Launching a website with strong SEO is an important first step, but it’s only a first step.
We’ve written quite a bit about the importance of SEO and how it requires ongoing effort to ensure your site remains competitive, relevant, and visible to your audience.
To further emphasize this point, we will take a look at SEO efforts made to Scratch Builders’ website one year after launch.
What did we find?:
- A significant boost in organic keyword rankings.
- Sustained growth in search visibility.
So, why does SEO need ongoing attention after launch, and how do you determine if ongoing SEO is right for your business? Keep reading!
Why SEO Doesn’t Stop at Launch
It might be a convenient assumption that once your website is live and optimized, the work is done. The truth is, search engines are constantly evolving, and your competitors are actively adjusting their strategies.
Without ongoing SEO efforts, even the best-designed websites can fall behind.
Why Ongoing SEO is Essential:
- Search algorithms change. Google and other search engines update their ranking factors, meaning your site needs to adapt to those changes.
- Competitors don’t rest. If you’re not improving your SEO, someone else is, and we bet they’re working hard to outrank you.
- User behavior evolves. The way people search for services changes over time. Staying relevant means optimizing to meet changes in search patterns.
Matching Content to User Intent
One of the biggest misconceptions about SEO is that it’s solely about ranking for the most searched keywords.
But ranking isn’t enough. Your content needs to match the intent of the user.
Why this matters:
You want to meet people where they’re at in the sales funnel. People will interact with your website in different ways depending on where they are in their buying journey.
Some users are seeking informational content. They’re in the research phase of their decision-making and likely are looking for educational content. SEO should ensure they find useful blog posts, FAQs, and guides to meet their curiosity and answer their questions.
Other users are ready to take action and are ready for transactional content. Service pages, landing pages, and CTAs should be optimized for users to take that next step.
Some users are searching specifically for a brand or company and will be responsive to navigational content. SEO ensures your business shows up clearly in branded searches.
It’s important to diversify the type of content on your site to create meaningful opportunities for people to engage with your business.
Now let’s look at how these principles played out in real life.
Case Study: Scratch Builders & the Power of Effective Post-Launch SEO
When we revisited Scratch Builders' website in 2024, we focused on strategic enhancements rather than a complete overhaul.
Our SEO Enhancements for Scratch Builders included:
- Adjusted headings, meta titles, and descriptions to incorporate high-performing keywords.
- Optimized image alt tags to enhance relevance and visibility.
- Updated existing content to include keywords based on user intent.
- Improved internal linking structure to enhance navigation.
Build on What’s Already Working
A common SEO mistake is making drastic changes without understanding what’s already performing well.
To ensure that our SEO efforts didn’t undermine our existing success we:
- Analyzed existing keyword rankings to preserve high-performing content.
- Identified areas for growth without disrupting established search visibility.
From there, we made targeted improvements instead of broad, unnecessary changes.
Remember, success is not determined by the quantity of changes you make, but by how targeted those changes are.
Align SEO with Business Goals
SEO helps businesses reach the right audience in a way that aligns with their goals. Before making SEO changes, your business should ask:
- What do we want to achieve? (More traffic? More leads? Brand awareness?)
- Who do we want to reach? (Local searches? Industry professionals?)
The focus for Scratch Builders was clear: generate high-quality leads by reaching people actively searching for timber framing services within their area of service.
For example, since their work is regional—within about a four-hour radius of Williston, Vermont—we focused on optimizing for geo-targeted keywords like “vermont timber frames”.
The Measurable Impact: SEO That Pays Off
To understand how our SEO updates performed, we compared two clear timeframes:
- Baseline (Post-Launch, Pre-SEO): January 1, 2024 – August 5, 2024
- Post-SEO Updates: September 6, 2024 – April 1, 2025
Here’s what we found after digging into the data:
Increased Site Traffic and Engagement
- 50% Increase in Total User Traffic - More people are finding Scratch Builders organically, without the help of paid ads.
- 57% Increase in New User Traffic - The site is reaching a wider audience and attracting new visitors.
- 59% Increase in Conversions - Traffic is up, and users are engaging more.
Improved Keyword Positions
As part of our SEO strategy, we revisited key terms we wanted to improve in search rankings, because they matched the intent of our audience.
Here's how some of those performed after the updates:
- “vermont timber frames” improved from position 16 to 10, now appearing on the first page.
- “timber frame builders in vermont” moved from #14 to #2 and now shows in the local pack.
- “timber framing” jumped from #76 to #6, also landing in the local pack.
- “mass timber framing” increased from #39 to #27, continuing to show upward momentum.
Not bad, right?
Ready to See What Ongoing SEO Can Do For Your Business?
If you’re curious about where your website stands, start with a free SEO audit. Tools like Semrush offer insights into your current rankings, keyword opportunities, and potential areas for improvement.
Need expert guidance? At Eternity, we create long-term SEO strategies that keep your website competitive and your business thriving.
