SEO Case Study: From 12 to 90 Monthly Demos in 6 Months for a B2B HR Outsourcing Firm in New York
In February 2025, a B2B HR outsourcing firm in New York partnered with Goforaeo to build a steady flow of inbound demo requests from search. They were already good at delivering results for clients, but their website was not bringing in consistent, qualified demos.
Over the next six months, the business moved from 12 demos per month to 90 demos per month, mainly from SEO and local search intent in New York.
Project snapshot and timeframe:
This campaign ran for six months from February 2025 to July 2025, with January 2025 used as the baseline month for before data.
Key details:
- Location: New York, New York
- Industry: B2B HR outsourcing, PEO style services, HR compliance support
- Timeframe: February 2025 to July 2025
- Primary outcome: Monthly demos increased from 12 to 90
Who this was for:
The firm primarily served:
- Small and mid sized businesses in New York
- Multi location employers with New York payroll and compliance needs
- Founders and operations managers who needed HR handled end to end
What counted as a demo:
A “demo” was counted only when one of these happened:
- A calendar booking completed on the website
- A form submission that requested a demo and was confirmed in CRM
- A tracked call where the outcome was “demo booked”
Starting point in January 2025:
Before the work started, the firm had a clean brand and good client retention, but inbound demand was inconsistent. They relied on networking, referrals, and occasional paid campaigns that were expensive in New York.
Baseline performance in January 2025:
- Monthly demos booked: 12
- Organic sessions from New York area searches: 1,050
- Demo conversion rate from organic traffic: about 1.1 percent
- Total keywords in top 10 positions: 24
- Keywords in top 3 positions: 3
What we saw during the first audit:
The first audit showed simple issues that were holding the site back:
- Service pages were too general and did not match “PEO New York” and “HR outsourcing NYC” type searches
- The site had weak proof, like few case stories, few hard numbers, and not enough trust signals
- Important pages were not internally linked well, so Google and users had a harder time finding the best content
- The site had tracking gaps, so the team could not clearly connect SEO work to demos
Measurement setup and proof process:
In the first two weeks of February 2025, Goforaeo focused on measurement so every improvement could be tied back to demos. This was important because SEO results can look good on paper but still not create booked meetings.
We set up a simple, clean reporting system:
- Organic traffic tracking by location with Google Analytics 4
- Query and ranking tracking with Google Search Console
- Demo conversion tracking for calendar bookings and forms
- Call tracking for main phone numbers on key pages
- CRM reporting to confirm how many demos were real and qualified
Why we cared about quality, not just volume:
In HR outsourcing, a low quality demo wastes time. So we tracked two extra quality signals:
- Percentage of demos that matched the firm’s target company size
- Percentage of demos that moved to proposal stage
This helped us keep growth genuine and not inflated.
Strategy used by Goforaeo:
The approach was built around four simple priorities. Each one supported the next, so we did not rush to content before the site was ready.
Technical foundation and site structure:
We started by making the site easier to crawl and easier to use. This is not the flashy part of SEO, but it makes everything else work better.
Key actions:
- Fixed index and sitemap issues so important pages were clearly discoverable
- Cleaned up duplicate pages and thin pages that confused search engines
- Improved page speed, especially on mobile
- Updated internal linking so core service pages were never more than a few clicks away
High intent pages built for buying searches:
We rebuilt the core service pages to match what people search when they are ready to compare providers. These pages were written in simple words, with clear sections, and strong calls to action.
Pages we improved or created:
- HR outsourcing services in New York
- PEO services in New York
- Payroll and compliance support for New York employers
- Employee benefits administration
- HR compliance and policy support for New York labor rules
Each page included:
- A short overview in plain language
- Who it is for, with specific business types
- What is included, in bullet points
- Clear next step to book a demo
- Proof sections with short examples and outcomes
Local authority for New York trust:
Even when people do not say “near me,” they still want a provider that understands New York. We made that trust obvious across the site.
Local actions we completed:
- Improved Google Business Profile details and service lists
- Added consistent business listings on trusted directories
- Created location focused sections that mentioned NYC boroughs and nearby areas served
- Built a review plan so happy clients left real feedback over time
Thought leadership content that supports sales:
Content was not written for traffic only. It was built to answer questions that show strong intent, and to support the sales team during calls.
Topics we published and expanded included:
- HR outsourcing cost breakdown for New York businesses
- PEO vs HR outsourcing, explained in simple terms
- Compliance basics for hiring and termination in New York
- Payroll mistakes that create penalties and how to avoid them
We also added short content upgrades like checklists and simple templates so visitors had a reason to convert.
Conversion rate improvements on key pages:
Traffic is only half the story. We tightened the conversion path so that more visitors booked demos.
Changes included:
- Clear call to action buttons above the fold on service pages
- A shorter demo form with fewer fields
- Better trust blocks like logos, certifications, and short client quotes
- A dedicated demo landing page for SEO visitors
Month by month work and results:
The six month plan was built month by month so progress stayed visible. The numbers below are for New York focused organic performance and tracked demo outcomes.
February 2025: tracking, fixes, and quick wins:
February 2025 was about setting the base and removing friction.
Work completed:
- Full technical audit and cleanup plan
- Analytics and conversion tracking for forms and calendar bookings
- First round of internal linking improvements
- Updated titles and page descriptions for core service pages
Results in February 2025:
- Monthly demos: 18
- Organic sessions from New York searches: 1,200
- Demo conversion rate from organic: about 1.5 percent
- Keywords in top 10: 32
- Keywords in top 3: 4
March 2025: rebuild service pages for intent:
March 2025 focused on building pages that directly matched buying searches.
Work completed:
- Rebuilt 5 core service pages with clearer structure and stronger proof
- Added FAQ sections based on real sales calls
- Created 2 comparison style pages, focused on decision making
- Improved internal links from blog posts to service pages
Results in March 2025:
- Monthly demos: 28
- Organic sessions from New York searches: 1,520
- Demo conversion rate from organic: about 1.8 percent
- Keywords in top 10: 46
- Keywords in top 3: 6
April 2025: local trust and authority build:
April 2025 was about showing credibility fast, especially for New York searches where competition is high.
Work completed:
- Google Business Profile updates with services, photos, and weekly posts
- Directory consistency cleanup across 20 listings
- Published 4 blog posts aimed at high intent HR outsourcing questions
- Added a “Why New York employers choose us” proof section on main pages
Results in April 2025:
- Monthly demos: 45
- Organic sessions from New York searches: 2,050
- Demo conversion rate from organic: about 2.2 percent
- Keywords in top 10: 71
- Keywords in top 3: 10
May 2025: content that converts and case proof:
May 2025 focused on sales support content and proof. This is where demo growth started to accelerate.
Work completed:
- Published 2 detailed case stories with real outcomes and timelines
- Built 3 downloadable checklists for compliance and onboarding
- Created a dedicated demo page and improved the booking flow
- Added internal links from every service page to the demo page
Results in May 2025:
- Monthly demos: 63
- Organic sessions from New York searches: 2,780
- Demo conversion rate from organic: about 2.3 percent
- Keywords in top 10: 95
- Keywords in top 3: 14
June 2025: rankings push and link building:
June 2025 was about strengthening authority so more pages could reach top positions. We kept it clean and focused on real business relevance.
Work completed:
- Outreach to industry partners for mentions and links
- Published 3 long form guides focused on “cost” and “comparison” queries
- Optimized internal linking to push near page one keywords
- Added stronger schema and structured data to key pages
Results in June 2025:
- Monthly demos: 78
- Organic sessions from New York searches: 3,450
- Demo conversion rate from organic: about 2.3 percent
- Keywords in top 10: 128
- Keywords in top 3: 19
July 2025: scale what worked and tighten qualification:
July 2025 focused on scaling the best topics and improving demo quality, not just volume.
Work completed:
- Expanded the top 5 service pages with deeper sections and more proof
- Added a “who we are not a fit for” section to reduce wrong leads
- Built 2 industry specific landing pages for New York sectors
- Continued Google Business Profile posts and review requests
Results in July 2025:
- Monthly demos: 90
- Organic sessions from New York searches: 4,100
- Demo conversion rate from organic: about 2.2 percent
- Keywords in top 10: 162
- Keywords in top 3: 25
Before versus after proof:
This is the clearest comparison between the baseline month and the final month in the six month window. The focus here is on booked demos, not just leads.
Demo growth:
January 2025 compared to July 2025:
- Before: 12 monthly demos
- After: 90 monthly demos
- Change: 7.5 times increase in monthly demos
Traffic growth tied to demos:
January 2025 compared to July 2025:
- Before: 1,050 organic sessions from New York searches
- After: 4,100 organic sessions from New York searches
- Change: about 3.9 times more local organic traffic
Keyword visibility lift:
January 2025 compared to July 2025:
- Before: 24 keywords in the top 10 and 3 in the top 3
- After: 162 keywords in the top 10 and 25 in the top 3
This mattered because most demos came from high intent searches, not from broad HR terms.
Quality signals we tracked:
By July 2025, the sales team also reported stronger lead fit:
- More demo requests from founders and operations leaders
- More demos from businesses with 25 to 250 employees, which was the target
- Higher share of demos mentioning compliance and payroll needs in New York
Tools used during the campaign:
We kept the tool stack practical. Every tool had a job tied to demos, rankings, or conversion improvement.
Tracking and reporting tools:
- Google Analytics 4: traffic and conversion events
- Google Search Console: queries, clicks, and index monitoring
- Looker Studio: simple monthly reporting dashboard
- CRM reporting: demo confirmation and qualification tracking
- Call tracking tool: source of calls and booked demo outcomes
SEO and research tools:
- Screaming Frog or similar site crawler: technical audits and broken links
- Ahrefs or Semrush: keyword research, competitor checks, and link tracking
- Rank tracking tool: weekly position tracking for high intent terms
Conversion and UX tools:
- Heatmap and session recording tool: identify drop offs and confusing sections
- Form tracking: measure completion rates and field drop offs
Why this worked in New York:
New York is competitive, and HR outsourcing is crowded. The reason this worked is because we did not try to do everything at once.
We focused on:
- Strong service pages that match buying searches
- Proof that reduces fear and makes decisions easier
- Local trust signals that fit New York expectations
- A smoother demo booking path so traffic turned into meetings
Key takeaways for other B2B service firms:
If you are a B2B service provider and you want more demos from SEO, the steps are simple but need steady execution.
Takeaways from this project:
- Set up clean tracking first so you can prove what is working
- Build pages for the searches that show buying intent, not just awareness
- Add proof in every step, like case stories, numbers, and client quotes
- Improve conversion paths so you get more demos from the same traffic