DOCAN – SEO Case Study

Overview

Delivering a long-term tailored SEO strategy to build an online presence from the ground up in a highly competitive industry.

The brief

DOCAN is a global engineering consultancy, specialising in the applications of advanced simulation, analysis, design and assessment.

Pixel Kicks designed and developed a new, dedicated website for DOCAN in 2020 to showcase its services and attract new clients. Whilst this was a major contributor to improving brand perception and positioning it as a professional, reputable company, this was just the first step. To build an online presence and expand the client base, the website needed to be seen.

Our relationship naturally progressed from web design and development to digital marketing. We started to work on a strategic SEO campaign to improve keyword rankings, increase organic traffic and ultimately boost the business in the digital landscape.

534

increase in organic traffic

385

increase in number of organic keywords

62

increase in website conversions

The strategy

Whilst the team behind DOCAN are incredibly experienced and successful in their field, the company’s online presence was in its infancy and its rankings were virtually non-existent. Meanwhile, its key competitors were multinational, long-established engineering consultancies that were already thriving on SERPs. This meant we were up against tough competition.

Building up DOCAN’s online credibility and putting it on the map wasn’t going to happen overnight. This was a brand-new website with no previous SEO work, but we knew what to do.

We created a strategic, long-term plan with the key focuses being:

Achieve a top 10 ranking for ‘engineering consultancy’, a highly competitive keyword
Position DOCAN as experts and thought leaders in the industry
Generate high-quality leads through the website

The approach

We already had a great website to work with in terms of design and functionality, so enriching it with content was the priority.

Strategic keyword prioritisation

Recognising the high competitiveness of the priority keyword, we adopted a phased approach to ensure tangible and sustainable results. Instead of directly targeting the most competitive terms, we strategically prioritised less competitive yet highly relevant keywords. This initial focus allowed us to establish a strong foundation, build credibility and gradually progress towards targeting the more competitive keywords over time.

Understanding the industry and target audience, we conducted extensive keyword research to identify high-potential search terms. To do this, we had to focus on all of the individual services that make up the multidisciplinary consultancy. Whilst experts in Pipe Stress Analysis, Fitness for Service Assessments, Fluid Dynamics and many more areas of engineering, the website’s content didn’t communicate this effectively.

With that in mind, we:

Optimised existing content after a thorough analysis of the website to identify key opportunities and areas for improvement
Expanded the sitemap by creating all necessary service pages that spanned all of the company’s disciplines to provide valuable information to potential clients and target those specific service-based search terms
Created high-level content to support these services in the form of blog posts that not only resonated with the target audience but positioned DOCAN as an authority in the industry
Built a portfolio of case studies to demonstrate the company’s expertise and successes in real-life applications

Technical SEO & link building

Our ongoing content strategy was supported by technical SEO maintenance and link building. This combination built a strong foundation, laying the groundwork for success and paving the way for enhanced visibility.

The results

Securing quick wins and building momentum was the aim of the game at the start of the campaign, and that’s where our strategic keyword choices played a pivotal role. By really understanding the niche and creating content that served a purpose beyond keyword optimisation, we were able to completely transform DOCAN’s online presence.

Building up credibility and trustworthiness helped to strengthen the domain over time. This led to achieving a series of #1 ranking blog posts on Google along with top 10 rankings for 25 core service-based keywords. Notably, the DOCAN website now maintains a page one ranking for ‘engineering consultancy’.

It wasn’t an overnight success, but that’s SEO. Instead of looking at the bigger picture, focusing on a series of mini-goals ultimately led us to the end goal.

Success was achieved throughout the journey, too. Over this three-year period, DOCAN has achieved international visibility across the UAE and USA, and has completed various successful projects working with global organisations on their engineering requirements.

We’ve worked closely with the DOCAN team throughout the entire campaign to ensure that our marketing strategy aligned with the business’s objectives throughout all phases. Building up a strong relationship has been critical to the success, and we’re confident that there’s a lot more growth to be had as we continue to work towards the company’s goals and unlock even greater potential.