SEO Case Study: Generated 75 SQLs in 90 Days for a B2B Cybersecurity Consultant in Washington, DC
In early 2025, a B2B cybersecurity consultant in Washington, DC partnered with Goforaeo to improve inbound lead quality and build a steady pipeline from search. In 90 days (January 6, 2025 to April 5, 2025), SEO and conversion improvements helped generate 75 Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) from organic and local intent traffic.
This SEO Case Study breaks down the exact timeline, what changed month by month, what we fixed, what we built, and how we proved the lift with clear before vs after metrics.
Client background and starting point:
The client is an independent cybersecurity consultant serving mid sized B2B organizations in the DC area. Most projects were compliance and risk driven, including virtual CISO, security assessments, incident readiness, and vendor risk reviews.
Before working with Goforaeo, the business depended heavily on referrals and a small LinkedIn network. The website existed, but it was not pulling consistent inbound demand.
Services that mattered most for search intent:
People were already searching for these offers, but the site was not positioned to win those searches.
- Virtual CISO services for growing firms
- Cybersecurity risk assessment and gap analysis
- Compliance support for SOC 2, HIPAA, and NIST aligned programs
- Security policy and awareness programs
- Incident response readiness planning
Baseline metrics (before vs after proof starts here):
We used a clean comparison window to avoid guessing. The baseline period was October 7, 2024 to January 5, 2025. The growth period was January 6, 2025 to April 5, 2025.
The baseline showed effort, but it was scattered. Rankings were limited, and the few leads were mixed quality.
Before (October 7, 2024 to January 5, 2025):
- Average organic sessions: 430 per month
- Average organic leads: 9 per month (all form fills and calls)
- Sales qualified leads: 8 SQLs total in 90 days
- Top 10 keyword rankings: 11 keywords
- Discovery call booking rate from organic: 1.9%
- Average time to first reply after inquiry: 26 hours (manual follow ups)
After (January 6, 2025 to April 5, 2025):
- Average organic sessions: 1,480 per month
- Average organic leads: 52 per month
- Sales qualified leads: 75 SQLs total in 90 days
- Top 10 keyword rankings: 49 keywords
- Discovery call booking rate from organic: 6.1%
- Average time to first reply after inquiry: under 2 hours (automation + templates)
What we counted as an SQL:
An SQL was not a simple form fill. We used a strict definition so the number stayed honest.
A lead became an SQL only when it met all three:
- The person booked a discovery call or replied confirming interest
- They fit the client’s service profile (B2B, real budget, real need)
- The timeline was active (immediate to next 90 days)
This prevented inflated reporting and made the 75 SQLs meaningful for revenue.
The real objective:
We did not run SEO just to chase more traffic. The real objective was to attract the right decision makers, guide them to the right service page, and make booking a call feel easy.
That required two things working together:
- Search visibility for high intent terms
- A site journey that turns visits into qualified conversations
Strategy overview:
We used a simple and logical approach that focused on demand capture first, then authority building, then conversion improvement.
The work was planned across 90 days with weekly checkpoints and monthly reporting. Every change we made tied back to one of these levers:
- Technical health: make crawling, indexing, and speed reliable
- On page relevance: create pages that match how buyers search
- Local trust: strengthen Washington, DC signals and proximity relevance
- Authority: earn links and mentions from real sources
- Conversion: improve forms, CTAs, booking flow, and follow up speed
Timeline and implementation plan:
We ran the project from January 6, 2025 to April 5, 2025. The plan was split into phases so the client could see momentum early.
Phase 1 (January 6 to January 19, 2025): Tracking, audits, and fast technical wins
We started with measurement and site stability. Without clean tracking, results become arguments instead of proof.
Key actions:
- GA4 cleanup and conversion events (form submit, call clicks, calendar bookings)
- Google Search Console setup verification and sitemap updates
- Technical audit: indexing, redirects, duplicate pages, thin content
- Core Web Vitals fixes: image compression, lazy loading, script cleanup
- Basic schema: Organization, LocalBusiness, and Service schema
- Internal linking plan for service pages and blog posts
Outcome in 2 weeks:
- Faster load time on key pages (service and contact pages)
- Cleaner indexation and fewer low value URLs competing with service pages
- A reporting setup that clearly separated leads, SQLs, and noise
Phase 2 (January 20 to February 16, 2025): Demand capture pages built for buyers
This phase created pages that matched how decision makers search when pain is high.
We built and improved:
- Core service pages (vCISO, risk assessment, compliance support)
- Location aligned pages for Washington, DC and nearby business areas
- Industry flavored sections for common buyer groups (SaaS, healthcare services, gov contractors)
- Lead focused content blocks: process, timelines, deliverables, FAQs, and proof points
On each page we worked on:
- Clear “who this is for” sections
- Real outcomes and simple explanation of steps
- Strong internal links between related services
- CTAs that matched intent (book a call, request an assessment, ask a question)
Phase 3 (February 17 to March 23, 2025): Authority building with content that earns trust
Once demand capture pages were in place, we expanded reach with helpful content. For cybersecurity, trust and clarity matter as much as rankings.
We focused on:
- Compliance and risk questions buyers ask before they commit
- Comparison content (vCISO vs full time hire, SOC 2 readiness timeline)
- Checklists and templates that drive backlinks and shares
- “Proof content” like mini case stories and common fixes found in audits
We kept content simple, not academic. The goal was to sound like a consultant who explains things clearly, not a textbook.
Phase 4 (March 24 to April 5, 2025): Conversion upgrades and lead qualification system
Traffic and rankings are wasted if the site does not convert. This final stretch improved how visitors turned into booked calls and qualified opportunities.
We implemented:
- Shorter forms with better field order
- A “choose your need” form option (assessment, compliance, vCISO, incident readiness)
- Calendly booking embedded on high intent pages
- Immediate response email template with next steps and a calendar link
- Lead scoring in CRM using firm size, need, and timeframe
- A simple follow up sequence for non booked leads
Monthly breakdown: work done and results:
Below is the month by month view with both actions and outcomes. This is where the 75 SQL total becomes easy to understand.
January 2025 (January 6 to January 31): foundation plus quick wins
January was about cleaning up the site, fixing tracking, and launching the first wave of service pages.
Work completed:
- Technical audit fixes and indexing cleanup
- New service page structure and internal linking map
- Washington, DC local signals added (NAP consistency, location context, map embed)
- New CTAs and improved contact flow
- 6 pages created or rebuilt (service and core pages)
- 2 blog posts targeting high intent questions
Performance:
- Organic sessions: 920
- Organic leads: 31
- SQLs: 16
- New top 10 rankings gained: 12 keywords
- Discovery call bookings from organic: 19
What changed the most:
- The site finally had pages that matched what buyers search.
- Leads started coming from service pages, not only the contact page.
February 2025 (February 1 to February 28): scaling pages and tightening relevance
February focused on expanding coverage and improving on page clarity. We also started link outreach with a quality first approach.
Work completed:
- 5 supporting service pages (compliance support variations, assessment pages)
- 4 blog posts built around compliance timelines and risk reduction
- FAQ expansion on key services using real sales call questions
- Title and meta refresh across priority pages for higher CTR
- Local listing improvements and citations cleanup
- Outreach started for partner mentions and resource pages
Performance:
- Organic sessions: 1,420
- Organic leads: 54
- SQLs: 22
- New top 10 rankings gained: 15 keywords
- Average time on service pages increased by 34%
What changed the most:
- Click quality improved. People landed on the exact service they needed.
- A larger share of leads were decision makers, not students or job seekers.
March 2025 (March 1 to March 31): authority lift and compounding growth
March was the turning point. Rankings started to stick, and the content began to compound.
Work completed:
- 6 content pieces published (checklists, comparison posts, readiness guides)
- Internal links added from blogs to service pages using natural anchor text
- Backlink wins from local business groups and cybersecurity resource pages
- 2 mini case story pages created (problem, approach, outcome style)
- Conversion improvements: calendar placement, CTA testing, trust blocks
Performance:
- Organic sessions: 1,980
- Organic leads: 69
- SQLs: 28
- New top 10 rankings gained: 18 keywords
- Call booking rate from organic rose to 6.4%
What changed the most:
- The site started showing up for mid funnel and bottom funnel terms.
- Buyers had more reasons to trust the consultant before booking.
April 2025 (April 1 to April 5): strong finish and clean handoff
This was only five days, but it mattered because it showed consistency. We focused on refinement, reporting, and making the system easy to continue.
Work completed:
- Content refresh on top landing pages based on Search Console queries
- Conversion cleanup: faster form load, clearer confirmation page, better follow up email
- Final reporting and a 60 day content plan for continued growth
- CRM pipeline cleanup and tag system for lead sources
Performance (April 1 to April 5 only):
- Organic sessions: 410
- Organic leads: 21
- SQLs: 9
Total SQLs across the 90 day period:
- January: 16
- February: 22
- March: 28
- April 1 to April 5: 9
- Total: 75 SQLs
Where the SQLs came from:
The biggest driver was high intent service searches, not broad awareness keywords.
Top converting intent themes:
- Virtual CISO Washington DC
- Cybersecurity risk assessment consultant
- SOC 2 readiness support
- HIPAA security risk assessment help
- NIST security program consultant
- Incident response plan consultant
We also saw qualified leads from comparison and checklist content, especially when it linked clearly to service pages.
Tools used:
We kept the tool stack practical. Each tool had a job, and we avoided adding tools just for looks.
Core SEO and research:
- Google Search Console: index coverage, query growth, page level CTR
- GA4: conversion tracking, user paths, assisted conversions
- Ahrefs and Semrush: keyword research, backlink tracking, content gaps
- Screaming Frog: crawl issues, redirects, metadata, internal linking checks
Content and on page:
- Google Docs: content briefs and review workflow
- SurferSEO (or similar content optimizer): on page coverage and structure checks
- Grammarly: clarity and basic proofreading
Conversion and lead ops:
- HubSpot CRM: tracking lead stages, SQL tagging, pipeline reporting
- Calendly: booking flow and conversion friction reduction
- Call tracking (client number routing): separating SEO calls from other channels
- Hotjar: session recordings to spot drop offs on key pages
What made this work (and what we avoided):
This result did not come from tricks. It came from simple steps done in the right order.
What we did right:
- Built pages for intent first, then expanded content
- Improved clarity and trust so visitors booked calls faster
- Measured SQLs honestly with clear qualification rules
- Fixed the basics before chasing backlinks and fancy content
- Kept the site focused on services, outcomes, and next steps
What we avoided:
- Writing generic blog posts that never convert
- Targeting high volume keywords with low buyer intent
- Stuffing pages with buzzwords and long jargon
- Reporting leads without checking if they were qualified
Key before vs after proof points:
These were the most convincing changes the client cared about.
- SQLs: 8 in the prior 90 days to 75 in 90 days
- Organic leads: 9 per month to 52 per month
- Top 10 rankings: 11 to 49
- Organic booking rate: 1.9% to 6.1%
- Reply time: 26 hours to under 2 hours
Final takeaway:
This project worked because the client partnered with Goforaeo early enough to build a clean foundation, then moved quickly on pages that matched real buyer intent. The combination of technical cleanup, focused service content, local trust signals, and a smoother booking flow turned search traffic into qualified sales conversations.