SEO Case Study: Increased Distributor Inquiries by 120% in 8 Months for a B2B Chemical Supplier in Houston
In February 2025, a Houston based B2B chemical supplier partnered with Goforaeo to fix slow organic growth and turn search traffic into real distributor inquiries. The company had strong operations and repeat buyers, but the website was not pulling its weight for inbound RFQs.
Over the next eight months, we rebuilt the SEO foundation, created product and industry pages that matched how distributors search, and tightened tracking so every inquiry could be proven inside analytics and CRM.
Project snapshot and timeframe:
This engagement ran for eight months from February 2025 to September 2025. We used January 2025 as the baseline month before any SEO changes were made.
Key details:
- Location: Houston, Texas
- Business type: B2B chemical supplier selling bulk and packaged industrial chemicals
- Timeframe: February 2025 through September 2025
- Baseline month: January 2025
- Primary outcome: Distributor inquiries rose from 25 per month to 55 per month
Client background and starting point in Houston:
This supplier serves distributors, manufacturers, and industrial facilities across Houston and the Gulf Coast. Their strongest demand came from repeat purchase orders, but new distributor accounts were harder to win because competitors were showing up more often in search results.
Their website looked fine on the surface, but it did not match buyer intent. Many pages were thin, hard to navigate, and did not help a distributor quickly confirm: product availability, specs, packaging options, and lead times.
What a distributor inquiry meant in this campaign:
We only counted inquiries that showed real distributor intent, not random contact form messages.
A qualified distributor inquiry included:
- An RFQ form submission with product name and quantity or packaging
- A phone call over 60 seconds from organic search
- An email inquiry from a business domain asking for pricing, availability, SDS, COA, or lead time
- A request for samples or onboarding information
Baseline metrics in January 2025:
Before work started, these were the numbers we used as the starting point:
- Organic sessions: 1,950
- Search Console impressions: 142,000
- Search Console clicks: 810
- Distributor inquiries from organic sources: 25
- Form inquiries: 17
- Tracked calls: 8
- Organic conversion rate to inquiry: 1.28 percent
- Keywords in top 3 positions: 5
- Keywords in top 10 positions: 34
What was holding them back before SEO:
The issues were not about effort. The issue was structure, clarity, and trust signals.
Main blockers we found:
- Product pages were missing key details distributors expect: grades, specs, packaging, and typical use cases
- Many products were grouped poorly, so search engines and users could not find the right pages easily
- The site did not have strong Houston signals for “supplier near me” style searches
- Internal linking was weak, so important pages did not get enough authority
- Tracking was incomplete, so organic inquiries were undercounted and hard to prove
Strategy overview used by Goforaeo:
We used a simple plan built around how distributors actually research suppliers. The focus was: be easy to trust, easy to understand, and easy to contact.
The strategy had five parts:
- Measurement and lead attribution first
- Technical cleanup so important pages can rank
- Product and category pages built for distributor intent
- Industry pages and helpful resources to build trust
- Conversion improvements so the right visitors actually submit RFQs
Tracking and proof setup:
In the first two weeks of February 2025, we set up clean tracking so every claim could be backed by data.
Tracking work completed:
- Google Analytics 4 conversion events for RFQ, contact, and quote form submissions
- Google Search Console checks for indexing and query performance
- Call tracking with source and landing page attribution
- CRM mapping so organic leads were labeled and qualified by the sales team
- A simple monthly dashboard to review sessions, clicks, inquiries, and conversion rate
Tools used for tracking and reporting:
- Google Analytics 4: sessions, landing pages, conversions
- Google Search Console: queries, impressions, clicks, indexing
- Call tracking software: tracked calls from organic landing pages
- CRM system: lead quality notes and pipeline status
- Looker Studio: monthly reporting dashboard
How we built the SEO foundation for a chemical supplier:
Chemical SEO is not just blog posts. Distributors want proof, details, and safety documentation, and they want it fast.
We focused on three things early:
- Clear product architecture
- Better on page content for key products
- Trust assets like SDS access and clear company information
Technical fixes we prioritized:
We kept the technical work practical and tied to rankings.
Core fixes included:
- Improved site speed on mobile and reduced heavy scripts
- Fixed index issues and removed duplicate thin pages that competed with each other
- Cleaned meta titles and headings on high intent pages
- Improved internal linking between categories, product pages, and RFQ pages
- Added structured data where relevant for organization and product style pages
Product and category pages built for distributor intent:
We rebuilt pages so a distributor could quickly confirm the basics and submit an RFQ without guessing.
Each key product page included:
- Product overview in simple words
- Common industrial applications
- Packaging options and typical order quantities
- Basic specs and grade details where allowed
- SDS and COA request path
- Clear CTA for RFQ and a direct phone option
Month by month work and monthly results:
Below is the eight month timeline from February 2025 to September 2025. Each month includes what we shipped and the key numbers we tracked.
February 2025: audit, tracking, and quick wins:
February was about building a clean baseline and removing the obvious technical blocks.
Work completed in February 2025:
- Full technical and content audit
- GA4 conversions, call tracking, and CRM source labeling
- Fixed top priority index and internal linking issues
- Improved titles and page copy on the highest intent pages
Results for February 2025:
- Organic sessions: 2,080
- Search Console clicks: 890
- Distributor inquiries: 28
- Form inquiries: 19
- Tracked calls: 9
- Keywords in top 3: 6
- Keywords in top 10: 38
March 2025: new site structure and category rebuild:
March focused on making the website easier to understand for both users and search engines.
Work completed in March 2025:
- Rebuilt product category structure based on how people search
- Created cleaner navigation for key chemical categories
- Added internal links from categories to priority product pages
- Wrote stronger copy for core categories with Houston relevance
Results for March 2025:
- Organic sessions: 2,320
- Search Console clicks: 990
- Distributor inquiries: 32
- Form inquiries: 22
- Tracked calls: 10
- Keywords in top 3: 7
- Keywords in top 10: 45
April 2025: priority product pages and RFQ flow improvements:
April was the first major production month for product pages. We focused on the products that already had demand in Search Console impressions.
Work completed in April 2025:
- Published 10 improved product pages for priority chemicals
- Added clearer packaging and quote requirement sections
- Built one focused RFQ landing page for distributors
- Improved CTA placement on product pages and category pages
Results for April 2025:
- Organic sessions: 2,700
- Search Console clicks: 1,130
- Distributor inquiries: 37
- Form inquiries: 26
- Tracked calls: 11
- Keywords in top 3: 9
- Keywords in top 10: 54
May 2025: industry pages and trust building content:
May was about trust. In chemical supply, buyers want to know you understand their industry and compliance expectations.
Work completed in May 2025:
- Created 6 industry pages such as manufacturing, water treatment, and industrial cleaning
- Built a simple resource hub for documentation requests
- Added FAQs based on sales questions, written in plain language
- Began consistent directory and citation cleanup for Houston signals
Results for May 2025:
- Organic sessions: 3,150
- Search Console clicks: 1,290
- Distributor inquiries: 41
- Form inquiries: 29
- Tracked calls: 12
- Keywords in top 3: 11
- Keywords in top 10: 64
June 2025: SDS and documentation access improvements:
June focused on removing friction. Many visitors were landing, but some were leaving because they could not quickly find SDS and basic documentation steps.
Work completed in June 2025:
- Added an SDS request workflow linked from every priority product page
- Created a “How documentation requests work” page for distributors
- Expanded 8 product pages with better specs and applications
- Improved internal links from industry pages to relevant products
Results for June 2025:
- Organic sessions: 3,560
- Search Console clicks: 1,470
- Distributor inquiries: 46
- Form inquiries: 32
- Tracked calls: 14
- Keywords in top 3: 13
- Keywords in top 10: 73
July 2025: authority growth and buyer clarity updates:
July was about credibility and clarity. We added proof points that helped buyers trust the supplier faster.
Work completed in July 2025:
- Earned 5 relevant backlinks from partners and industry listings
- Improved About page with facility details, service region, and team credibility
- Added clear response time expectations on RFQ pages
- Published 4 educational articles that answered common distributor questions
Results for July 2025:
- Organic sessions: 3,980
- Search Console clicks: 1,650
- Distributor inquiries: 49
- Form inquiries: 34
- Tracked calls: 15
- Keywords in top 3: 15
- Keywords in top 10: 82
August 2025: scaling product coverage and refreshing winners:
By August, we had clear signs of what topics and products were gaining traction. We scaled what was working.
Work completed in August 2025:
- Published 12 additional product pages and expanded 6 older pages
- Refreshed titles and introductions based on Search Console query data
- Added more internal links from high performing pages to RFQ pages
- Improved page speed further by compressing media assets
Results for August 2025:
- Organic sessions: 4,320
- Search Console clicks: 1,820
- Distributor inquiries: 52
- Form inquiries: 37
- Tracked calls: 15
- Keywords in top 3: 16
- Keywords in top 10: 90
September 2025: conversion tuning and lead quality improvements:
September was about tightening the funnel. We wanted more inquiries, but we also wanted better inquiries.
Work completed in September 2025:
- Simplified the distributor RFQ form and added smart prompts for key fields
- Added a quick “what to include in your request” section across key pages
- Built 2 new landing pages for high intent Houston searches
- Reviewed lead quality in CRM and updated content to reduce low intent contacts
Results for September 2025:
- Organic sessions: 4,600
- Search Console clicks: 1,980
- Distributor inquiries: 55
- Form inquiries: 40
- Tracked calls: 15
- Organic conversion rate to inquiry: 1.20 percent
- Keywords in top 3: 18
- Keywords in top 10: 96
Before versus after proof:
This is the clean comparison from the baseline month to the final month of the campaign. All dates are in 2025.
Inquiry proof:
- Before in January 2025: 25 distributor inquiries per month
- After in September 2025: 55 distributor inquiries per month
That is a 120 percent increase in distributor inquiries over the eight month period.
Visibility and traffic proof:
- Before in January 2025: 1,950 organic sessions and 810 Search Console clicks
- After in September 2025: 4,600 organic sessions and 1,980 Search Console clicks
Traffic growth mattered, but the bigger win was that the traffic became more product focused and more RFQ ready.
Ranking depth proof:
- Before in January 2025: 5 keywords in top 3 and 34 keywords in top 10
- After in September 2025: 18 keywords in top 3 and 96 keywords in top 10
Most ranking gains came from product and supplier intent searches tied to Houston and nearby industrial regions.
What changed on the website that made the difference:
The numbers improved because the site started matching how distributors think.
Key improvements that drove results:
- Better product page depth, so buyers did not need to call just to ask basic questions
- Clear categories and internal links, so search engines could understand page relationships
- More trust signals, including documentation request paths and clearer company information
- Faster pages and stronger mobile experience, which reduced drop offs
- Better CTAs and simpler RFQ forms, which reduced friction
Content types that performed best:
For this supplier, the strongest pages were not generic blog posts. The strongest pages were product and industry pages that answered specific buyer needs.
Top content types:
- Product pages with packaging and application clarity
- Category pages that explain what is included and who it is for
- Industry pages that connect products to real use cases
- Documentation pages that explain SDS and COA requests in plain words
Tools used by Goforaeo:
We used a practical set of tools, focused on proof and execution.
Analytics and tracking tools:
- Google Analytics 4: conversion events, landing page performance
- Google Search Console: queries, indexing, page level clicks
- Call tracking software: call source and landing pages
- CRM tracking: lead quality notes and status
- Looker Studio: monthly KPI reporting
SEO and site health tools:
- A site crawler: technical audits, internal link checks, duplicate content detection
- A keyword research tool: product keyword mapping and content planning
- A backlink monitoring tool: track referring domains and new links
Content and workflow tools:
- Google Docs: writing and editing
- Project board tool: briefs, deadlines, approvals, and publish status
- On page QA checklist: consistent standards before publishing
Key lessons from this Houston chemical supplier campaign:
This project worked because we stayed close to how the market buys.
Simple lessons that held true:
- Distributors want clear product info fast, not marketing language
- Product structure and internal linking can drive big results even before heavy content publishing
- Documentation access and trust signals can lift conversions without chasing more traffic
- Monthly tracking keeps the team focused and removes guesswork