SEO Case Study
SEO Case Study: A Strong Site That Search Could Not See
SEO Case Study: A Strong Site That Search Could Not See
SEO Case Study: A Strong Site That Search Could Not See
Moderators Europe had the content and the credibility. What it did not have was a single meta description, a keyword-led title tag or a canonical tag anywhere on the site. We closed all eleven gaps in under three months.
Moderators Europe had the content and the credibility. What it did not have was a single meta description, a keyword-led title tag or a canonical tag anywhere on the site. We closed all eleven gaps in under three months.
Moderators Europe had the content and the credibility. What it did not have was a single meta description, a keyword-led title tag or a canonical tag anywhere on the site. We closed all eleven gaps in under three months.
Client
Moderators Europe
Moderators Europe
Sector
Professional Services
Professional Services
Platform
Squarespace
Squarespace
Engagement
Fixed Fee
Fixed Fee
Delivered
Mar to Jun 2026
Mar to Jun 2026
The Result
Graded D. Now Graded A.
Graded D. Now Graded A.
Graded D. Now Graded A.
Our March audit graded the site D, needs attention, with eleven issues across technical, on-page and content SEO. Strong material, invisible to search.
Our March audit graded the site D, needs attention, with eleven issues across technical, on-page and content SEO. Strong material, invisible to search.
Our March audit graded the site D, needs attention, with eleven issues across technical, on-page and content SEO. Strong material, invisible to search.
At close in June we re-checked every item directly on the live site rather than relying on our own records. All eleven were resolved and published. The site grades A, search-ready.
At close in June we re-checked every item directly on the live site rather than relying on our own records. All eleven were resolved and published. The site grades A, search-ready.
At close in June we re-checked every item directly on the live site rather than relying on our own records. All eleven were resolved and published. The site grades A, search-ready.
D
D
D
Mar
Needs attention
→
→
→
A
A
A
Jun
Search-ready
The Challenge
Good Content, Working Against Itself
Good Content, Working Against Itself
Good Content, Working Against Itself
Moderators Europe supplies professional moderators for events across Europe. The website read well and the expertise was evident. The problem sat entirely in the layer search engines read.
Moderators Europe supplies professional moderators for events across Europe. The website read well and the expertise was evident. The problem sat entirely in the layer search engines read.
Moderators Europe supplies professional moderators for events across Europe. The website read well and the expertise was evident. The problem sat entirely in the layer search engines read.
No page carried a meta description, so Google wrote its own snippet for every result. Title tags followed the pattern “Page Name — Moderators Europe” and contained no search terms at all. Images, including every moderator headshot, had no alt text. Canonical tags were missing sitewide, and a duplicate “Home (Copy)” URL sat in the sitemap.
No page carried a meta description, so Google wrote its own snippet for every result. Title tags followed the pattern “Page Name — Moderators Europe” and contained no search terms at all. Images, including every moderator headshot, had no alt text. Canonical tags were missing sitewide, and a duplicate “Home (Copy)” URL sat in the sitemap.
No page carried a meta description, so Google wrote its own snippet for every result. Title tags followed the pattern “Page Name — Moderators Europe” and contained no search terms at all. Images, including every moderator headshot, had no alt text. Canonical tags were missing sitewide, and a duplicate “Home (Copy)” URL sat in the sitemap.
None of this was a content problem. It was a visibility problem, and visibility problems are fixable.
None of this was a content problem. It was a visibility problem, and visibility problems are fixable.
None of this was a content problem. It was a visibility problem, and visibility problems are fixable.
The Work
What We Changed, and Why It Moved the Grade
What We Changed, and Why It Moved the Grade
What We Changed, and Why It Moved the Grade
01
Meta descriptions, every page
Meta descriptions, every page
Meta descriptions, every page
Unique, keyword-led descriptions written and published across all 14 pages, each inside the 150 to 160 character target. The site now controls how it appears in search results.
Unique, keyword-led descriptions written and published across all 14 pages, each inside the 150 to 160 character target. The site now controls how it appears in search results.
Unique, keyword-led descriptions written and published across all 14 pages, each inside the 150 to 160 character target. The site now controls how it appears in search results.
02
Titles and headings rebuilt
Titles and headings rebuilt
Titles and headings rebuilt
Every page now carries a keyword-led title, such as “Professional Event Moderators”. Core pages gained descriptive H1 headings. This is the step that moves a page from invisible to findable.
Every page now carries a keyword-led title, such as “Professional Event Moderators”. Core pages gained descriptive H1 headings. This is the step that moves a page from invisible to findable.
Every page now carries a keyword-led title, such as “Professional Event Moderators”. Core pages gained descriptive H1 headings. This is the step that moves a page from invisible to findable.
03
Alt text applied sitewide
Alt text applied sitewide
Alt text applied sitewide
Descriptive, natural alt text across every image including all moderator headshots, improving both accessibility and how search engines read each page.
Descriptive, natural alt text across every image including all moderator headshots, improving both accessibility and how search engines read each page.
Descriptive, natural alt text across every image including all moderator headshots, improving both accessibility and how search engines read each page.
04
Canonical tags confirmed
Canonical tags confirmed
Canonical tags confirmed
Canonical tags now sit on every page checked, telling search engines which version is authoritative and removing any duplicate-content ambiguity.
Canonical tags now sit on every page checked, telling search engines which version is authoritative and removing any duplicate-content ambiguity.
Canonical tags now sit on every page checked, telling search engines which version is authoritative and removing any duplicate-content ambiguity.
05
Sitemap cleaned, access verified
Sitemap cleaned, access verified
Sitemap cleaned, access verified
The duplicate “Home (Copy)” entry removed, leaving a clean 14-page sitemap. We verified robots.txt does not block Googlebot, then submitted the sitemap through Search Console.
The duplicate “Home (Copy)” entry removed, leaving a clean 14-page sitemap. We verified robots.txt does not block Googlebot, then submitted the sitemap through Search Console.
The duplicate “Home (Copy)” entry removed, leaving a clean 14-page sitemap. We verified robots.txt does not block Googlebot, then submitted the sitemap through Search Console.
06
FAQ schema published
FAQ schema published
FAQ schema published
FAQPage structured data written, validated and published, with each answer matched to the live on-page wording. It helps search engines and AI assistants quote the content accurately.
FAQPage structured data written, validated and published, with each answer matched to the live on-page wording. It helps search engines and AI assistants quote the content accurately.
FAQPage structured data written, validated and published, with each answer matched to the live on-page wording. It helps search engines and AI assistants quote the content accurately.
The Detail
Every Finding, and Where It Landed
Every Finding, and Where It Landed
Every Finding, and Where It Landed
We published the full before and after at close, so the client could see exactly what was raised and exactly what happened to it.
We published the full before and after at close, so the client could see exactly what was raised and exactly what happened to it.
We published the full before and after at close, so the client could see exactly what was raised and exactly what happened to it.
Area
Original priority
Status at close
Meta descriptions
Meta descriptions
Meta descriptions
Critical
Critical
Critical
Live on 14 pages
Live on 14 pages
Live on 14 pages
Image alt text
Image alt text
Image alt text
High
High
High
Applied sitewide
Applied sitewide
Applied sitewide
Title tags
Title tags
Title tags
High
High
High
Keyword-led
Keyword-led
Keyword-led
Canonical tags
Canonical tags
Canonical tags
High
High
High
Sitewide
Sitewide
Sitewide
Duplicate page in sitemap
Duplicate page in sitemap
Duplicate page in sitemap
Medium
Medium
Medium
Removed
Removed
Removed
Robots.txt
Robots.txt
Robots.txt
Medium
Medium
Medium
Googlebot allowed
Googlebot allowed
Googlebot allowed
Heading structure
Heading structure
Heading structure
Medium
Medium
Medium
Keyword-led
Keyword-led
Keyword-led
FAQ schema markup
FAQ schema markup
FAQ schema markup
Medium
Medium
Medium
Live on FAQs page
Live on FAQs page
Live on FAQs page
Sitemap
Sitemap
Sitemap
Baseline
Baseline
Baseline
Confirmed correct
Confirmed correct
Confirmed correct
Content depth
Content depth
Content depth
Low
Low
Low
Maintained, strong
Maintained, strong
Maintained, strong
Internal linking
Internal linking
Internal linking
Low
Low
Low
Maintained, functional
Maintained, functional
Maintained, functional
Early Signals
Seventy-Eight Per Cent More People Now See the Site
Seventy-Eight Per Cent More People Now See the Site
Seventy-Eight Per Cent More People Now See the Site
Two 28-day windows from Google Search Console, one ending 24 June and one ending 28 July. These are early numbers and we present all four together, because any one of them on its own would mislead.
Two 28-day windows from Google Search Console, one ending 24 June and one ending 28 July. These are early numbers and we present all four together, because any one of them on its own would mislead.
Two 28-day windows from Google Search Console, one ending 24 June and one ending 28 July. These are early numbers and we present all four together, because any one of them on its own would mislead.
Impressions
1,000
1,000
1,000
→
→
→
1,780
1,780
1,780
+78%
Clicks
38
38
38
→
→
→
40
40
40
+5%
Click-through rate
3.8%
3.8%
3.8%
→
→
→
2.2%
2.2%
2.2%
−1.6 pts
Average position
7.5
7.5
7.5
→
→
→
8.3
8.3
8.3
−0.8
Why click-through fell while visibility rose
These two numbers move in opposite directions for a reason. Before the work, the site appeared for a small set of searches it already ranked well for. It now appears for a far wider set, and most of those newer terms sit lower down the results page. That pulls the average position down and dilutes the click-through rate, even though the original rankings hold.
These two numbers move in opposite directions for a reason. Before the work, the site appeared for a small set of searches it already ranked well for. It now appears for a far wider set, and most of those newer terms sit lower down the results page. That pulls the average position down and dilutes the click-through rate, even though the original rankings hold.
These two numbers move in opposite directions for a reason. Before the work, the site appeared for a small set of searches it already ranked well for. It now appears for a far wider set, and most of those newer terms sit lower down the results page. That pulls the average position down and dilutes the click-through rate, even though the original rankings hold.
Put simply, the site went from being visible to a few people to being visible to many. Turning that wider audience into clicks is the next piece of work, and it is a much better problem to have than invisibility.
Put simply, the site went from being visible to a few people to being visible to many. Turning that wider audience into clicks is the next piece of work, and it is a much better problem to have than invisibility.
Put simply, the site went from being visible to a few people to being visible to many. Turning that wider audience into clicks is the next piece of work, and it is a much better problem to have than invisibility.
Your Site
Is Your Site Working as Hard as Your Content?
Is Your Site Working as Hard as Your Content?
Is Your Site Working as Hard as Your Content?
Most sites we audit have the same story. The writing is good and the offer is clear, but the technical layer quietly holds it back. We will tell you which, and what it would take to fix.
Most sites we audit have the same story. The writing is good and the offer is clear, but the technical layer quietly holds it back. We will tell you which, and what it would take to fix.
Most sites we audit have the same story. The writing is good and the offer is clear, but the technical layer quietly holds it back. We will tell you which, and what it would take to fix.