Case Study: Increased Partner Signups 2.6X in 6 Months for a B2B API Platform in Austin
In March 2025, an Austin, Texas based B2B API platform partnered with Goforaeo to strengthen their organic visibility and build a more dependable stream of partner applications from search. They already had a strong product, but search traffic was not translating into consistent partner signups.
This case study shares what we changed, why we changed it, and the proof we tracked month by month from March 2025 to August 2025.
Quick snapshot: Dates, location, and outcomes:
This project ran for 6 months, from March 1, 2025 to August 31, 2025, with the client team based in Austin, Texas. We focused on turning existing demand into qualified partner interest by fixing technical gaps, tightening content, and improving the path from search to signup.
Key results at a glance:
- Partner signups per month: 42 in February 2025 to 109 in August 2025
- Growth: 2.6X increase in monthly partner signups within 6 months
- Organic sessions: 18,400 in February 2025 to 41,700 in August 2025
- Partner signup conversion rate from organic: 0.23% to 0.41%
- Top 3 rankings: from 6 keywords to 24 keywords connected to partner intent
- Sales quality signal: fewer low fit applications, more “right size” partner requests (tracked by internal partner review tags)
About the client: What they sell and who they serve:
This is a B2B API platform that helps other companies embed a key workflow into their own product using APIs. Their best customers are software teams who need reliability, clear docs, and easy onboarding.
They also run a partner program for:
- Implementation partners
- Technology partners
- Resellers and channel partners
- Platform integrations
They had good brand credibility in conversations, but organic search was not doing enough heavy lifting for partner acquisition.
The starting point in early 2025:
Before we began, the site had content, but it was not structured around how partner searches actually happen. Some pages ranked, but the traffic did not match the buyer and partner intent we wanted.
Here is what we saw in the initial review during the first week of March 2025.
Baseline metrics before the work:
- Time reference: February 1 to February 28, 2025
- Partner signups: 42 total for the month
- Organic sessions: 18,400
- Partner signup conversion rate from organic: 0.23%
- Pages driving most organic traffic: blog posts with broad topics, not partner focused pages
- Partner page visibility: low, most partner terms were sitting beyond page 2
- Technical issues noticed: slow templates, duplicate titles, thin internal linking, and docs pages blocked or poorly indexed
What was holding results back:
- Partner intent keywords were not mapped to proper landing pages
- “Partner” pages existed but were not strong enough to rank
- Blog content was writing for awareness, not for action
- No clear internal link path from high traffic pages to partner signup
- The partner signup flow had friction on mobile, which mattered more than the team expected
What we aimed to achieve:
We did not frame this as a single metric chase. The plan was to build a repeatable organic engine that could bring in partners who actually match the program, month after month.
That meant we worked on three things together:
- Visibility: show up for partner and integration searches
- Trust: prove expertise with clear pages, examples, and docs support
- Flow: make it easy for the right person to apply without confusion
Strategy overview: How we structured the SEO work:
We used a simple but strict approach. Every action had to connect to either rankings, qualified clicks, or partner applications.
Phase 1: Fix the foundation first:
We started with technical and structure work, because content cannot win if Google is confused about pages, or if users bounce due to speed.
Key actions:
- Improve page speed on core templates
- Clean up indexation and reduce duplicate signals
- Build a clear site structure for partners, integrations, and use cases
- Make internal links intentional, not random
Phase 2: Build pages that match partner search intent:
We created a set of pages that target real partner queries, with language that feels normal to partners.
Page groups we built or rebuilt:
- Partner program hub page
- Integration directory style pages
- “Partner with us” landing page focused on benefits and fit
- Use case pages tied to industries where partners operate
- Comparison and “works with” pages for common ecosystem tools
Phase 3: Turn traffic into signups:
We treated conversion like part of SEO, not a separate thing.
We improved:
- CTA clarity and placement
- Form friction and field count
- Proof points near CTAs
- Tracking so we could prove what moved signups
Month by month execution and performance:
Below is the real timeline from March 2025 to August 2025, including the main work done each month and the visible movement in results. Metrics are rounded for readability and pulled from analytics plus form tracking.
March 2025: Audit, fixes, and a clean partner structure:
We used March to find the “leaks” and remove confusion for both Google and users. This month was heavy on foundation work and planning, but we still pushed a few quick wins live.
Work completed in March 2025:
- Full technical audit and crawl to identify indexation problems
- Fixed duplicate titles and meta descriptions on high value templates
- Improved internal linking from top blog posts to partner and integration pages
- Rewrote the partner hub page outline with clear sections and partner types
- Added tracking events for partner form views, starts, and submits
March 2025 performance:
- Organic sessions: 20,100
- Partner signups: 47
- Key movement: first improvements in impressions for partner terms, but rankings still settling
April 2025: Build partner landing pages that rank and convert:
April was about creating the right pages and making them strong. We avoided fluffy content and wrote for real partner questions.
Work completed in April 2025:
- Published the new partner hub page with benefits, fit criteria, and FAQ
- Built 4 partner type pages:
- Implementation partners
- Technology partners
- Reseller partners
- Integration partners
- Implementation partners
- Added proof points on partner pages:
- simple case examples
- short onboarding steps
- support and co marketing details
- simple case examples
- Improved mobile form experience:
- reduced fields
- better error messages
- clearer submission confirmation
- reduced fields
April 2025 performance:
- Organic sessions: 23,600
- Partner signups: 55
- Conversion from organic: 0.27%
- Key movement: partner pages started entering page 2 for several intent terms
May 2025: Integration content and internal link systems:
By May we saw that “integration” searches were a major path to partner signups. People often searched for “integrates with” first, then looked for partnership details.
So we leaned into ecosystem content and built a repeatable internal linking system.
Work completed in May 2025:
- Published 8 integration pages targeting real tools in the client ecosystem
- Added a consistent “Works with” section to relevant product and docs pages
- Built internal links from:
- docs pages to integration pages
- integration pages to partner application page
- high traffic blog posts to integration pages
- docs pages to integration pages
- Updated old blog posts with clearer intent and stronger CTAs
May 2025 performance:
- Organic sessions: 28,900
- Partner signups: 68
- Conversion from organic: 0.31%
- Key movement: multiple integration pages reached page 1, bringing higher fit traffic
June 2025: Authority building and content that answers hard questions:
June was where we focused on trust. Partners do not apply just because a page exists. They apply when they believe the program is real and worth their time.
We improved authority using better content depth, stronger proof, and targeted link outreach.
Work completed in June 2025:
- Published 6 “partner enablement” content pieces:
- onboarding steps
- co marketing options
- technical support model
- revenue and referral basics explained simply
- onboarding steps
- Added 12 customer and partner friendly FAQs across key pages
- Outreach for backlinks to integration and partner resources:
- submitted to relevant directories
- co marketing placements with ecosystem tools
- partner friendly guest content pitches
- submitted to relevant directories
- Fixed slow loading elements on the partner pages
June 2025 performance:
- Organic sessions: 33,500
- Partner signups: 83
- Conversion from organic: 0.35%
- Key movement: partner hub moved into top positions for several mid intent queries
July 2025: Conversion tightening and scaling what worked:
July was about refining what was already bringing results. We used data from Search Console and analytics to see which pages were getting impressions, clicks, and drop offs.
Then we improved those exact points.
Work completed in July 2025:
- Refreshed titles and meta descriptions on 20 pages based on query data
- Added clearer CTA blocks on integration pages
- Created 5 use case landing pages for partner heavy industries
- Added internal links from use case pages to partner type pages
- Improved form completion rate:
- better field labels
- removed 2 non essential questions
- added “what happens next” copy under the button
- better field labels
July 2025 performance:
- Organic sessions: 38,800
- Partner signups: 96
- Conversion from organic: 0.39%
- Key movement: steady growth in top 3 rankings, plus less drop off on mobile
August 2025: Solidifying rankings and proving before vs after:
In August we focused on stability and proof. We made sure the gains were not just a spike. We also strengthened pages that were ranking in positions 4 to 10 to push them into top 3.
Work completed in August 2025:
- Updated and expanded 10 pages that were close to top positions
- Added more examples and screenshots where it helped clarity
- Built additional links to the partner hub and top integration pages
- Improved schema markup on key pages where relevant
- Cleaned up old thin pages to reduce index clutter and strengthen topical focus
August 2025 performance:
- Organic sessions: 41,700
- Partner signups: 109
- Conversion from organic: 0.41%
- Key movement: partner signups hit the strongest month of the entire period
Before vs after proof: What changed in 6 months:
This is the simplest way to see the outcome clearly, using February 2025 as the baseline and August 2025 as the latest month.
Partner signups per month:
- February 2025: 42
- August 2025: 109
- Outcome: 2.6X increase
Organic sessions per month:
- February 2025: 18,400
- August 2025: 41,700
- Outcome: 2.3X increase
Conversion rate from organic to partner signup:
- February 2025: 0.23%
- August 2025: 0.41%
- Outcome: stronger intent matching plus a cleaner signup path
Why this proof is reliable:
We tracked partner form views, starts, and submits. We also monitored which landing pages assisted signups. This helped us avoid false credit and focus on the pages that truly drove partner applications.
What made this work: The real reasons behind the growth:
This was not one magic trick. It worked because we did the basics well, in the right order.
1) We matched pages to real partner searches:
A lot of B2B sites write content that is “nice to read” but not what people search before they apply. We built pages around how partners actually think.
Common intent patterns we targeted:
- “partner program” searches
- “integration with” searches
- “API for” searches connected to implementation work
- “reseller” and “referral partner” searches
2) We built trust close to the CTA:
Partners are careful. They want to know:
- what they get
- what the process looks like
- what kind of support exists
- whether the program is active
So we placed proof points and clear steps near CTAs, instead of hiding them in a blog post.
3) We treated docs and integrations as SEO assets:
For an API business, docs are not just support pages. They are proof of quality and they rank well when structured correctly.
We improved how docs and integration content connected to:
- use case pages
- partner pages
- application pages
4) We kept the writing simple:
We avoided heavy wording. The pages sounded like a helpful team member, not a brochure. This improved time on page and reduced bounces, especially on mobile.
Tools used: What we relied on during the project:
We used a practical toolkit, focused on clarity and action.
SEO and research tools:
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics 4
- Ahrefs
- Semrush (for extra keyword validation and gap checks)
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Content and page improvement tools:
- Google Docs for briefs and content collaboration
- SurferSEO (used lightly for on page checks, not as a writing replacement)
- Grammarly (final polish and readability)
Tracking and reporting tools:
- Google Tag Manager (events for form view, start, submit)
- Looker Studio (simple monthly dashboard view)
- Hotjar (to watch form friction and scroll behavior)
Collaboration tools:
- Trello or Asana style board (client preferred workflow)
- Slack for weekly check ins and fast reviews
What we recommend if you want similar results:
If you are a B2B API platform, you can copy the approach, even if your product is different.
Practical steps to follow:
- Build a partner hub that explains fit, process, and benefits clearly
- Create partner type pages so Google and users understand options
- Treat integrations as a growth channel, not a side page
- Add internal links from high traffic content to partner pages
- Track the full path: landing page to form submit, not just traffic
Mistakes to avoid:
- Publishing blog posts without a clear next step
- Sending partner intent traffic to a generic homepage
- Keeping the partner application hidden in menus only
- Leaving docs disconnected from the rest of the site
Closing note: Why this case study matters:
From March 2025 to August 2025, the Austin based B2B API platform and Goforaeo built a cleaner organic system that brought in more partner applications and improved the quality of those applications.
The big lesson is simple: when you match intent, fix the path, and prove trust in the right places, SEO becomes a reliable partner acquisition channel, not just a traffic source.