly visits from this SERP feature alone.
So, what’s so special about this piece of content? And why is it doing so well in Google’s People Also Ask box?
Adecco applied the following SEO best practices to win this type of search result:
- Used question-based subheadings.
- Cited original research for how they got their data.
- Optimized for readability (bullet points, scannability, short paragraphs).
- Created an engaging user experience with a high-quality infographic.
Why this matters:
Adecco's “Millennials vs Gen Z” article is a shining example of the power of content marketing.
By creating a user-focused article with strategic optimizations, Adecco secured rankings in one of the most coveted sections of the SERP.
SEO statistics reveal that rich results get 58% of all clicks, making them extremely valuable for your website.
How to rank in the Google People Also Ask Box:
This guide shows you how to optimize for Google’s PAA.
Here’s an overview of the steps:
- Find the right questions to target (keyword research will help you find them).
- Determine the search intent for your SEO keyword.
- Create high-quality content.
- Implement FAQ schema markup.*
*Adecco skipped this last step, but I’d be curious to see how many more SERP features they could get with its implementation. Search engines are known for using schema markup to generate SERP features, like PAA results.
Tools for PAA rankings:
FAQs are the backbone of People Also Ask rankings.
And with AIOSEO, you can write them using FAQ blocks in WordPress.
The plugin automatically adds FAQ schema markup for you, increasing the likelihood of a PAA ranking.
Now, let’s see what steps Adecco takes to stand out in local search.
3. Local SEO Triumph: Google Map Packs Improve Visibility
With the recent domain migrations, Adecco published hundreds of new landing pages for its branch locations.
Here’s an example of its office in Kansas City, Missouri:
On these landing pages, Adecco optimizes for what SEOs call NAP:
- Name
- Address
- Phone number
These three elements play an important role in local searches.
Having consistent NAP details across all platforms helps search engines establish your credibility as a real business.
For Adecco, they excel at keeping NAP information consistent across the web.
They also claim their Google Business Profile for each location. This free tool allows you to display your business in local search results.
After creating an account, you’ll enter your business information, including your NAP details and website.
Once complete, you’ll have a profile that appears in local searches, like the example below.
A Business Profile can also help you rank in the Google Map Pack.
This section of the SERP presents 3 local businesses related to the user’s search.
The Google Map Pack is a prime location for attracting customers searching for services near them.
Appearing in it enhances your visibility to local customers and creates a strong first impression.
As for Adecco, they went from having 1 ranking in the Local Pack to 1K in just 2 months, thanks to these optimizations.
Why this matters:
Adecco's success in ranking in Google Map Packs highlights the importance of local SEO for businesses.
By optimizing their branch location landing pages and claiming their Google Business Profiles, they've effectively increased their visibility to local customers.
How to rank in the Google Local Pack:
Local SEO best practices are the foundation for ranking in the Local Pack.
Some of the most important items include:
- Creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile
- Encouraging customers to leave online reviews
- Keeping your NAP updated across platforms
- Getting local citations and backlinks
- Building content around local keywords
For an in-depth explanation of each, follow this tutorial on Google Maps SEO.
Tools for local SEO:
AIOSEO comes equipped with a local SEO feature that helps you dominate local search and appear in Google Maps.
Setting up your business is easy.
Just fill out the user-friendly fields, and the plugin will add the appropriate schema markup to your website. This helps search engines understand your business and serve it in relevant local results.
Standout SEO Wins
Before we conclude, there’s an additional technique worth highlighting at adecco.com:
They have an active social media presence on LinkedIn.
Adecco has a strong LinkedIn profile with over 8 million followers. They share content regularly and engage users with polls, case studies, and team highlights.
They also share recent articles that link to their website.
Adecco's use of LinkedIn demonstrates the importance of going where your users are.
As the largest online professional network in the world, LinkedIn is a natural fit for a staffing and recruiting agency like Adecco.
This strategic approach helps them build brand awareness, foster relationships, and attract new employers and job seekers.
Tool: AIOSEO’s Social Media Integration caters to all the most popular social platforms, including LinkedIn. You can integrate your social accounts with WordPress to preview thumbnails before posting. This ensures a positive user experience and helps search engines understand which social media profiles are associated with your website.
Takeaways
In our analysis of adecco.com, we’ve uncovered the key drivers of their recent traffic growth.
Now, let’s review which strategies you can replicate on your website and others to reconsider.
Top 3 Strategies to Emulate
- Have a redirect strategy when migrating content or domains. Whether you're performing a domain consolidation like Adecco or simply moving content from one page of your site to another, redirects help users and search engines reach the correct URL. 301 redirects are for permanent moves, while 302 redirects are temporary. Choose the one that aligns with your content strategy, and you'll preserve your hard-earned SEO.
- Create content for people first and search engines second. Instead of fixating on search engine rankings, focus on the user. How can you bring value to your audience with your content? Is it unique from other pieces available on the Internet? Does it align with search intent? By creating people-first content, you'll naturally optimize for search engines, too. Then, implement some on-page and technical SEO to ensure your content is easily discoverable.
- Use local SEO best practices to connect with potential customers in your area. Local SEO is essential for businesses with physical locations. Optimize your landing pages for NAP (Name, Address, Phone number), claim your Google Business Profile, and encourage online reviews. These optimizations enhance your visibility to customers in local searches and Google Maps.
Bottom 3 Strategies to Reconsider
- Not implementing schema markup. Adecco does not use schema markup, which is surprising for a business of this size. Schema markup is a type of structured data that helps search engines understand your web pages. They can use it to display additional information in search results, generating more SERP features for your site. Schema markup is easy to implement with the right tools. You can use a WordPress schema generator to format it automatically.
- Missing H1s on certain pages. H1 tags are essential for indicating the main topic of a page. Without them, search engines and users may struggle to understand your content quickly. Ensure each page of your website has a unique and relevant H1 tag. The TruSEO tool from AIOSEO streamlines the H1-writing process, signaling when you forgot your primary keyword in your title.
- Exceeding metadata character limits. The SERP has limited space for each search result. Your SEO titles and meta descriptions should adhere to character limits, or they’ll be cut off on the SERP. Aim to keep your meta titles under 60 characters and descriptions under 160. This ensures your information is complete and provides a positive user experience. You can run your metadata through a SERP preview tool to see how it looks before publishing.
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Boost Your Online Visibility With AIOSEO
By following Adecco's example and implementing these proven SEO strategies, you can significantly improve your website's visibility and drive organic growth.
AIOSEO can help you streamline your SEO efforts and achieve even greater results.
AIOSEO is the best SEO plugin on the market. With over 3 million active users and thousands of 5-star reviews, you’ll be in good company as you take on the SERP. You’ll get a comprehensive suite of beginner-friendly tools that make SEO easy.
Here are a few of our favorites:
- Redirection Manager: Prevent humans and bots from getting lost when you move content or domains. Our Redirection Manager helps you easily choose and implement the best redirect type that preserves SEO.
- FAQ Blocks: Add FAQs to your content to increase the likelihood of appearing in Google’s People Also Ask box. These results help boost brand awareness and increase clickthrough rates.
- Local SEO: Boost your visibility in local searches and rank higher in Google Maps with this local SEO tool. It implements local business schema for you —no coding required.
- Social Media Integration: Seamlessly connect your favorite social media platforms to your site and share content with your audience. Available integrations include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, and more.
- Rich Snippets Schema: Win more rich results with AIOSEO’s user-friendly schema generator. Just pick the schema type you want, and we’ll format the structured data properly for Google.
- TruSEO Score: Level up your content and go beyond a simple pass or fail. TruSEO analyzes your on-page SEO, giving you actionable insights to maximize your content's reach.
