Client Overview
Mountain View US and Foreign Coins specializes in buying, selling, and appraising rare and collectible coins. Located in the Bay Area, San Francisco, this business targets a market of 7.5 million people. The primary competitor, San Jose Coin Shop, was dominating the search results for crucial keywords. Our goal was to surpass this competitor and establish Mountain View US and Foreign Coins as the leading authority in the local coin industry.
Initial Strategy and Objectives
The project began with the complete development of a user-friendly, SEO-optimized website. Our holistic strategy involved a multi-faceted approach.
Step 1: Website Development & SEO Foundation
- High-Quality Website Design: We developed a website from the ground up, ensuring it was not just visually appealing but also built with an SEO-friendly structure. The site was designed to be fast, mobile-responsive, and easy to navigate, which are crucial factors for both user experience and search engine rankings.
Step 2: Keyword & Content Optimization
- Targeted Keyword Research: We conducted extensive research to identify the most relevant keywords, focusing on terms like “coin shop,” “coin dealer,” and “coin shop near me.” These keywords were carefully integrated into the website’s content to enhance local search visibility.
- Localized Content Strategy: The homepage and other essential pages were optimized with location-specific keywords such as “coin dealer near me” and “coin shop San Jose.” This helped to align the content with search intent specific to the Bay Area.
Step 3: Service Area Pages Creation
- Dedicated Service Pages: We created individual pages for different service areas, including major cities like San Francisco, San Jose, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Oakland, and Fremont. This allowed us to target specific local markets more effectively.
- Sub-Service Area Pages: As the strategy progressed, we developed sub-service area pages, such as for South San Jose and West San Jose, to capture even more localized traffic and cater to specific communities within larger cities.
Step 4: Content Expansion & Blogging
- Educational and Trending Content: We built a blog section that featured a mix of educational articles, trending topics, and answers to common queries related to coins and coin collection. Topics such as “coin grading,” “inherited coins,” and “foreign coins” were covered to position the site as an authoritative source.
- Specialty Pages: We also created dedicated pages for services like “What We Buy,” focusing on specific categories like foreign coins, inherited coins, and silverware. These pages were optimized to attract users looking for these specialized services.
Step 5: On-Page SEO & Technical Optimization
- Comprehensive On-Page SEO: All website pages were carefully optimized with high-quality content, meta tags, alt text for images, and internal linking. These efforts were aimed at improving the site’s relevance for targeted keywords while enhancing the user experience.
- Technical SEO Enhancements: We ensured the site’s technical aspects, such as site speed, mobile-friendliness, and schema markup, were optimized to meet search engine standards, which contributed to better rankings and user engagement.
Off-Site SEO and Social Media Integration
Step 1: Building Authority with Citations
- High-Quality Citations: We built citations across high-authority websites, including Yelp, Medium, and Quora. These citations helped to boost the website’s domain authority and provided valuable backlinks that improved the site’s credibility in search engines.
- Social Media Profiles: To broaden the online presence, we created and optimized profiles on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. These profiles served as additional channels for reaching potential customers and building brand awareness.
Step 2: Content Distribution & Engagement
- Regular Posting on Social Platforms: We maintained a consistent content posting schedule, with two posts per week on Instagram and Facebook. These posts included engaging content related to coin collecting, promotional offers, and educational tips, designed to keep the audience engaged.
- Thought Leadership on Medium, Quora, and LinkedIn: We published well-researched articles on Medium and Quora, while also sharing insights on LinkedIn. This positioned the brand as a thought leader in the coin industry and drove additional traffic to the website.
Results & Performance Analysis
After six months of strategic implementation, the performance metrics showed substantial growth:
- Keyword Rankings:
- There was a significant increase in impressions and clicks for targeted keywords. For example, “coin shop near me” saw impressions jump from 2 to 105, with corresponding clicks, signaling improved local search presence.
- The average position for critical keywords like “coin collectors San Jose” improved from 14.33 to 11.23, while “coin appraisal” moved up from 34.64 to 11.01, demonstrating the effectiveness of our SEO tactics.
- Page Performance:
- The San Jose service area page emerged as a top performer, generating 31 clicks in the last six months, where previously there had been none. This indicates successful penetration into the targeted local market.
- The creation of sub-service area pages contributed to more specific local traffic, further solidifying the site’s authority in these regions.
- Device and User Behavior Insights:
- Mobile traffic saw a remarkable increase, with impressions rising from 157 to 1,949, showcasing the impact of mobile optimization efforts. This shift indicates a growing trend of users accessing the site via mobile devices, underscoring the importance of mobile-first design.
- Desktop and tablet traffic also saw improvements, although the most significant gains were on mobile, reflecting the broader industry trend towards mobile browsing.
- Search Appearance:
- The introduction of product snippets significantly enhanced visibility, with 83 impressions recorded in the last six months. This was a new feature that improved the site’s appearance in search results, making it more attractive to potential customers.
Conclusion
The SEO and digital marketing strategy implemented for the coin shop successfully elevated the brand’s online presence, leading to substantial improvements in search visibility, traffic, and customer engagement. By focusing on comprehensive on-page optimization, localized content, high-quality citations, and consistent social media activity, the business has not only increased its market share in the competitive Bay Area coin market but also established itself as a trusted authority in the industry. This case study underscores the power of a well-executed, multi-channel SEO strategy in driving business growth and achieving long-term success.