At the outset, Dutch Builders was facing several common yet critical digital marketing challenges. Their website had little visibility for high-intent keywords related to their core services, such as “barndominium builders Ohio” or “Amish barn builders near me.” Even for branded terms like “Dutch Builders Ohio,” their performance was underwhelming.

Beyond keyword rankings, there was no structured content strategy in place. The site lacked an About Us page—a key trust signal for users and Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) guidelines. There were no blog articles or l resources to support their credibility or help customers move through the decision-making process.

To make matters more difficult, they had no meaningful backlinks, inconsistent activity on Google Business Profile (GBP), and a minimal presence on social media platforms. In a market increasingly driven by local and mobile discovery, that lack of visibility was a serious liability.

We started by building the digital equivalent of a blueprint. Like any well-executed construction project, successful SEO begins with a strong foundation. In December 2024, our team performed a full technical audit of Dutch Builders’ website. We identified several key issues: gaps in indexing, thin content on priority pages, and missing meta titles and descriptions. We also saw opportunities to improve crawlability by refining internal links and site architecture.

The first thing we fixed was the absence of an About Us page. While seemingly minor, this addition significantly improved trust signals and helped the site better qualify for branded and navigational queries. It also gave Google additional context about the business, supporting broader E-E-A-T goals.

With the technical groundwork in place, we pivoted to a robust content strategy centered around a pillar-cluster model. Our primary goal was to capture traffic from both transactional and informational search terms, so we began by publishing a flagship resource—“The Ultimate Guide to Pole Barn Builders.” This pillar page was complemented by cluster content tailored to narrower topics and localized queries, such as “How to Choose the Right Local Pole Barn Builder” and “Designing Your Perfect Pole Barn Home.”

Articles weren’t just written for SEO—they were created to reflect different stages of the customer journey. Some focused on early-stage research, others were built for comparison shopping, and still others targeted users who were ready to convert. The result was deeper engagement and longer dwell times, with more users interacting with multiple pages.

We launched an off-site SEO initiative to build Dutch Builders’ domain authority. We pursued quality backlinks through guest posts, contextually relevant mentions, and community-focused platforms. This outreach not only strengthened their backlink profile but also positioned Dutch Builders as a trustworthy, regional authority in the niche construction space.

In just five months, the impact of our SEO strategy was measurable, consistent, and directly tied to business growth.

Organic Keyword Rankings

In December 2024, Dutch Builders ranked for just 303 total keywords, with only 4 in the top three positions. By April 2025, that number had surged to 600 keywords—representing a 98% increase. The number of top-three rankings grew more than sevenfold, reaching 29.

This boost in rankings wasn’t just cosmetic. The increase in keywords directly led to a surge in qualified organic traffic, including more visibility for high-intent terms like “barndominium builders near me,” “Amish barndominium builders Ohio,” and other key service-focused queries.

Organic Traffic Performance (GA4)

Between November 2024 and March 2025, the number of total website users increased from 464 to 1,147—a 147% increase. New users jumped even higher, from 428 to 1,095 (155% growth), while returning user traffic more than doubled.

The clearest indicator of engagement? A 531% spike in total event count, indicating users were browsing more pages, spending more time on site, and interacting with calls to action.

Google Search Console (GSC)

In just four months, total clicks rose from 272 to 1,250, while impressions climbed from 6,150 to over 23,600. Average position improved from 39.6 to 26.1, and click-through rate (CTR) increased to 5.3%.

Conversions: Where Traffic Turns into Revenue

Form submissions from organic traffic increased by nearly 50% between January and March 2025, climbing from 27 to 40. Phone-based conversions also improved, showing month-over-month gains with 19 unique call conversions tracked in March.