Transforming a UK Newspaper's Technical SEO Performance
Jinnat Ul Hasan
SEO Specialist
Ahrefs
Google Analytics
Google Search Console
The Sun
This case study outlines the successful SEO transformation of a prominent UK newspaper. Over the course of two years, a dedicated Technical SEO Manager implemented strategic initiatives to address critical SEO issues and drive significant improvements in organic visibility and traffic.
Challenges and Goals
High Error Count: The newspaper's Google Search Console reported a staggering 9 million errors, hindering its organic performance.
Crawl and Indexing Issues: Inefficient crawling and indexing processes were impeding the timely discovery of new content.
Pagination and Redirection Problems: Complex pagination structures and broken redirects were negatively impacting user experience and search engine optimization.
Slow Page Load Times: The presence of numerous ads on each page was contributing to sluggish page load speeds, affecting user engagement and search engine rankings.
The primary goals of the SEO project were to:
Reduce the number of errors in Google Search Console.
Improve crawling and indexing efficiency.
Optimize pagination and redirection structures.
Enhance page load speeds, particularly for ad-heavy pages.
Increase organic traffic and improve search engine rankings.
Strategies and Implementation
Comprehensive Error Analysis and Remediation:
Conducted a thorough analysis of all Google Search Console errors to identify root causes.
Implemented targeted strategies to address crawl errors, broken links, and other technical issues.
Utilized SEO tools and techniques to streamline the error resolution process.
Crawl Optimization and Indexing Improvements:
Optimized website architecture to facilitate efficient crawling and indexing.
Implemented XML sitemaps and robots.txt files to guide search engines.
Utilized Google Search Console's Fetch as Google tool to request reindexing of important pages.
Pagination and Redirection Management:
Revamped pagination structures to improve user experience and search engine accessibility.
Implemented canonical tags to prevent duplicate content issues.
Corrected broken redirects and ensured proper forwarding of URLs.
Page Speed Optimization:
Conducted a detailed page speed analysis using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.
Optimized images, minimized CSS and JavaScript files, and leveraged browser caching.
Implemented lazy loading for images and other content to improve initial page load times.
Collaborated with the development team to optimize ad placement and delivery.
Schema Markup Implementation and Content Optimization:
Integrated live blogging schema markup to enhance search engine understanding of real-time content.
Optimized landing pages for relevant keywords and user intent.
Improved content quality and relevance to meet search engine guidelines.
Results and Impact
Significant Reduction in Errors: The number of errors in Google Search Console decreased from 9 million to 3 million, resulting in a 66.67% reduction.
Improved Crawling and Indexing: Search engines began indexing new content more efficiently, leading to increased organic visibility.
Enhanced User Experience: Optimized pagination, redirection, and page load times improved user satisfaction and engagement.
Increased Organic Traffic: The newspaper experienced a substantial increase in organic traffic due to improved search engine rankings and visibility.
Enhanced Brand Visibility: The successful SEO initiatives contributed to increased brand awareness and authority.
Conclusion
By implementing a comprehensive SEO strategy, the UK newspaper achieved a remarkable transformation. The successful resolution of technical SEO issues, coupled with strategic content optimization and technical improvements, resulted in significant gains in organic traffic and search engine rankings. This case study demonstrates the power of effective SEO in driving business growth and success.
