SEO Case Study: Improved Trial Starts by 85% in 4 Months for a B2B SaaS in Seattle
In March 2025, a Seattle based B2B SaaS company partnered with Goforaeo to increase qualified free trial starts and make organic traffic convert like a real growth channel. Their product helps operations and finance teams manage approvals, workflows, and reporting in one place.
They already had a working product and a steady trickle of sign ups, but growth from search was inconsistent. Some months looked fine, then trials dropped again because the site was not built around intent and the trial funnel had friction.
Client snapshot: company, market, and buying journey
Location: Seattle, Washington
Project start date: March 3, 2025
Timeframe covered in this SEO Case Study: March 3, 2025 to June 30, 2025
The SaaS sells to other businesses, mostly mid market teams. Buyers were a mix of operators who wanted speed and finance leaders who wanted control and visibility.
Most people did not search the brand name. They searched problems, comparisons, and alternatives. The website needed to show clear value fast, then guide the right visitors into a trial without confusion.
Product and audience fit
This product works best for teams with repeat processes and multiple approvals. The strongest converting visitors were looking for workflow tools, approval software, and reporting dashboards.
The weakest visitors came from broad terms like “project tools” that brought interest but not trial intent. That mismatch was one of the first things we fixed.
Starting point in early March 2025: what was happening before changes
We treated March 2025 as the baseline month because it was the first full month of clean tracking and a stable sample size. Metrics were pulled from Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, and the product analytics events.
Baseline metrics in March 2025:
- Organic sessions: 18,900
- Trial starts total: 145
- Trial starts from organic: 47
- Organic trial conversion rate: 0.25 percent
- Product qualified trials from organic: 19
- Demo requests influenced by organic visits: 11
- High intent keywords in top 10: 14
The top traffic pages were blog posts, not the pages that explain the product. A lot of visitors landed, read one page, then left without taking any action.
On the trial page, users often paused because pricing, use cases, and setup expectations were unclear. We also found that the site did not answer comparison questions well, so buyers went back to Google and picked a competitor that had a clearer page.
What we found in the audit
We ran a full content, technical, and funnel audit and found a few root issues:
- Too many pages targeting similar keywords, which diluted rankings and confused search engines
- A thin “solutions” section with generic copy that did not match what buyers search
- Trial start flow had friction, too many fields, weak reassurance, and unclear next steps
- Internal linking was random, blog posts did not push users toward product and trial pages
- Many pages missed basic on page fundamentals like clean headings, strong titles, and simple CTAs
We also noticed something important in the data. Visitors who landed on a use case page were more likely to start a trial than visitors who landed on a feature page. That shaped the plan.
Strategy overview: SEO plus trial funnel cleanup
Instead of chasing only traffic, we built a system that makes the right pages rank and makes the trial experience feel easy. The strategy had five parts that worked together, and each part had clear monthly deliverables.
We kept the work simple and repeatable. Every new page had one job, one target intent, and one clear next step.
Part 1: Fix tracking and align the funnel
Before we pushed hard on growth, we made sure reporting was honest. We tracked trial starts correctly, and we separated high intent from low intent.
Actions taken:
- Defined “trial start” as a completed account creation event, not just a click
- Tracked key steps like email verification, workspace creation, and first project created
- Built a clean channel view so organic trial starts were not mixed with paid or referral
This helped us focus on quality, not vanity numbers.
Part 2: Build high intent landing pages that match search language
The site needed pages that match what buyers type. We built and improved pages for:
- Core category terms
- Use case terms
- Comparison and alternative searches
- Integration searches that signal a serious buyer
Each landing page used simple words, proof points, and clear CTAs. We avoided vague claims and wrote like a real product team would explain it to a buyer.
Part 3: Create content clusters that support product pages
We did not publish random blogs. We built clusters around real evaluation topics.
Examples of cluster themes:
- Approval workflow best practices
- How to reduce manual reporting
- Audit readiness and access controls
- Implementing new workflow tools with minimal disruption
Every cluster piece linked to a relevant product or use case page, and those pages linked back, so users had a natural path.
Part 4: Improve the trial page and the first steps inside the product
Many SEO case studies stop at rankings. We did not, because the main win here was trial starts.
We improved trial conversion by:
- Reducing form friction and removing non essential fields
- Adding reassurance copy about setup time and what happens after sign up
- Adding a short “who this is for” and “who this is not for” block
- Adding social proof near the form, not only on the homepage
- Updating the first run onboarding steps so new trials reach value faster
Part 5: Authority building that fits B2B SaaS
We earned links and mentions that made sense for this category. No spam, no shortcuts.
We focused on:
- Partner pages and integration directories
- Guest contributions on operations and finance sites
- Founder quote placements and podcast show notes
- A linkable resource that teams could share internally
This helped core pages move up faster for competitive terms.
Tools used: clean stack, clear decisions
We used a simple set of tools so the work stayed practical and measurable. Each tool had a clear purpose.
Tools used:
- Google Analytics 4: conversion tracking and channel reporting
- Google Search Console: query data, page performance, indexing checks
- Looker Studio: monthly dashboard for leadership reporting
- Screaming Frog: technical crawl, internal linking analysis, duplicate content checks
- Ahrefs and Semrush: keyword research, competitor gap analysis, link tracking
- PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse: speed, Core Web Vitals checks
- Microsoft Clarity: session recordings and heatmaps for trial page improvements
- HubSpot: lead source validation and sales handoff tracking
- Product analytics like Mixpanel or Amplitude: trial activation events and onboarding drop offs
Month by month work and results: March 2025 to June 2025
This section shows exactly what we shipped and what changed each month. Trial starts are shown as total and organic, so the impact is clear.
March 2025: cleanup, mapping, and quick wins
Work completed:
- Full technical audit, keyword map, and content plan tied to trial intent
- Fixed duplicate titles, weak meta descriptions, and heading issues on top pages
- Cleaned internal linking so product pages were easier to reach
- Added proper event tracking for trial start and key activation steps
- Updated trial page copy and removed one major friction field
Results in March 2025:
- Organic sessions: 18,900
- Trial starts total: 145
- Trial starts from organic: 47
- Product qualified trials from organic: 19
- High intent keywords in top 10: 14
April 2025: new landing pages and trial page conversion lift
Work completed:
- Published 4 high intent use case pages and improved 2 core product pages
- Built a comparison page framework and launched 2 comparison pages
- Added FAQ sections based on real sales questions
- Improved trial page layout and added proof near the form
- Launched a lighter onboarding checklist inside the product for new trials
Results in April 2025:
- Organic sessions: 20,600
- Trial starts total: 168
- Trial starts from organic: 61
- Organic trial conversion rate: 0.30 percent
- Product qualified trials from organic: 26
- High intent keywords in top 10: 22
What we saw: trial starts moved up before rankings fully caught up, which showed the funnel fixes were working.
May 2025: content clusters, internal links, and authority push
Work completed:
- Published 6 cluster articles focused on evaluation intent
- Built internal links from clusters to use case and trial intent pages
- Improved 3 integration pages based on search demand
- Earned 6 relevant referring domains through partner and guest content outreach
- Added clearer activation prompts inside the product to reduce early drop off
Results in May 2025:
- Organic sessions: 23,900
- Trial starts total: 205
- Trial starts from organic: 74
- Organic trial conversion rate: 0.31 percent
- Product qualified trials from organic: 33
- High intent keywords in top 10: 31
What we saw: more buyers were landing on use case and comparison pages, and those pages had the highest trial start rate.
June 2025: scale winners and lock in consistent growth
Work completed:
- Published 3 more comparison pages and refreshed older blogs to match intent
- Consolidated overlapping content to reduce keyword cannibalisation
- Improved site navigation so use case pages were one click closer to home
- Earned 7 additional quality mentions through digital PR and integration listings
- Tested and improved trial form messaging and “what happens next” clarity
Results in June 2025:
- Organic sessions: 27,800
- Trial starts total: 248
- Trial starts from organic: 87
- Organic trial conversion rate: 0.31 percent
- Product qualified trials from organic: 41
- High intent keywords in top 10: 44
This is where the 4 month change became obvious. Organic trials moved from 47 in March to 87 in June, which is an 85 percent increase.
Before vs after proof: March 2025 compared with June 2025
We used a clean start and end comparison to show impact without any noise.
Before vs after highlights:
- Trial starts from organic: 47 to 87
- Change in organic trial starts: up 85 percent
- Trial starts total: 145 to 248
- Organic sessions: 18,900 to 27,800
- High intent keywords in top 10: 14 to 44
- Product qualified trials from organic: 19 to 41
- Demo requests influenced by organic: 11 to 20
What matters most is not just more trials, but more trials that matched the right account profile. The product qualified trial count more than doubled, which helped sales and success teams spend time on better fits.
What we changed on the website: the real work behind the numbers
A lot of the lift came from improving page purpose and user clarity. We did not rely on tricks.
Key website changes delivered between March 3, 2025 and June 30, 2025:
- Built and improved use case pages that matched high intent searches
- Created a comparison page system so buyers could self qualify
- Reworked internal linking so blog content pushed toward product and trial paths
- Added FAQ blocks that answered pricing, setup, and security questions early
- Improved trial page layout, proof placement, and clarity on next steps
- Reduced trial friction and improved early activation prompts inside the product
We also cleaned up older content that did not help. Some pages were merged and redirected to make the site more focused.
Why trial starts grew: the main drivers
The results came from a few connected wins that compounded over four months. Nothing here was complicated, it was just consistent.
Better intent matching brought the right visitors
When use case pages started ranking, the traffic quality improved. Visitors were no longer random readers, they were buyers in evaluation mode.
This also reduced bounce rates and increased time on site, which supported better rankings over time.
Trial page friction dropped
Small fixes made a big difference. People did not abandon because they disliked the product, they abandoned because they were unsure what would happen next.
Clearer messaging, fewer fields, and better reassurance helped visitors complete the trial start.
Stronger authority improved competitive terms
The steady links and mentions helped the core pages move up for harder keywords. When those pages reached page one, trial starts became more consistent, not just spiky.
Lessons you can use if you are a B2B SaaS team
If your SEO traffic is not converting into trials, the fix is usually not “more content.” It is better structure and a cleaner trial path.
Practical takeaways:
- Build use case pages before you publish more general blogs
- Treat comparison pages like sales enablement, not marketing fluff
- Make the trial page answer setup, time, and next steps clearly
- Track trial activation, not just trial start
- Use internal linking like a guided path, not a random list of links
- Earn a few quality mentions each month instead of chasing volume
About Goforaeo: what we do next
Goforaeo helps B2B SaaS brands grow with SEO that is tied to real outcomes like trials, demos, and qualified pipeline. If you want a similar plan, we typically start with a quick audit of intent gaps, the trial funnel, and your top competitor pages, then we build a monthly roadmap with clear deliverables and clean reporting.