SEO Case Study: Grew Partner Leads 3X in 6 Months for a B2B Cloud Marketplace Vendor in San Francisco
In March 2025, a B2B cloud marketplace vendor headquartered in San Francisco partnered with Goforaeo to improve partner driven growth from organic search and marketplace traffic. In six months, partner leads increased 3X, and the quality of those leads improved because the right partner pages started ranking for the right intent.
This write up shows what changed, what we did month by month, and the exact numbers we tracked so the results feel real and repeatable.
Project overview:
This campaign ran from March 3, 2025 to August 31, 2025. We used February 2025 as the baseline month to compare performance before any major work went live.
Quick facts:
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Business type: B2B cloud marketplace vendor (software listing on major cloud marketplaces)
- Timeframe: 6 months, March 2025 to August 2025
- Core KPI: partner leads (partner applications, alliance inquiries, co sell form submissions, tracked partner calls)
- Result: partner leads grew from 32 per month to 98 per month
About the client and what “partner lead” meant:
The company sells a cloud product that is purchased through cloud marketplaces and is also sold through channel partners. Their best growth comes when partners understand the product, see proof, and can quickly find the right “how to partner” path.
The buyer and the partner are not always the same person, so the website had to serve both without confusion.
What they sell:
They provide a B2B software product that is typically used by mid market and enterprise teams. Their strongest deals come from customers who already trust a cloud ecosystem, so marketplace presence is a big lever.
How we defined a partner lead:
We agreed on one clear definition and tracked it the same way every month. A partner lead counted when it matched any of the actions below:
- Partner program application form submissions
- Alliance inquiries (SI, MSP, reseller, agency partners)
- Co sell or marketplace related inquiry forms
- Tracked calls that mentioned partnership or integration
- Partner meeting requests that came from organic landing pages
We also tracked two quality checks:
- Partner lead to booked partner call rate
- Partner lead to partner qualified opportunity rate (measured inside CRM)
Starting point in February 2025:
Before the work started, the client already had a decent product, a marketplace listing, and some brand awareness. The problem was that the website did not guide partners well, and the pages that should have ranked were either thin or missing.
Baseline numbers from February 2025:
- Partner leads: 32
- Booked partner calls from those leads: 9
- Partner lead to booked call rate: 28%
- Organic sessions (all traffic, not only partner pages): 9,800
- Organic sessions landing on partner intent pages: 1,050
- Partner page conversion rate (lead actions per partner page sessions): 3.0%
- Keywords in top 3 for partner intent terms: 6
What we saw right away was simple: traffic existed, but the partner journey was messy. The site was talking like a product brochure when partners needed a clear path, proof, and next steps.
What was blocking growth:
The biggest issues we found in the audit were:
- One “Partners” page tried to cover everything, so it ranked for very little
- Marketplace content was not connected to integration pages, so users dropped off
- Important pages did not match intent like “become a partner”, “technology partner”, “co sell”, “reseller program”, “integration with”
- Tracking was incomplete, so some partner inquiries were not being counted properly
- Case studies were strong, but they were hard to discover from partner pages
- The internal linking structure did not push authority to partner and integration pages
Strategy Goforaeo used:
We kept the plan simple, but we were strict about execution. Every month had specific deliverables, and every deliverable had a reason tied back to rankings, conversion, or partner quality.
We used five pillars that worked together.
Pillar 1: clean tracking and a clear funnel:
We fixed measurement first because growth without proof is just a feeling.
Key setup work:
- GA4 events for partner forms, co sell inquiries, meeting requests, and phone clicks
- Google Search Console segmentation for partner pages and integration pages
- Call tracking and source attribution for partner related calls
- CRM mapping so we could connect a partner lead to booked call and pipeline stage
Small but important detail:
- We created one shared naming system so that reporting stayed consistent across GA4, CRM, and dashboards.
Pillar 2: rebuild the partner program pages:
We replaced the single “Partners” page with a small set of focused pages, each built for one intent.
New or rebuilt pages included:
- Partner program overview
- Solutions partner page (SI, MSP, consulting partners)
- Reseller or referral partner page
- Technology partner and integration partner page
- Co sell and marketplace collaboration page
- Partner resources page (assets, enablement, onboarding steps)
Each page included:
- Simple explanation of who it is for
- What partners get and what is expected
- Clear steps to partner, in order
- Proof: short examples, outcomes, logos where allowed
- Strong CTAs tied to one form per page, not many mixed actions
Pillar 3: marketplace listing and website alignment:
Many marketplace visitors land on the listing first, then go to the website. We made sure the listing and the site told the same story and pushed users toward the right next step.
We focused on:
- Copy consistency between listing and website pages
- Clear “integration” and “how it works” pages linked from partner paths
- Fast loading pages for high intent marketplace referrals
- Trust signals like compliance, support, onboarding time, and pricing clarity where possible
Pillar 4: partner focused content that answers real questions:
Partners search differently than buyers. They want enablement, use cases, positioning, and proof that the product is easy to sell and support.
Content themes we built around:
- Partner onboarding and enablement
- Deal registration and co sell process
- Integration requirements and supported platforms
- Implementation timelines and common blockers
- Industry specific partner opportunities
We wrote content in natural language, with short sections and practical bullets. No fluff.
Pillar 5: authority and distribution:
We did not rely only on publishing. We made sure the right people saw the pages, and we earned authority signals.
Key actions:
- Improve internal linking from high authority pages to partner pages
- Publish integration pages that naturally attract links and mentions
- Secure a steady flow of relevant mentions through partner ecosystems, directories, and guest contributions
- Refresh older pages instead of always creating new pages
Month by month work and results:
Below is the full monthly breakdown from March 2025 to August 2025. Each month includes what we shipped and the numbers we tracked.
March 2025:
We started with tracking, structure, and quick wins. This was the month where we cleaned the funnel and fixed the most obvious leaks.
Main work completed:
- Fixed conversion tracking across partner forms and meeting requests
- Built a new partner page structure and updated navigation
- Improved page speed on key landing pages
- Added clearer CTAs and removed confusing multi CTA sections
March 2025 results:
- Partner leads: 41
- Booked partner calls: 12
- Partner lead to booked call rate: 29%
- Partner page sessions: 1,240
- Partner page conversion rate: 3.3%
April 2025:
This month was about building depth. We launched the new partner program pages and tightened messaging for each partner type.
Main work completed:
- Published 4 focused partner pages for different partner types
- Created a partner resources page and connected it to the funnel
- Added proof sections and clearer “next steps” blocks
- Strengthened internal linking from product and pricing pages into partner pages
April 2025 results:
- Partner leads: 53
- Booked partner calls: 17
- Partner lead to booked call rate: 32%
- Partner page sessions: 1,520
- Partner page conversion rate: 3.5%
- Top 3 rankings for partner intent keywords: 9
May 2025:
In May, we moved into marketplace alignment and integration intent. This helped because integration queries bring high trust visitors who are ready to evaluate partnership fast.
Main work completed:
- Rewrote key marketplace connected pages for clarity and consistency
- Published 6 integration support pages focused on real search intent
- Added simple diagrams and step lists for how the integration works
- Added short partner friendly case proof on integration pages
May 2025 results:
- Partner leads: 64
- Booked partner calls: 21
- Partner lead to booked call rate: 33%
- Partner and integration page sessions: 2,150
- Conversion rate across partner and integration pages: 3.6%
- Top 3 rankings for partner and integration intent keywords: 13
June 2025:
June was a conversion month. We already had better pages and more traffic, so we worked on improving lead quality and removing friction.
Main work completed:
- Improved forms by reducing fields for partner inquiries
- Added “who this is for” blocks at the top of partner pages
- Built a simple partner FAQ section based on real sales calls
- Added stronger trust signals: support model, onboarding time, security notes, and documentation links
June 2025 results:
- Partner leads: 76
- Booked partner calls: 28
- Partner lead to booked call rate: 37%
- Partner page sessions: 2,480
- Partner page conversion rate: 4.1%
July 2025:
In July, we expanded content for partner objections and decision support. This is where the lead quality improved because the right partners self selected.
Main work completed:
- Published 5 partner enablement pages (positioning, use cases, deal flow)
- Added comparison and “when to use us” content in a simple tone
- Strengthened internal links from high traffic blogs to partner pages
- Secured relevant mentions from ecosystem communities and directories
July 2025 results:
- Partner leads: 88
- Booked partner calls: 33
- Partner lead to booked call rate: 38%
- Partner and enablement page sessions: 3,050
- Conversion rate across those pages: 4.0%
- Top 3 rankings for partner related keywords: 18
August 2025:
August was the month we scaled what worked. We refreshed content, expanded pages that were close to top positions, and improved the handoff from lead to booked call.
Main work completed:
- Updated top pages with new proof, refreshed FAQs, and clearer CTAs
- Built 3 industry partner pages based on where pipeline was strongest
- Added a faster booking flow for partner calls
- Continued link earning and brand mentions tied to integrations and marketplace positioning
August 2025 results:
- Partner leads: 98
- Booked partner calls: 39
- Partner lead to booked call rate: 40%
- Partner page sessions: 3,450
- Partner page conversion rate: 4.4%
- Top 3 rankings for partner and marketplace intent keywords: 22
Before vs after proof:
We compare February 2025 to August 2025 because February was the clean baseline and August was the end of the six month run.
Partner leads:
- Before in February 2025: 32 partner leads per month
- After in August 2025: 98 partner leads per month
Partner lead quality:
- Before: 9 booked partner calls per month
- After: 39 booked partner calls per month
Partner lead to booked call rate:
- Before: 28%
- After: 40%
Partner intent visibility:
- Before: 6 partner intent keywords in top 3
- After: 22 partner and marketplace intent keywords in top 3
Conversion improvement:
- Before: partner page conversion rate around 3.0%
- After: partner page conversion rate around 4.4%
The best part was not only the lead count. The partners who converted were a better fit because the pages clearly explained the program, the process, and the requirements.
Tools used:
We used a small tool stack that helped with proof, speed, content decisions, and partner lead attribution.
Analytics and tracking tools:
- Google Analytics 4
- Google Search Console
- Google Tag Manager
- Call tracking software for partner inquiries
- CRM tracking in HubSpot or Salesforce style pipeline stages, depending on the client setup
SEO and site tools:
- Screaming Frog for technical audits and internal linking checks
- Ahrefs or Semrush for keyword research and competitor comparisons
- Looker Studio dashboards for monthly reporting
- Microsoft Clarity or Hotjar style heatmaps to see where partner users clicked and dropped off
Content and collaboration tools:
- Google Docs for content drafts and approvals
- Notion or ClickUp style task tracking for monthly deliverables
- A simple QA checklist for every page publish
Why this worked for a cloud marketplace vendor:
This result was not magic. It came from matching pages to real partner intent and making the partner journey easy.
What made the biggest difference:
- We split one general partner page into focused pages that matched search intent
- We improved proof and clarity so the right partners moved forward faster
- We connected marketplace traffic to the right website pages instead of sending everyone to the homepage
- We used monthly reporting to decide what to expand, what to refresh, and what to stop doing