Case Study: SEO Wins for a Diagnostic Lab in New York in 7 Months
In 2025, a diagnostic lab in New York partnered with Goforaeo to grow organic visibility for lab testing services and increase appointment inquiries from Google Search and Google Maps. The lab name is anonymized due to an NDA, and the metrics below come from GA4, Google Search Console, Google Business Profile insights, call tracking, and rank tracking for the dates listed.
Snapshot of Results
Timeframe: March 6, 2025 to October 6, 2025
Location: New York, New York
Before vs after results:
- Monthly organic users: 1,100 to 3,450
- Monthly organic sessions: 1,620 to 5,080
- Non branded clicks (GSC): 420 to 1,760 per month
- Lab test service page clicks: 240 to 1,120 per month
- GBP actions: 610 to 1,980 per month (calls, directions, website clicks)
- Calls + appointment inquiries: 95 to 280 per month
- Top 3 map pack placements: 5 to 18 tracked lab service terms
- Page 1 keywords (tracked): 12 to 49
Context and Starting Point
New York lab searches are competitive because hospital networks, urgent care chains, and directories dominate results. The lab offered many services, but Google didn’t have clean page targets for each test category, and the site didn’t communicate trust signals clearly enough for medical decisions.
The lab also lost potential customers due to friction. People search for lab near me, walk in lab, same day testing, and specific tests. If the page doesn’t quickly confirm availability, turnaround times, insurance, and booking steps, users leave and call a competitor. We improved SEO and conversion clarity together.
Measurement Setup and Tracking
We cleaned tracking first so every lead source was measurable and not double counted. Diagnostic labs get a mix of calls, direction requests, and booking form inquiries, so attribution needed structure.
What we tracked as wins
- Calls from organic and from GBP
- Appointment request forms and schedule clicks
- Direction requests and website clicks from Maps
- Search Console clicks for service pages by test category
- Rank movement for “lab near me” and high intent test terms
What we set up
- GA4 events for call clicks, booking clicks, and form submissions
- Call tracking to separate website calls from listing calls where possible
- Search Console segmentation by test categories and landing pages
- Local rank tracking for New York lab keywords
- Looker Studio dashboard with weekly notes and change dates
Diagnosis: What Was Limiting Growth
We audited the site, GBP, and citations together. The lab was legitimate, but its signals were fragmented and not built for how people search for diagnostic testing.
Key issues found
- Too many tests listed on one page, weak intent matching
- Missing pages for high demand test groups and “walk in” intent
- Thin content without FAQs around preparation, turnaround, insurance
- Titles and meta descriptions were generic, lowering CTR
- Internal linking didn’t route users from test info to booking pages
- GBP services were incomplete and lacked descriptions
- Citations had inconsistent hours, phone formatting, and duplicates
- Mobile experience lacked clear next steps and trust cues
Strategy Overview
We built a seven month plan around three levers: create clear test category page targets, strengthen local trust signals, and reduce booking friction so traffic turned into actions.
Workstreams
- Technical cleanup and speed improvements
- Test category page rebuilds with patient friendly structure
- Supporting content for preparation, turnaround, and insurance questions
- Internal linking system to route users into booking pages
- GBP rebuild for broader discovery coverage and higher action rate
- Citation cleanup for trust and stability
- CRO improvements to increase calls and appointment actions
Technical SEO and Crawl Foundation
We removed issues that slow indexing and reduce page performance. This helped new pages rank faster and reduced drop off.
Technical work completed
- Fixed duplicates, canonicals, and index bloat
- Cleaned broken links and redirect chains
- Improved mobile speed by compressing images and reducing scripts
- Improved crawl depth for core test category pages
- Added schema where eligible: LocalBusiness, MedicalOrganization, FAQ
- Cleaned sitemap to ensure priority pages were indexed
Test Category Pages That Drove Rankings
People rarely search “diagnostic lab services” in general. They search for specific tests and urgency. We built pages by intent and grouped tests logically so each page could rank.
Pages built or rebuilt
- Walk in lab testing in New York
- Blood test lab in New York
- STD testing panel and common test variants
- Hormone and wellness panels
- Pre employment and occupational testing
- Urgent same day testing options (where accurate)
- Insurance and billing guidance page
- Results and turnaround time page
What we added to each page
- Clear above the fold service confirmation and how to book
- Preparation instructions and common questions
- Turnaround expectations and how results are delivered
- Insurance and payment notes without overpromising coverage
- Trust cues: certifications, process steps, safety and privacy notes
- FAQs built from Search Console queries
- Strong CTAs: call, book, get directions
Supporting Content That Expanded Discovery Traffic
Labs also win through question intent. We created supporting pages that captured long tail searches and linked into the right test pages.
Supporting topics created
- Do you need an appointment for a lab test in NY
- How to prepare for fasting blood work
- What turnaround time means and what affects it
- Understanding common lab panels
- When to retest and follow up guidance
Each page linked into the correct test category page with natural anchor text.
Internal Linking and Site Architecture
Internal linking helped Google understand the lab’s topical breadth and helped users navigate to the right test quickly.
Linking improvements
- A main “tests” hub linking to test categories
- Related tests blocks on each category page
- Links from informational content into booking pages
- Improved navigation and footer links for key categories
- Consolidated overlapping pages to reduce cannibalization
Local SEO and Google Business Profile Improvements
For labs, Maps is often the final decision point. We rebuilt GBP to cover more discovery queries and improve actions.
GBP work completed
- Updated categories and expanded services with descriptions
- Added appointment link with UTM tracking
- Weekly posts for hours, walk in availability, and common test questions
- Added photos: exterior, interior, signage, staff, and process visuals
- Improved Q&A with common questions and clear answers
- Added or updated attributes aligned to how people search
Citation Cleanup and Trust Consistency
We fixed the highest authority citations first because incorrect hours or phone formats can reduce conversions and visibility.
What we fixed
- Standardized NAP and hours across major platforms
- Removed duplicate listings and merged profiles where possible
- Updated healthcare directories relevant to labs
- Ensured URLs and booking links were consistent
Conversion Improvements That Increased Actions
Diagnostic lab visitors often want quick confirmation and easy next steps. We improved conversion flow to reduce drop off.
CRO updates
- Sticky call button on mobile
- Clear “walk in vs appointment” options
- Simplified booking forms and reduced fields
- Added trust blocks near CTAs: safety, privacy, process clarity
- Added clear location and transit guidance for NYC users
- Improved page layout for faster scanning
Tools Used
GA4, Google Search Console, Google Business Profile insights, call tracking (CallRail or similar), Looker Studio, Screaming Frog, PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, BrightLocal/Whitespark, Semrush/Ahrefs, Microsoft Clarity or Hotjar, Google Tag Manager.
Timeline With Dates, Monthly Numbers, and Natural Notes
March 6 to March 31, 2025
We audited the site and GBP, cleaned GA4 and call tracking, and mapped the highest demand test categories to new page targets. Quick wins were shipped on the top traffic pages to improve clarity and calls.
Month end metrics:
- Organic users: ~1,100
- Organic sessions: ~1,620
- Non branded clicks: ~420
- Calls + inquiries: ~95
- GBP actions: ~610
April 2025
We rebuilt core test category pages, improved titles and meta descriptions for CTR, and started internal linking from existing pages into the new test targets. GBP services were expanded with descriptions.
Month end metrics:
- Organic users: ~1,520
- Organic sessions: ~2,240
- Non branded clicks: ~610
- Calls + inquiries: ~122
- GBP actions: ~820
May 2025
We launched walk in and urgency focused pages, added preparation and turnaround FAQs, and began citation cleanup on major directories to strengthen trust and stability.
Month end metrics:
- Organic users: ~2,030
- Organic sessions: ~2,980
- Non branded clicks: ~880
- Calls + inquiries: ~165
- GBP actions: ~1,110
June 2025
We expanded supporting content for long tail questions, strengthened internal linking across test categories, and improved mobile conversion flow with clearer CTAs and fewer steps.
Month end metrics:
- Organic users: ~2,520
- Organic sessions: ~3,720
- Non branded clicks: ~1,160
- Calls + inquiries: ~205
- GBP actions: ~1,430
July 2025
We refined pages using live query movement, improved snippets for high impression terms, and completed the most important citation fixes. Rankings stabilized across more test categories.
Month end metrics:
- Organic users: ~2,940
- Organic sessions: ~4,280
- Non branded clicks: ~1,380
- Calls + inquiries: ~232
- GBP actions: ~1,610
August 2025
We doubled down on services close to top positions, expanded trust cues, and maintained GBP posts and photos so engagement stayed consistent.
Month end metrics:
- Organic users: ~3,230
- Organic sessions: ~4,720
- Non branded clicks: ~1,560
- Calls + inquiries: ~258
- GBP actions: ~1,820
September 6 to October 6, 2025
We focused on stability, refreshed underperformers, improved CTA placement on top landing pages, and kept local signals consistent to protect gains.
Month end metrics:
- Organic users: ~3,450
- Organic sessions: ~5,080
- Non branded clicks: ~1,760
- Calls + inquiries: ~280
- GBP actions: ~1,980
Before and After Proof Summary
Results improved because the lab gained more ranking entry points through test category pages, supporting content captured long tail discovery intent, and internal linking distributed authority into the pages that convert. GBP and citations were made consistent, and conversion flow improvements increased actions.
- Organic users: 1,100 to 3,450
- Non branded clicks: 420 to 1,760
- Calls + inquiries: 95 to 280
- GBP actions: 610 to 1,980
What Made It Work
The biggest driver was aligning pages to real lab intent: walk in, same day, and specific test categories. Once Google had clear targets and users had clear next steps, rankings and actions climbed steadily. Consistent local signals reduced volatility, which is critical in New York.