SEO Case Study: Tripled Non-Branded Impressions in 6 Months for a B2B SaaS in Boston
In February 2025, a Boston based B2B SaaS company partnered with Goforaeo to improve organic visibility beyond branded searches. The focus was simple: get discovered by new buyers who were searching for problems, features, and solutions, not the company name.
Over the next six months, non branded impressions in Google Search grew more than 3X, and the lift came from steady technical cleanup, better page targeting, and consistent content that matched real SaaS buying questions.
Project overview: dates, timeframe, and location:
This campaign ran for six months from February 2025 through July 2025. We used January 2025 as the baseline month to compare performance before changes.
Quick snapshot:
- Location: Boston, Massachusetts
- Company type: B2B SaaS
- Timeframe: February 2025 to July 2025
- Baseline month: January 2025
- Primary metric: Non branded impressions from Google Search Console
- Supporting metrics: Non branded clicks, number of ranking pages, assisted conversions from organic
Starting point: what the data looked like before work started:
In January 2025, the site was already getting some traffic, but it was heavily brand led. Most impressions came from searches that included the company name, product name, or close variations.
There were also a few blog posts ranking, but they did not connect well to product pages, and they were not designed to pull in mid funnel searches like comparisons, integrations, or use cases.
Baseline metrics in January 2025:
Here is what we recorded as the baseline in January 2025:
- Non branded impressions: 21,450
- Non branded clicks: 610
- Non branded average CTR: 2.8 percent
- Pages receiving non branded impressions: 38
- High intent non branded keywords in top 10 positions: 9
Main issues holding back non branded growth:
We found several patterns that are common for B2B SaaS sites:
- Too many pages were written like internal product notes, not like customer facing pages
- Core features were not mapped to search intent, so Google did not know which pages to rank
- Important pages were competing with each other for the same terms, especially on feature topics
- Internal links were weak, so newer content could not gain authority
- Some pages loaded slowly on mobile, especially image heavy blog templates
- Titles and meta descriptions were not written for clicks, even when rankings improved
What we measured: how we defined non branded impressions and proof:
Non branded impressions can be misunderstood, so we kept the definition strict from day one. The company wanted visibility from people who did not know the brand yet, so we tracked non branded queries separately.
We also made sure every improvement could be explained clearly to the team, so monthly reporting stayed consistent.
Non branded vs branded: the simple rule we used:
To separate branded and non branded queries, we used this rule in reporting:
- Branded queries: anything containing the company name, product name, or common misspellings
- Non branded queries: everything else, including feature terms, problems, comparisons, and integrations
This mattered because total impressions can grow just from PR or word of mouth. Non branded growth is the best early sign that SEO is expanding reach.
Tracking setup in February 2025:
In the first two weeks of February 2025, Goforaeo made tracking reliable so that later wins were easy to prove:
- Google Search Console: query and page level tracking for non branded impressions and clicks
- Google Analytics 4: landing page traffic, engagement, and organic assisted conversions
- HubSpot: form tracking for demo requests and contact submissions
- Looker Studio: a monthly dashboard with the same set of metrics every month
- Event tracking: tracked key actions like demo button clicks and pricing page visits
Strategy: how Goforaeo increased non branded visibility for a SaaS site:
We used a four part strategy. Each part supported the others, and the work was sequenced so we did not waste time publishing content on a weak foundation.
Part 1: technical foundation and index clarity:
Before publishing new content, we fixed issues that reduce Google trust and slow down crawling.
Key actions:
- Improved Core Web Vitals on blog and feature templates by reducing heavy scripts
- Cleaned up duplicate titles and thin pages that were indexed but had no real value
- Fixed canonical and internal link issues that split ranking signals across similar pages
- Updated XML sitemap so Google saw priority pages clearly
- Improved navigation so key use cases and feature pages were reachable in fewer clicks
Part 2: keyword map built around SaaS buying intent:
Instead of chasing random keywords, we built a map that reflected how B2B buyers search in stages.
We grouped keywords into intent buckets:
- Problem aware searches: the pain, the workflow, the bottleneck
- Solution aware searches: the category and common features
- Vendor shortlisting searches: comparisons, alternatives, pricing, integrations
- Implementation searches: setup, onboarding, migration, security, compliance
Then we assigned one primary page for each main topic, so pages stopped competing with each other.
Part 3: content that connects to product pages:
Many SaaS blogs publish content that gets traffic but does not help sales. We avoided that by building content clusters that lead naturally to product pages.
We focused on content types that often drive non branded impressions in SaaS:
- Use case pages: written for real job roles and teams
- Integration pages: built for high intent searches like “tool A integration with tool B”
- Comparison pages: written honestly, not spammy
- Templates and checklists: useful content that earns links and saves time
- Glossary pages: only for terms directly connected to the product value
Every new content piece had clear internal links to one related product or feature page, using natural anchor text.
Part 4: click improvement and authority growth:
Impressions are step one. To turn them into clicks, we improved how pages appear in search, and we worked on authority signals.
Key actions:
- Rewrote titles and meta descriptions for main pages to improve CTR
- Added FAQ style sections to eligible pages to capture more long tail searches
- Added basic schema where it made sense, such as FAQ schema on support style pages
- Built links through partner mentions, integration directories, and real thought leadership outreach
- Updated older posts with better structure, fresher examples, and clearer targeting
Month by month work and results: February 2025 to July 2025:
Below is the monthly breakdown showing what we did and how the numbers moved. All impression and click numbers are from Google Search Console and filtered to non branded queries.
February 2025: setup, audits, quick fixes:
February was about removing obvious blockers and getting clean measurement.
Work completed:
- Full technical audit and content audit
- Query split for branded vs non branded reporting
- Fixed index bloat by noindexing low value pages
- Updated navigation labels to match how buyers search
- Improved mobile load speed on blog template
Non branded results in February 2025:
- Non branded impressions: 24,180
- Non branded clicks: 690
- Pages with non branded impressions: 44
March 2025: keyword map and core page rebuild:
March focused on building pages that deserve to rank for category and feature terms.
Work completed:
- Built the keyword map with page assignments
- Rewrote 6 feature pages to match search intent and clarify use cases
- Created 2 new use case pages for high value Boston area industries served
- Added internal links from blog posts to feature pages
Non branded results in March 2025:
- Non branded impressions: 29,760
- Non branded clicks: 860
- Pages with non branded impressions: 56
April 2025: integration pages and cluster building:
April was about scaling the type of pages that often pull steady impressions in SaaS.
Work completed:
- Published 8 integration landing pages with consistent structure
- Added an integrations hub page for crawl and navigation
- Updated 10 older blog posts with better headings and improved targeting
- Implemented FAQ sections on 4 pages where it fit naturally
Non branded results in April 2025:
- Non branded impressions: 37,900
- Non branded clicks: 1,060
- Pages with non branded impressions: 73
May 2025: comparison pages and CTR improvements:
May was the month where visibility started to show across more mid funnel terms.
Work completed:
- Published 5 comparison pages focused on common shortlist behavior
- Improved titles and meta descriptions for 20 priority URLs
- Added stronger internal linking between comparison pages and feature pages
- Reduced duplicate content across similar pages by rewriting overlapping sections
Non branded results in May 2025:
- Non branded impressions: 47,300
- Non branded clicks: 1,340
- Pages with non branded impressions: 92
June 2025: templates, links, and trust signals:
June focused on content that earns shares and links, plus trust elements that help conversions later.
Work completed:
- Published 6 templates and checklists tied to core workflows
- Built 12 new referring domain links through partner outreach and directory placements
- Added proof elements to key pages, such as short case snippets and security notes
- Improved internal links from templates to product pages
Non branded results in June 2025:
- Non branded impressions: 56,850
- Non branded clicks: 1,620
- Pages with non branded impressions: 108
July 2025: scaling what worked and cleaning page conflicts:
July was about tightening the site and scaling the clusters that performed best.
Work completed:
- Refreshed 12 pages that had impressions but weak CTR
- Consolidated 3 overlapping posts into stronger single pages
- Added new sections to 4 use case pages based on sales call questions
- Published 4 new problem aware guides aimed at top funnel discovery
Non branded results in July 2025:
- Non branded impressions: 67,420
- Non branded clicks: 1,980
- Pages with non branded impressions: 127
Before vs after proof: January 2025 compared to July 2025:
By July 2025, the difference was clear in both reach and breadth. The site was not relying on brand demand alone anymore, it was showing up across many more non branded searches.
Proof points:
- Non branded impressions grew from 21,450 in January 2025 to 67,420 in July 2025
- Non branded clicks grew from 610 in January 2025 to 1,980 in July 2025
- Pages receiving non branded impressions grew from 38 to 127
- High intent non branded keywords in top 10 positions grew from 9 to 28
What this meant in simple business terms:
- More first time buyers found the brand through problem and solution searches
- Sales teams had better pages to send during conversations, especially comparisons and integrations
- Organic started assisting demo requests more often, even when the last click came from another channel
Tools used: what we relied on to plan, execute, and prove results:
We kept the tool stack practical, and every tool had a clear job.
Research and technical tools:
- Google Search Console: query discovery, page performance, indexing checks
- Screaming Frog: crawl audits, duplicate issues, internal link checks
- Ahrefs: competitor research, link opportunities, keyword validation
- PageSpeed Insights: speed checks and template fixes
Content and on page tools:
- Google Docs: writing and collaboration
- Surfer SEO: content coverage checks for priority pages
- Grammarly: clarity and grammar cleanup
- Loom: quick page reviews with the client team
Reporting and conversion tracking tools:
- Google Analytics 4: landing page engagement and assisted conversions
- HubSpot: form tracking and lifecycle reporting
- Looker Studio: monthly reporting dashboard and trend views
- Hotjar: user behavior checks on key pages like pricing and comparisons
Why this worked for a Boston B2B SaaS brand:
Boston is competitive for SaaS, and many companies publish content. The difference here was structure and consistency, not random publishing.
What made the biggest impact:
- We mapped one page to one intent so Google had less confusion
- We built integration and comparison pages that match how buyers shortlist vendors
- We improved internal linking so new pages could earn rankings faster
- We used monthly data to double down on winners and remove content overlap
- We made titles and snippets better so impressions turned into clicks