How a Business Email Platform Grew Traffic by 1,575% YoY
https://www.neo.space/
Stats
24.5K to 409.7K Monthly Visits
Industry
SaaS
Niche
Email Services
Reporting Date
November 2024
Neo is an all-inclusive business email platform. It provides business email addresses for over 30K users, many of which are entrepreneurs and small business owners.
At AIOSEO, Neo caught our eye due to its rapid traffic growth.
Its website, neo.space, increased traffic from 24.5K to 409.7K monthly visits in 1 year.
This SEO case study will explore the strategies that contributed to this organic growth and reveal how businesses like yours can leverage similar tactics to achieve SEO success.
In This Article
The Catalyst: How Neo Achieved 1,575% YoY Traffic Growth
1. Content Times 10: Blog Posts Increase Visibility
Between November 2023 and November 2024, Neo increased the content on its website by 10 times.
Its page count went from about 110 URLs to 1.1K.
The vast majority of these pages were blog posts, accounting for around 87% of all Neo’s content.
The Neo Blog is a valuable resource for small business owners looking to grow their businesses.
Naturally, many of the articles address email-related issues and insights to promote Neo’s services.
(if your business doesn’t have a blog, it’s time to reconsider. Blogs are an excellent way to connect with your target audience and generate more website traffic. To learn more, check out these 14 benefits of blogging.)
In addition to creating a library of helpful articles for its users, Neo’s blog posts also increased its visibility in SERPs.
Neo uses on-page SEO to communicate the main topic of its web pages with search engines and users.
On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing your website to rank in search engines.
Keyword optimizations are one of the core components of on-page SEO, meaning where and how you use your keywords can impact rankings.
Some of the best areas to use your keyword include:
- SEO title
- Meta description
- H1
- Subheadings
- URL slug
Neo follows these best practices and weaves its keywords naturally into the body copy.
This strategy makes it easier for search engines to understand the main topic of its web pages and serve them for relevant queries.
Neo’s keyword rankings prove this strategy works.
Over a year, U.S. rankings grew from 23.2K to 228.5K keywords.
Why this matters:
By significantly increasing its content output, mainly through blog posts, Neo has effectively:
- Expanded its online footprint: More content means more opportunities to be discovered by search engines and potential customers.
- Improved search engine rankings: Strategic content optimization and on-page SEO have boosted Neo's online visibility.
- Engaged its target audience: The blog provides valuable insights and solutions, fostering a loyal following and building brand credibility.
- Generated organic traffic: The increased visibility has led to a substantial increase in organic traffic, driving more visitors to the website.
Ultimately, Neo has demonstrated how content marketing can support rapid, sustainable organic growth.
How to optimize content for search engines:
This beginner’s guide to content optimization is an excellent resource to help you get started.
Here’s a preview of some of the most important steps:
- Understand your audience and business goals.
- Perform keyword research.
- Write high-quality content.
- Leverage on-page SEO.
- Include internal links.
The above tutorial provides in-depth explanations and how-tos for each step.
Tools for content optimizations:
All in One SEO (AIOSEO) is the leading SEO plugin for WordPress. Its latest addition, Writing Assistant, connects with your SEOBoost account to provide content recommendations directly in the WordPress editor.
For example, with the Writing Assistant Overview, you’ll see how your content compares to top-ranking pages. This user-friendly grade makes it easy to assess your content against the competition.
You can also get keyword recommendations in the Optimization Wizard, which supports a greater reach for your content.
Finally, AIOSEO’s TruSEO tool will check your on-page optimizations for maximum visibility in search results.
These tools complement one another to streamline content optimizations and improve your rankings.
2. November Core Update: A Boost in Rankings
Another contributing factor to Neo’s growth is the recent November core update.
Google started rolling out this update in early November, and it was completed on December 5th.
Core updates are standard practice for Google. They release a few every year, each with the goal of improving search engine results for users.
If you’ve had a website for a while, you may have already witnessed first-hand how these updates can make or break your rankings.
For Neo, they were part of the former.
November’s update made their rankings explode to unprecedented heights.
In just 1 month, rankings shot up by over 52K.
According to Semrush, content output wasn’t abnormally high between October and November.
This dramatic increase in rankings suggests another element at play, which coincides with Google’s core update.
Because of this, it’s highly probable that the algorithm update is a key reason for Neo’s newfound online visibility.
Why this matters:
The November core update provided a significant boost to Neo's search engine rankings. This algorithmic change rewarded Neo's content, elevating its position in search results.
This increased visibility has resulted in:
- Higher organic traffic: More people are discovering Neo's website through search engines.
- Improved brand awareness: A higher search engine ranking leads to increased brand visibility.
- Stronger online presence: Neo is now more competitive in its industry.
Businesses can replicate this organic growth by producing high-quality content and staying current on Google algorithm changes.
How to monitor the impact of algorithm updates:
To understand how an algorithm update impacts your website, you need to know where you stand before the update.
This requires you to have a way of monitoring your organic performance and keyword rankings.
Most website owners use free tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to monitor rankings.
These are indispensable tools that can help you identify when an algorithm update has affected your site.
I’d also like to mention that you can use SEO plugins to monitor any ranking changes directly in WordPress.
This article shows you how to monitor Google algorithm updates in WordPress.
Our next section discusses the recommended tool for this process.
Tools for monitoring algorithm updates:
AIOSEO integrates with Google Search Console to provide ranking insights directly in WordPress.
With Search Statistics, you can see exactly when an algorithm update may have impacted your site.
It uses Google markers to show when an update occurred and provides links to learn more about it.
This integration can be extremely useful when you notice a change in rankings and help you catch any potential issues early on.
3. The Power of FAQs: Ranking in Google People Also Ask
Neo includes FAQs at the end of many blog posts.
FAQs are a great way to address common user questions and provide them quick access to answers.
They’re also a favorite for search engines to use in SERP features, specifically, Google’s People Also Ask (PAA) section.
This area of the SERP provides users with questions related to their query.
Users can expand these results to view the answer directly in SERPs.
Recently, Google has started using Generative AI in the PAA box and crediting sources with links.
This allows users to click and visit websites that contributed to the AI response.
Due to the high visibility of PAA results, they’re a coveted SERP feature for website owners.
They have high CTRs and drive significant traffic to your website.
And for Neo, the inclusion of FAQs in its blog posts has been instrumental in winning these coveted rankings.
Neo appeared for 6K keywords in Google PAA in November 2024.
Using FAQs is a solid strategy to appear in PAA, but I do have a recommendation for Neo:
Implement FAQ schema markup on your website.
Schema markup helps search engines understand important details about your web pages.
When you use FAQ schema, it’s easier for them to crawl and index your FAQs.
Search engines also often use schema markup to generate SERP features, like PAA results.
I’d be curious to see how many more PAA rankings Neo could get by making this change.
Why this matters:
By incorporating FAQs into its blog posts, Neo has positioned itself to:
- Enhance the user experience: FAQs provide quick and easy answers to common questions, improving user satisfaction.
- Increase organic visibility: Appearing in Google's People Also Ask feature can boost organic traffic and brand awareness.
- Gain a competitive edge: By leveraging PAA rankings, Neo can differentiate itself from competitors and attract more potential customers.
How to write search-friendly FAQs:
Here are some easy optimizations you can use to make your FAQs search-friendly:
- Include a primary or secondary keyword in each question.
- Write descriptive answers but keep them short.
- Implement FAQ schema markup.
- Use on-page SEO so search engines have additional keyword signals.
Tools for FAQs:
With AIOSEO, you can add FAQ blocks to any WordPress post or page. Just locate the AIOSEO – FAQ block and add it to your content.
AIOSEO will implement the FAQ schema automatically for your web page.
This means you don’t have to create the schema markup yourself or edit your web page's HTML code.
4. Content Readability: Happy Users = Happy Search Engines
Besides FAQs, Neo takes a people-first approach to its content creation. This means that it keeps users at the forefront of its writing process.
By creating easy-to-read and engaging content, Neo ensures its audience can absorb information.
In SEO, we call this optimizing for readability.
Readability measures how easily users can read and understand your content.
SEO tools often communicate it as a score. (This article shows you how to improve your readability score.)
Key readability factors that Neo considers include:
- Clear and concise language: Avoiding jargon and using simple language
- Proper formatting: Using headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs to improve readability
- Visual elements: Incorporating images, infographics, and videos to break up text and enhance understanding
- Mobile optimization: Ensuring content is easily readable on all devices
How many readability optimizations can you spot in the screenshot below?
The above blog post is a good example of optimizing for readability. It uses a table of contents, clear subheadings, and short paragraphs.
It also breaks up text with images and bulleted lists.
Overall, Neo demonstrates a commitment to providing high-quality content to its users.
This, in turn, earns the website improved engagement metrics, which can positively impact rankings.
Why this matters:
By prioritizing content readability, Neo has been able to:
- Enhance the user experience: Easy-to-read content keeps users engaged and encourages them to spend more time on the website.
- Earn recognition from search engines: Search engines reward websites that provide a positive user experience. Readable content can lead to lower bounce rates, longer dwell times, and higher CTR, which can positively impact rankings.
- Build brand trust and loyalty: Consistent delivery of user-friendly content builds trust and loyalty with readers.
By focusing on both SEO and user experience, Neo has created a winning formula for its content strategy.
How to improve your readability score:
Follow these writing tips to improve your content’s readability:
- Avoid complex words. Use simple language instead.
- Write short sentences.
- Don’t make paragraphs too long.
- Add images or videos.
- Use the active voice.
- Include transitional words and phrases.
- Write in a conversational tone.
- Check your Flesch Reading Ease Score.
Tools for readability:
Remember the TruSEO tool I mentioned earlier and how it checks your keyword optimizations?
It also analyzes your content’s readability.
You’ll get a handy Readability Checklist like the one below.
TruSEO will prompt you to make adjustments to improve your score and boost user engagement.
Standout SEO Wins
Before we conclude, there’s a final SEO strategy I’d like to point out at Neo:
Author Bios Engage Users & Support Google E-E-A-T
Neo credits authors on each of its blog posts.
Users can click the author’s name to view an author bio page, like the one below.
Author bios are a great way to add context to your blog posts and increase user engagement. They help users understand the author's credibility and expertise on the topic.
Additionally, author bios can help search engines determine the quality of your content.
This is particularly true in relation to Google's E-E-A-T guidelines, which stands for:
- Experience
- Expertise
- Authoritativeness
- Trustworthiness
Displaying author bios demonstrates that knowledgeable and experienced individuals wrote the content.
This small but powerful strategy can positively influence rankings, especially for topics that require a high level of expertise.
Tool: With AIOSEO, you can easily create and display effective author bios. The Author SEO addon allows you to enter author details like education, employer, and credentials.
You can also upload profile pictures for a personal touch.
Takeaways
In our analysis of Neo, we've uncovered several key strategies that have contributed to its organic growth.
To replicate and improve this success, consider the following strategies:
Top 3 Strategies to Emulate
- Create people-first content. Google defines people-first content as content “that's primarily created to benefit people, not to gain search engine rankings.” This means you need to keep your users at the forefront of your content creation process. To do this, get to know your audience. Where do they go online for information? What are their interests, issues, and desires? By focusing on their needs, you can create content that's valuable and genuine. This approach improves the user experience, which can ultimately boost your website's rankings.
- Optimize content for search engines. Now that you've focused on users, you'll want to ensure search engines can also crawl and index your website. A good starting point is keyword research. In addition to helping you identify topics your target audience is interested in, it also allows you to find the keywords to use in your content. On-page SEO is the backbone of an SEO content strategy, and finding the right keywords is integral to its success.
- Use FAQs to increase online visibility. Neo includes FAQs in many blog posts. This easy addition can have a significant impact on your visibility in organic search results. FAQs align seamlessly with Google’s People Also Ask (PAA) section, making them a prime opportunity for SERP features. FAQs are also an important component of creating a positive user experience, making them helpful for users too.
Bottom 3 Strategies to Reconsider
- Don’t neglect the power of image SEO. Despite Neo's strong on-page optimizations, images appear to have slipped through the cracks. This oversight can make it challenging for search engines to understand images and their relevancy within a web page. It can also create a poor user experience for visually impaired users who rely on screen readers to decipher an image's content. To avoid this issue on your website, learn image SEO best practices such as optimizing file names, writing descriptive alt text, and using schema markup. These optimizations can improve your visibility in search results and help you rank in Google Images. AIOSEO’s image SEO tool can also streamline this process.
- Don’t duplicate SEO titles. SEO titles, or page titles, appear as blue hyperlinks in SERPs. They're the first thing users see about your content and influence your clickthrough rate (CTR). Duplicate SEO titles can confuse search engines and users, diluting the impact of your content. Instead, you should aim to write unique meta titles for every indexable page of your website. This strategy ensures clear communication with search engines and encourages them to serve your page for relevant queries. Have a lot of web pages or short on time to write? That's no problem for AI. You can use an SEO title tag generator to write them for you.
- Don’t use non-descriptive anchor text. Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink. Using generic anchor text like “click here” or “learn more” provides no context to search engines and users about the linked page's content. Instead, use descriptive anchor text that includes relevant keywords. This helps search engines understand the relationship between the linked page and the page it's linked from, which can improve your overall SEO. The AIOSEO Link Assistant can support your internal linking strategy with in-editor recommendations. When working on a WordPress post or page, Link Assistant will suggest relevant links and appropriate anchor text. You can add them to your page and keep or customize the anchor text.
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Grow Your Business’s Online Visibility With AIOSEO
Inspired by Neo’s SEO success story?
You, too, can join the winning ranks of websites with exploding traffic.
And All in One SEO (AIOSEO) will help you get there.
With over 3 million active users and thousands of five-star reviews, AIOSEO is the best SEO plugin for business owners wanting to grow their visibility. You’ll get a suite of powerful, beginner-friendly tools that apply SEO best practices to improve your content's reach.
Some customer favorites include:
- Link Assistant: Get link suggestions, edit anchor text, and add internal links to your content in just 1 click. Link Assistant helps you effortlessly build a better linking strategy.
- Writing Assistant: Connect your SEOBoost account to AIOSEO to get content optimization suggestions directly in the WordPress editor. You’ll get real-time feedback to improve your content’s visibility in search engines.
- 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.
- Search Statistics: Track your website’s organic performance with comprehensive and easy-to-understand reports. Search Statistics helps you monitor keyword rankings and understand the effectiveness of your SEO over time.
- 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.
- Author SEO: Create powerful author bios that showcase your experience and expertise. This addon aligns your content with Google E-E-A-T guidelines and builds trust with readers.
- Image SEO: Turn on automatic image alt text and title attributes with a single click. You’ll save time from manual entries while helping users and search engines understand your images.
