SEO Case Study: Reduced Bounce Rate and Increased Leads 48% in 3 Months for a B2B SaaS in Austin
In early 2025, an Austin, Texas based B2B SaaS company partnered with Goforaeo to improve how their website attracted and converted high intent traffic. Over a focused three month push, we lowered bounce rate and increased qualified leads by 48%, using clean technical fixes, better content, and conversion focused page improvements.
All results below are pulled from GA4, Google Search Console, and the client’s CRM tracking during the same periods, so the before vs after is apples to apples.
Client snapshot and starting point
This client sells a mid ticket B2B SaaS product with a longer sales cycle, where most revenue starts with a demo request or a contact form. Their audience is mostly operations and leadership teams at small and mid size companies, and the main acquisition channel was organic search plus some paid traffic.
They had solid product value, but the website was not doing a great job of matching search intent, answering buyer questions, or moving visitors toward a clear next step.
Location, dates, and timeframe
Here is the exact timeline we used for measurement:
- Location: Austin, Texas
- Baseline period: January 1, 2025 to January 31, 2025
- Campaign period: February 1, 2025 to April 30, 2025
- Total timeframe: 3 months
What the data looked like before
During January 2025, we saw clear signs that traffic quality and page experience were holding the site back:
- Bounce rate: 73.1%
- Organic sessions: 8,420
- Organic leads (demo requests, contact forms, trial starts): 140
- Organic lead conversion rate: 1.66%
- Top landing pages: blog posts that ranked but did not match buyer intent well
- Common issue: visitors landed, skimmed, then left without taking action
The brand was getting found, but the site was not guiding people smoothly from research to a lead.
Results summary with before vs after proof
Below is the clean before vs after comparison using the baseline month vs the final month of the campaign.
- Bounce rate: 73.1% in January 2025 to 51.9% in April 2025
- Organic sessions: 8,420 to 12,360
- Organic leads: 140 to 207
- Lead increase: +48%
- Pages per session: 1.34 to 1.82
- Average engagement time: 00:41 to 01:18
- Demo request share of total leads: 34% to 46%
We did not “buy” this growth with extra ad spend. This was driven by better rankings, better landing page matches, and a cleaner path to conversion.
What counted as a lead
To keep reporting honest, we defined “lead” as an action that sales could actually use:
- Demo request form submissions
- Contact us submissions
- Trial sign ups tied to organic sessions
- High intent downloads that captured business email and company name
Newsletter sign ups were tracked, but not counted as leads in this SEO Case Study.
Tools used during the project
We kept the tool stack practical and focused on clear decision making.
For analytics and tracking:
- Google Analytics 4: traffic quality, engagement, conversion paths
- Google Search Console: queries, click through rate, indexing, page performance
- Google Tag Manager: clean event tracking for forms and key clicks
- Looker Studio: monthly reporting dashboard for the client team
- HubSpot CRM (client side): lead counts, lead sources, quality checks
For SEO research and site auditing:
- Screaming Frog: crawl issues, internal linking gaps, metadata checks
- Ahrefs and Semrush: keyword research, competitor gaps, link opportunities
- PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse: Core Web Vitals and speed priorities
- Hotjar: scroll depth, rage clicks, drop off points on key pages
What we focused on and why it worked
We did not treat this as “get more traffic” only. The real issue was that the site was leaking value. People were arriving, not finding what they needed fast, and leaving.
So the focus became: tighten the technical base, match intent better, and improve conversion flow on the pages that already had attention.
1) Fixing the foundation first
Before pushing new content, we made sure the site could perform reliably in search and for users.
Key actions:
- Cleaned up index bloat: removed or noindexed thin pages that were not helpful
- Fixed redirect chains and broken internal links from older blog posts
- Improved crawl paths: updated navigation and footer links to support key pages
- Added basic schema where it made sense: software app, FAQ, and organization
- Removed duplicate title tags and improved metadata on top landing pages
Why this mattered:
- Search engines could understand page priorities more clearly
- Users could move to the next logical page without dead ends
- It reduced confusion and improved engagement signals
2) Mapping search intent to the right page type
A big reason bounce rate was high: the site ranked for queries that deserved a product page or solution page, but users were landing on a blog article that stayed too general.
We rebuilt the intent map in simple buckets:
- Problem aware searches: “how to reduce manual reporting time”, “workflow bottlenecks”
- Solution aware searches: “workflow automation software”, “best tools for operations teams”
- Product aware searches: brand terms, comparisons, integrations
- Buyer ready searches: “pricing”, “demo”, “implementation time”, “security”
Then we aligned page types:
- Blog posts: education and early stage problem solving
- Solution pages: clear outcomes, use cases, proof, and CTAs
- Comparison pages: honest positioning, alternatives, and decision helpers
- Integration pages: searchable, structured, and conversion friendly
- Product pages: benefits, screenshots, FAQ, and demo prompts
3) Improving page experience so visitors stayed
To reduce bounce rate, we made pages easier to scan and act on.
Changes we rolled out across high traffic pages:
- Shorter intros with clearer first screen messaging
- Stronger headings and simpler language
- Added “next step” blocks within the content, not just at the end
- Updated internal links to point to relevant solution pages
- Added proof closer to the top: brief customer results, logos, short quotes
- Reduced visual clutter and improved spacing for mobile reading
We also improved speed for key templates by compressing images, reducing unused scripts, and cleaning heavy plugins on blog pages.
4) Conversion improvements without being pushy
B2B SaaS buyers do not want aggressive popups everywhere. We used gentle conversion points that matched the page intent.
Examples of what we implemented:
- Demo CTA that changed by page type: “See it for your team” vs “Talk to an expert”
- Shorter forms on mobile: fewer fields, with progressive enrichment in CRM
- Added 2 step CTAs for cold visitors: guide download or checklist, then demo later
- Built a simple “use case picker” section to route visitors to the right solution page
- Added FAQ blocks that addressed sales objections: pricing ranges, setup time, security
This reduced exits while keeping the tone natural.
Monthly execution and performance: February to April 2025
Below is the month by month view with what we did and what changed. Metrics are organic only.
February 2025: Clean up, tracking fixes, and quick wins
February was about removing friction and making sure we could trust the numbers. We also improved the pages that were already getting traffic.
Work completed in February:
- Full site crawl and priority list for technical fixes
- Clean GA4 event tracking for demo, contact, and key button clicks
- Updated titles and descriptions for top 25 pages to improve click through rate
- Fixed broken links and redirect chains from older content
- Improved internal linking from top blog posts to solution pages
- Reworked above the fold sections on top 5 landing pages
February performance:
- Organic sessions: 9,110
- Bounce rate: 66.7%
- Organic leads: 155
- Notes: small lead lift came mostly from better page flow and clearer CTAs
March 2025: Intent matched content and new middle funnel pages
March was where momentum built. We launched pages that matched what buyers were searching, and we refreshed content that was ranking but under converting.
Work completed in March:
- Built 4 new solution pages based on high intent keywords
- Updated 8 older blog posts that ranked on page 1 or 2 but had weak intent match
- Added FAQ sections and schema to key pages
- Created 2 comparison style pages to capture “alternatives” searches
- Improved mobile layouts on templates with high bounce rate
- Hotjar review on top pages: fixed confusing sections and removed distractions
March performance:
- Organic sessions: 10,740
- Bounce rate: 58.6%
- Organic leads: 182
- Notes: the biggest change was visitors staying longer and clicking to solution pages
April 2025: Conversion tuning and authority support
April focused on tightening conversions and building trust. We also supported rankings with a small but targeted authority push.
Work completed in April:
- Improved demo page messaging and reduced form friction
- Added proof blocks: short results bullets, customer quotes, and light case snippets
- Created 3 integration pages based on Search Console query data
- Set up a simple internal linking hub: solution pages linking to supporting articles
- Outreach for relevant links: podcasts, partner pages, niche directories
- Continued Core Web Vitals improvements on key templates
April performance:
- Organic sessions: 12,360
- Bounce rate: 51.9%
- Organic leads: 207
- Notes: lead quality improved, with more demo requests vs general contact forms
What changed on the site: clear before vs after differences
Here are the practical changes that made the biggest difference, written in plain terms.
Before:
- Many visitors landed on blog posts that did not guide them to product relevance
- Key pages were slow and crowded, especially on mobile
- CTAs were inconsistent and often hidden at the bottom
- Internal linking did not lead users to the next best page
- Some pages competed with each other for the same keyword theme
After:
- Visitors landed on pages that fit the search intent better
- Top templates were faster and easier to read
- Each page had a clear next step and a soft conversion option
- Internal links guided users through a simple journey: problem to solution to demo
- Content was grouped into clusters so Google and users understood the structure
Challenges we ran into and how we handled them
Every real project has friction. Here are a few issues that came up, and what we did.
Development bandwidth was limited
The client team had a product roadmap, so website changes had to be lightweight.
What we did:
- Focused on high impact templates first
- Used small changes that compound: internal links, headings, CTA placements
- Bundled fixes into short dev tasks instead of one big rebuild
Some keywords brought the wrong kind of visitor
A few posts ranked for broad terms that looked good in traffic numbers but did not bring buyers.
What we did:
- Adjusted content to be more specific to the ideal customer
- Added clear qualifiers on pages so casual visitors self selected out
- Built separate pages for buyer intent searches rather than forcing everything into blog posts
Lead tracking was inconsistent at the start
Some form submissions were not tagged correctly in analytics.
What we did:
- Rebuilt tracking with Tag Manager
- Verified conversions through CRM cross checks
- Used the same definitions all three months to keep reporting honest
Why the results were genuine and repeatable
This was not a one trick tactic. It was a set of connected improvements:
- Better technical health helped search engines crawl and rank the right pages
- Better intent matching brought visitors who actually wanted the solution
- Better page experience reduced exits and increased engagement
- Better conversion flow turned attention into real leads
That is why we saw bounce rate drop steadily each month, while leads climbed in a clean pattern.
What we would do next: May to July 2025 plan
If we continue the partnership, the next phase would focus on scaling what already worked.
Next steps:
- Build more solution pages for niche use cases found in Search Console
- Expand comparison pages and integration pages based on sales questions
- Publish one deep “buyer guide” per month and interlink it into the cluster
- Add more proof assets: longer case studies, ROI examples, short videos
- Continue link building in a careful way: partner mentions, guest content, review sites
Takeaways for other B2B SaaS teams
If you are seeing high bounce rates and flat lead numbers, the fix is often not just “write more blogs.” Start with these:
- Make sure your top landing pages match the search intent
- Reduce friction on mobile first
- Add internal links that guide people to the next step
- Put proof near the top of key pages
- Track leads cleanly, then improve the pages that already get traffic
Closing note
This Austin B2B SaaS team partnered with Goforaeo at the right time, and the work stayed focused on real buyer behavior. In three months, the site became easier to find, easier to trust, and easier to convert, which is why bounce rate dropped and leads grew by 48% from January 2025 to April 2025.