SEO Case Study: B2B procurement SaaS achieved 0→60 keywords in 4 months
In January 2025, a Phoenix-based B2B procurement SaaS company partnered with Goforaeo to rebuild their organic acquisition channel after months of inconsistent leads and stagnant search visibility. This SEO Case Study breaks down exactly what we changed, why it worked, and the measurable outcomes across four months.
Project snapshot: timeframe, location, and what “success” looked like
This engagement ran from January 6, 2025 to May 5, 2025 and focused on Phoenix, Arizona as the client’s primary market context (sales team, industry events, target accounts, and pipeline mix were heavily Southwest weighted). The site targeted procurement leaders at mid-market companies who were searching for automation, supplier onboarding, and spend control solutions.
Within this window, the site went from 0 to 60 keywords ranking in Google’s top 10 (tracked in Google Search Console and validated via third-party rank tracking). We also improved technical health, built topical authority with cluster content, and tightened conversion pathways so the traffic could convert into demo interest.
Starting point: what we audited and what the numbers looked like before
Before making changes, we ran a full discovery covering technical SEO, content quality, keyword mapping, internal linking, and conversion tracking. The biggest issue was not a single “SEO problem” but a chain reaction: thin pages, unclear positioning, weak site architecture, and very limited topical depth around procurement pain points.
Baseline measurements captured on January 6, 2025 (using trailing 28 days wherever possible):
- Top 10 ranking keywords: 0
- Total keywords in top 100: 41 (mostly branded or low intent)
- Google Search Console clicks (last 28 days): 46
- Google Search Console impressions (last 28 days): 2,180
- Average CTR: 2.1%
- Average position (sitewide): 48.3
- GA4 organic sessions (last 28 days): 112
- Conversions attributed to organic (demo request form submissions): 3
- Demo request conversion rate from organic: 0.8%
The commercial team confirmed another qualitative signal: demo requests that did come through organic were often mismatched, typically very small businesses or students researching procurement basics, not procurement managers looking for software.
What the audit revealed
We summarized the findings into four practical problems to solve first, because they were blocking progress even if we published more content.
- Search intent mismatch: pages talked about features, not outcomes like “reduce maverick spend” or “automate purchase order workflow.”
- Thin, overlapping pages: multiple pages tried to rank for the same broad terms (procurement software, purchasing software) without clear differentiation.
- Weak internal linking: blog posts existed but did not support product or solution pages, so Google had no strong hierarchy.
- Technical friction: index bloat from parameter URLs, slow mobile pages, inconsistent canonical tags, and missing structured data.
Strategy: the sequence we used and why it was logical
We followed a strategy built around one principle: fix the foundation first, then publish content that earns rankings, and finally strengthen authority and conversion pathways. That sequence matters because ranking improvements become unstable when technical and site architecture issues remain unresolved.
Step 1: tighten site architecture around buyer problems
Instead of organizing the site by internal product modules, we restructured navigation and content mapping around how procurement teams search. We built a clean hierarchy:
- Core category pages for high intent themes
- Supporting solution pages aligned to use cases
- Educational content that links upward into solution pages
- Internal links that behave like “rails” guiding both Google and users
We also created a keyword map where each page had one primary target and a small set of close variants. This reduced cannibalization and made performance easier to measure.
Step 2: publish clusters that build topical authority fast
We built content clusters around procurement workflows that had clear commercial value and measurable search demand. These clusters were chosen because they naturally connect to a procurement SaaS:
- Supplier onboarding and vendor management
- Purchase order automation and approvals
- Spend analytics and procurement KPIs
- RFQ, sourcing, and supplier comparison
- Compliance and audit readiness
Each cluster included one strong “hub” page and supporting articles that answered specific questions buyers ask during evaluation.
Step 3: technical SEO cleanup and speed improvements
We made sure Google could crawl and understand the site without wasting crawl budget on thin or duplicated URLs. We also improved mobile performance because most early traffic was arriving on mobile and bouncing quickly.
Step 4: authority building through credible links and digital PR
We focused on links that make sense for a B2B SaaS, not random directories. That meant partner pages, integration ecosystem mentions, procurement communities, guest posts on relevant business operations sites, and selective PR-style placements.
What we changed: implementation details without fluff
This section is intentionally explanatory so the “how” is clear and replicable.
Technical fixes completed in the first 3 weeks
We prioritized fixes that would deliver indexing stability and reduce dilution.
- Removed or noindexed parameterized URLs generating duplicates
- Corrected canonical tags and consolidated near-duplicate pages
- Added structured data for software application and organization where appropriate
- Improved Core Web Vitals by compressing images, reducing unused scripts, and optimizing fonts
- Cleaned XML sitemap so only index-worthy URLs were included
- Fixed broken internal links and redirected outdated blog URLs properly
- Standardized title tags and meta descriptions to align with search intent, not internal jargon
By January 27, 2025, crawl reports showed a meaningful reduction in low-value URLs, and Search Console coverage errors began trending down.
Content upgrades: improving what existed before creating more
We updated key pages first because they were closest to converting.
We rewrote:
- The main product overview page to align with evaluation intent
- A procurement automation page that previously read like a feature checklist
- An integrations page that had no indexable content depth
- A pricing or request-demo flow to reduce friction and improve message clarity
New content: cluster pages built for ranking and conversion
We published a mix of hub pages and supporting articles, each built around a clear intent type. Examples of the kind of pages created:
- Hub style page: “Purchase order automation software” mapped to mid to high intent searches
- Supporting article: approval workflows, three-way matching, audit trails
- Hub style page: “Supplier onboarding software” and related vendor onboarding checklist content
- Supporting article: onboarding email templates, vendor risk scoring, supplier master data basics
- Hub style page: “Procurement spend analytics” and related KPI definitions
- Supporting article: spend cube explanation, procurement KPIs, savings tracking models
Every new piece included:
- A clear point of view based on procurement outcomes
- Skimmable formatting with bullets
- A short “how it works in practice” section
- One contextual CTA, not repeated everywhere
- Links to 2 to 4 related articles and one relevant solution page
Monthly performance: the cleanest proof without tables
Below is the month-by-month performance across the four-month window. All Search Console numbers reflect that month’s performance view at the time of reporting, and rankings were validated with rank tracking.
January 2025: foundation, cleanup, and first content releases
By the end of January 2025, most gains were not yet visible in rankings, which is normal. The goal in month one was to remove blockers and publish the first set of cluster pages.
- Top 10 ranking keywords: 2
- Total keywords in top 100: 74
- Search Console clicks: 61
- Search Console impressions: 3,640
- GA4 organic sessions: 148
- Organic demo requests: 4
Notably, the two early top 10 rankings were long-tail terms connected to vendor onboarding, which confirmed the cluster direction was correct.
February 2025: internal linking starts compounding
February is where internal linking and better mapping started to show consistent movement. Several pages entered positions 11 to 20, which is the “almost there” range.
- Top 10 ranking keywords: 12
- Total keywords in top 100: 128
- Search Console clicks: 134
- Search Console impressions: 8,910
- Average CTR: 2.7%
- GA4 organic sessions: 286
- Organic demo requests: 7
We also saw a shift in query quality. Searches started to include terms like “procurement approval workflow” and “supplier onboarding process,” which are closer to buying intent than generic “what is procurement.”
March 2025: authority signals and content depth push rankings over the edge
March was the first month where multiple target pages crossed into the top 10 in a short period. This is also when earned links began to land consistently.
- Top 10 ranking keywords: 31
- Total keywords in top 100: 201
- Search Console clicks: 312
- Search Console impressions: 18,470
- Average position (sitewide): 33.1
- GA4 organic sessions: 502
- Organic demo requests: 12
- Demo request conversion rate from organic: 1.2%
We saw specific pages driving change, especially the purchase order automation and supplier onboarding hubs. Those pages also began ranking for multiple variants without needing separate pages, which is exactly what cluster content should do.
April 2025: high intent queries appear and conversions improve
April showed that the traffic was not only increasing but also becoming more relevant. Time on page improved on the new hub pages, and form tracking showed higher completion rates.
- Top 10 ranking keywords: 49
- Total keywords in top 100: 267
- Search Console clicks: 487
- Search Console impressions: 29,120
- Average CTR: 3.4%
- GA4 organic sessions: 716
- Organic demo requests: 17
- Demo request conversion rate from organic: 1.4%
A practical win in April was tightening the call to action placements. Instead of placing the same CTA everywhere, we added context based CTAs like “See a procurement approval workflow demo” on workflow pages. That improved completion rate without increasing page friction.
May 2025: 60 top 10 rankings achieved and performance stabilizes
By May 5, 2025, the site hit the milestone that mattered most for visibility: consistent top 10 rankings across a meaningful set of non-branded terms, not just a few lucky hits.
- Top 10 ranking keywords: 60
- Total keywords in top 100: 312
- Search Console clicks: 612
- Search Console impressions: 38,650
- Average position (sitewide): 24.6
- GA4 organic sessions: 892
- Organic demo requests: 21
- Organic assisted conversions: increased, with organic appearing earlier in multi-touch paths in GA4
Before vs after: the proof in plain numbers
Comparing January 6, 2025 baseline to May 5, 2025:
- Top 10 keywords: from 0 to 60
- Search Console clicks: from 46 to 612 per comparable period
- Search Console impressions: from 2,180 to 38,650 per comparable period
- GA4 organic sessions: from 112 to 892 per comparable period
- Organic demo requests: from 3 to 21 per comparable period
- Organic conversion rate: from 0.8% to 1.4%
This was achieved without chasing vanity keywords that do not convert. The ranking set included workflow and pain-point terms that matched what procurement managers actually search during evaluation.
What made the difference: the real levers that moved rankings
A lot of SEO advice sounds good but does not explain what actually created lift. In this project, the strongest drivers were:
- Intent alignment on core pages: We shifted copy from “feature catalog” to “outcome and workflow clarity,” which improved CTR and engagement.
- Cluster design with internal linking discipline: Each supporting article pushed relevance into a hub page, and hub pages linked back, creating a clear topical graph.
- Index hygiene: Removing duplicate and thin URLs prevented Google from “splitting” trust and relevance.
- Credible authority signals: A small number of relevant links beat a large number of generic links.
- Conversion pathway cleanup: More relevant traffic plus clearer CTAs produced measurable demo growth.
Tools used throughout the engagement
We kept tooling practical and measurable, avoiding unnecessary complexity.
- Google Search Console for queries, indexing, and performance reporting
- Google Analytics 4 for sessions, engagement, and conversion attribution
- Looker Studio dashboards to consolidate weekly reporting
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider for crawl diagnostics and internal linking audits
- Ahrefs and Semrush for keyword research, rank tracking, and competitor gap analysis
- PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse for performance and Core Web Vitals work
- Google Tag Manager for conversion tracking consistency
- HubSpot tracking and CRM reporting for lead quality validation
A realistic disclaimer about SEO timelines
SEO results are influenced by competition, budget, website history, technical constraints, and how quickly a company can publish and approve quality content. This case reflects what happened for one Phoenix-based B2B procurement SaaS with consistent execution from January 6, 2025 to May 5, 2025, and outcomes will vary for different sites and markets.
Next steps we recommended after month four
After hitting 60 top 10 rankings, the best move was to protect and expand the lead quality gains:
- Expand into adjacent clusters like AP automation, invoice matching, and supplier risk management
- Build comparison pages carefully, focusing on fairness and intent
- Improve bottom-funnel pages with customer proof, integration examples, and tighter FAQs
- Continue earning industry relevant links through partnerships and procurement communities