SEO Case Study: From 8 to 65 Monthly RFQs in 6 Months for a B2B Steel Supplier in Chicago
In January 2025, a B2B steel supplier in Chicago partnered with Goforaeo because their website was not producing consistent, sales ready inquiries. They were getting some requests, but most months felt random and the sales team could not predict pipeline from organic search.
This SEO Case Study explains exactly what we changed, what we built month by month, and how the site turned into a steady source of qualified RFQs from Chicago and nearby industrial areas.
Project Snapshot: Dates, Timeframe, Location
The project ran from January 10, 2025 to July 10, 2025. This is a 6 month execution window with weekly action items and clear monthly reporting.
The primary location focus was Chicago, Illinois, plus nearby areas where buyers commonly search and request quotes.
Target area focus: Chicago and nearby buying zones
We kept the core location as Chicago, then expanded around it once rankings started to move:
- Chicago: West Loop, South Side industrial corridor, Northwest side
- Cicero, Bedford Park, Summit, Oak Lawn
- Elmhurst, Addison, Melrose Park, Schaumburg
- Joliet and Aurora for larger fabrication and construction demand
Client Overview: What They Sold and Who They Sold To
This was not a retail steel shop. Their customers were businesses that buy steel repeatedly and often need cutting, delivery, and fast turnaround.
They served:
- Fabricators and welding shops
- Construction contractors
- Manufacturing and maintenance teams
- Machine shops and OEM vendors
- Facility managers who need replacement steel fast
They supplied common categories like carbon steel, plate, sheet, tube, beams, and also handled processing services depending on the order.
Starting Point in January 2025: Before Proof
On January 10, 2025, the website existed and the business had a strong offline reputation. But online discovery was weak because the pages were not built around search intent and quote intent.
Here is what we measured at baseline:
- Monthly RFQs from organic: 8
- Qualified RFQs from organic: 6 (we removed spam and non fit requests)
- Google Search Console impressions (monthly): 9,400
- Google Search Console clicks (monthly): 214
- Organic sessions (monthly): 540
- Organic conversion rate to RFQ: 1.5%
- High intent keywords in Top 10: 4
- High intent keywords in Top 3: 0
What was holding performance back
The main issues were simple but costly:
- Many product pages were thin and looked similar
- Important items were hidden in PDFs that Google rarely ranks well
- The RFQ form was long and unclear on mobile
- There was no strong “steel supplier in Chicago” relevance built into key pages
- Internal links were weak, so authority did not flow to money pages
- Some pages were slow due to heavy images and older scripts
What We Meant by “Qualified RFQ”
This matters because steel suppliers can get a lot of low value or irrelevant inquiries.
For this project, a qualified RFQ meant:
- Business email or traceable company details
- Clear product need: type, grade, size, quantity, delivery timeline
- Chicago or nearby delivery area, or pickup intent
- A realistic buyer: fabricator, contractor, manufacturer, or purchasing team
We tracked total RFQs and qualified RFQs so the results stayed honest.
Strategy Overview: What We Did and Why It Worked
We did not treat this like a generic SEO campaign. For industrial buyers, the website must answer quote questions quickly and make the buyer feel confident.
We used a four part plan:
- Build strong quote intent pages for core products and services
- Create supporting content that matches real buyer questions
- Strengthen local trust for Chicago so Google ranks the business for nearby searches
- Improve conversion so more visitors turn into RFQs without increasing ad spend
The simple logic behind the plan
Steel buyers usually search in two modes:
- They know what they want: “A36 plate supplier Chicago” or “steel tube supplier Chicago”
- They need a service: “cut to length steel Chicago” or “same day steel delivery Chicago”
So we built pages that match these searches directly, then we made those pages easy to trust and easy to convert.
Keyword and Page Mapping: How We Picked What to Build
We focused on high intent terms that lead to quote requests, not broad terms that bring students and DIY traffic.
Examples of high intent keywords we targeted:
- steel supplier Chicago
- steel plate supplier Chicago
- carbon steel plate Chicago
- A36 steel supplier Chicago
- steel tube supplier Chicago
- square tubing supplier Chicago
- steel beam supplier Chicago
- wide flange beam supplier Chicago
- steel sheet supplier Chicago
- hot rolled steel Chicago
- cut to length steel Chicago
- steel delivery Chicago
- same day steel delivery Chicago
- steel distributor Chicago IL
- metal supplier Chicago for fabrication
Then we mapped them to a clean site structure:
- Core category pages: plate, sheet, tube, beam
- Sub pages: grades, sizes, use cases
- Service pages: cutting, delivery, pickup, processing
- Location relevance: Chicago signals placed naturally across key pages
Tracking Setup: How We Measured RFQs Correctly
Before scaling work, we fixed tracking so reporting matched sales reality.
We set up:
- GA4 conversion events for RFQ form submissions
- Call tracking for quote calls from organic visitors
- Google Search Console to monitor query movement and page indexing
- Basic CRM tagging so the client could see which RFQs came from organic
This made monthly decisions simple: build more of what produces qualified quotes.
Month by Month Execution and Results
January 2025: Fix Foundations and Build the Quote Path
January was about removing blocks and setting up the site to support new pages.
We started fast because industrial SEO rewards clean structure and crawlability.
Work completed in January 2025
- Full technical audit and crawl cleanup
- Page speed fixes on top landing pages
- New RFQ form layout with fewer fields and clearer labels
- Internal linking plan from homepage and navigation to product categories
- Keyword to page map for the top products and services
Deliverables:
- 1 technical audit checklist completed
- 1 RFQ form improvement release
- 12 internal links added to push authority to money pages
- 6 page outlines ready for production
January 2025 performance
- RFQs: 8
- Qualified RFQs: 6
- Impressions: 9,400
- Clicks: 214
- Organic sessions: 540
February 2025: Build Core Product Pages That Buyers Actually Search
February was focused on building pages that match common RFQ searches. We made them simple, clear, and full of practical buying info.
Work completed in February 2025
- Rebuilt the main category pages: plate, sheet, tube, beams
- Added clear sections: sizes, grades, common uses, delivery options
- Added FAQs based on real customer calls
- Updated title tags and meta descriptions for quote intent
- Added trust signals: service area, turnaround times, how ordering works
Deliverables:
- 4 core category pages rebuilt
- 10 supporting sections added across product pages
- 16 FAQs published
- 18 metadata improvements
February 2025 performance
- RFQs: 14
- Qualified RFQs: 11
- Impressions: 13,800
- Clicks: 328
- Organic sessions: 820
- High intent keywords in Top 10: 9
What changed: the site started showing up for more product specific searches, not just branded searches.
March 2025: Add Service Pages and Build Supporting Content
March is where we expanded into service intent and buyer questions, because steel buyers often need cutting and delivery, not just material.
Work completed in March 2025
- Built service pages: cutting, delivery, pickup, fast turnaround
- Created content aimed at purchasing teams: how to request a steel quote, what info speeds pricing
- Added internal links from blogs to product and service pages
- Optimized Google Business Profile categories, services, photos, and Q and A
- Improved location signals on priority pages without stuffing “Chicago” everywhere
Deliverables:
- 3 service pages created
- 6 supporting articles published
- 22 internal links added across the site
- 4 Google Business Profile updates and posts
March 2025 performance
- RFQs: 26
- Qualified RFQs: 21
- Impressions: 22,500
- Clicks: 540
- Organic sessions: 1,360
- High intent keywords in Top 3: 2
What changed: the campaign began attracting buyers who were closer to purchasing, especially those needing delivery and quick processing.
April 2025: Local Authority, Stronger Pages, and Better Conversions
April focused on two things: stronger local presence and higher conversion. Ranking is great, but steel buyers also need a reason to trust and act.
Work completed in April 2025
- Built local citations and cleaned up inconsistent business listings
- Added stronger proof sections: industries served, common order types, turnaround notes
- Created pages for high demand sub categories like A36 plate and hot rolled sheet
- Improved RFQ page copy to reduce confusion and boost form completion
- Added click to call tracking and improved mobile quote buttons
Deliverables:
- 12 citations built or corrected
- 4 sub category pages created
- 2 conversion improvement releases on RFQ flow
- 8 new internal links to boost sub category pages
April 2025 performance
- RFQs: 41
- Qualified RFQs: 33
- Impressions: 34,900
- Clicks: 842
- Organic sessions: 2,050
- Organic conversion rate to RFQ: 2.0%
- High intent keywords in Top 10: 18
What changed: quote requests rose even when traffic did not double, because the site became easier to use and the message matched buyer needs.
May 2025: Push Rankings for Money Keywords and Earn Relevant Links
In May we scaled what was already working, then pushed the pages sitting in positions 4 to 12 into the top spots.
Work completed in May 2025
- Content refresh on pages near the top: better headings, better FAQs, clearer size and grade info
- Added more internal links from high traffic pages to quote pages
- Outreach for links from local industry groups, supplier directories, and partner mentions
- Published content aimed at fabrication buyers: tubing types, beam selection basics, plate thickness guidance
- Improved images and reduced page weight on product pages to keep speed stable
Deliverables:
- 6 page refreshes completed
- 5 new support articles published
- 8 relevant referring domains earned
- 15 internal links added to strengthen quote paths
May 2025 performance
- RFQs: 54
- Qualified RFQs: 45
- Impressions: 47,600
- Clicks: 1,120
- Organic sessions: 2,720
- High intent keywords in Top 3: 6
What changed: the biggest lift came from ranking improvements on product specific terms like plate and tube, which tend to convert better than broad “metal supplier” searches.
June 2025: Stabilize, Improve Click Rate, and Remove RFQ Friction
June was about stability and efficiency. Once you start ranking, small improvements in click rate and form completion can create big RFQ gains.
Work completed in June 2025
- Tested and improved title tags and meta descriptions for pages already ranking
- Added quick quote prompts on product pages: grade, size, quantity, delivery
- Improved trust sections: how pricing works, lead times, delivery coverage
- Continued link building with strict quality checks
- Cleaned up tracking so the client could see organic RFQs clearly in their CRM
Deliverables:
- 10 meta descriptions improved
- 6 titles refined for stronger intent
- 5 more referring domains earned
- RFQ tracking cleanup completed
June 2025 performance
- RFQs: 65
- Qualified RFQs: 54
- Impressions: 58,200
- Clicks: 1,480
- Organic sessions: 3,200
- High intent keywords in Top 3: 10
This is where the site became a reliable quote engine, not just a marketing asset.
Results Summary: Before vs After Proof
Here is the clean comparison from January 2025 to June 2025:
- Monthly RFQs: 8 to 65
- Qualified monthly RFQs: 6 to 54
- Monthly impressions: 9,400 to 58,200
- Monthly clicks: 214 to 1,480
- Monthly organic sessions: 540 to 3,200
- High intent keywords in Top 3: 0 to 10
- High intent keywords in Top 10: 4 to 24
What improved beyond the numbers
The sales team reported that RFQs became clearer and easier to price. Buyers were landing on the right pages, so they asked better questions and shared better specs.
We saw more RFQs that included:
- steel grade and thickness
- cut sizes and quantity
- pickup vs delivery preference
- timeline expectations
That is the kind of improvement that affects revenue, not just traffic.
Why This Worked: The Practical Reasons
This worked because we built for real purchasing intent, not generic content.
Key reasons:
- We created pages for how buyers search: product plus location, service plus location
- We moved important info out of PDFs and into crawlable pages
- We improved internal linking so Google could see which pages matter most
- We strengthened local trust signals around Chicago in a natural way
- We made the RFQ flow simpler, especially on mobile
- We built authority with relevant links, not random link packages
Tools Used: What We Used During the Campaign
We used a straightforward tool stack and each tool had a clear job.
- Google Search Console: queries, indexing, impressions, clicks, page level growth
- Google Analytics 4: organic sessions, engagement, conversion events
- Google Business Profile: local visibility, service updates, posts, call actions
- Screaming Frog: crawl health, internal links, duplicate metadata, broken pages
- Ahrefs or Semrush: keyword tracking, competitor research, link opportunities
- Looker Studio: monthly reporting dashboards for clean review
- Call tracking tool: tracking quote calls from organic pages
- CRM or pipeline tool: tagging and validating qualified RFQs
- Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity: finding where users drop off on RFQ forms
What We Delivered Each Month: Work Output Recap
To make this genuine and easy to verify, here is the monthly work summary:
- January 2025: technical cleanup, tracking, RFQ form improvement, page plan
- February 2025: core product pages rebuilt, FAQs, metadata upgrades
- March 2025: service pages, supporting content, internal links, GBP improvements
- April 2025: citations, sub category pages, conversion upgrades, stronger trust sections
- May 2025: refresh pages close to top, build links, publish fabrication focused content
- June 2025: improve click rate, remove RFQ friction, strengthen authority and tracking
Takeaways for Other B2B Suppliers
If you are a B2B supplier and want more RFQs from SEO, these are the lessons that matter:
- Build product pages that match purchase intent, not brochure style pages
- Add service pages like delivery and cutting because those drive quotes
- Make the RFQ path fast, simple, and mobile friendly
- Use Chicago signals naturally across key pages and local listings
- Track qualified RFQs so you know what is actually working
- Keep improving pages that rank positions 4 to 12 because that is where the biggest wins happen