SEO for Blockchain, Crypto & Web3
SEO can help businesses within the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency industry build a greater customer base and achieve business growth.
The crypto and blockchain space continues to grow exponentially. Search engine optimisation (SEO) enables businesses in this industry to increase their website’s organic search visibility and traffic volumes, ensuring a greater return on investment (ROI).
Although it might sound like a huge task, it is an important part of the overall digital marketing strategy that shouldn’t be ignored. These strategies can be implemented in stages and tracked for progress over time using web analytics.
Which blockchain and crypto companies has Victoria worked with?
I have worked with several high-profile blockchain and crypto companies such as:
- ConsenSys: Ethereum Blockchain Solutions.
- Codefi: Blockchain for global commerce and finance.
- Infura: Ethereum and IPFS APIs.
- MythX: Smart contract security service for Ethereum.
- Ethereal Summit: a series of virtual events bringing together those building and inspiring the blockchain future.
- EEA (Enterprise Ethereum Foundation): an organisation whose charter is to develop open blockchain specifications that drive harmonisation and interoperability for businesses and consumers worldwide.
“Victoria is an SEO expert, a determined executor, a straightforward and helpful team member, and the rare kind of person who can give you a ton of extremely useful information while also making you laugh, literally, out loud. (…)
Over her time at ConsenSys Victoria has become a leader on the team due both to her ability and expertise and her excellent communication. She has worked with people across the marketing team, from the technical to the creative, as well as with leads of products and portfolio companies. She is able to distill complicated information into interesting and engaging presentations and consistently keeps our team educated on the search space and our own place within it.”
This case study focuses on my time working as the Head of SEO at ConsenSys, one of the world leaders in Blockchain. Using a variety of on-page SEO tactics and content optimization I was able to boost ConsenSys’s online presence within a competitive industry.
Results
1. Visibility of the website increased from 0% to 33% which was greater than authoritative competitors such as IBM or Deloitte.
2. Ranking 167 keywords in the top 3 positions of Google SERPs, which was 3.7x greater than IBM.
3. Generated 41 Featured Snippets within the Enterprise Ethereum blockchain industry.
4. Within less than a year, the client went from having zero organic traffic to 24,000+ in the Enterprise Ethereum section alone.
5. Organic search was the number one source for generating leads, with 50% of leads generated by organic search.
2. Ranking 167 keywords in the top 3 positions of Google SERPs, which was 3.7x greater than IBM.
3. Generated 41 Featured Snippets within the Enterprise Ethereum blockchain industry.
4. Within less than a year, the client went from having zero organic traffic to 24,000+ in the Enterprise Ethereum section alone.
5. Organic search was the number one source for generating leads, with 50% of leads generated by organic search.
Results breakdown
Result 1: Beating the competition
Using a combination of featured snippets and on-page optimisation, we were able to increase ConsenSys’s visibility from 0 to 33% beating competitors such as IBM and Deloitte.
Result 2: Ranking 167 keywords in the top three positions
Within a year we were able to rank 167 keywords in the top three positions on the Google SERP. This meant that we had more keywords than IBM in the top three positions. This was almost 4x the amount of keywords in the top 3 than IBM had.
Result 3: Generated 41 Featured Snippets in the Enterprise Ethereum section
By precisely optimising content, we were able to trigger 41 different Featured Snippets which allowed us to rank in position 0 above more authoritative competitors.
Result 4: Growing Organic traffic from 0 to 24,000+ in less than a year
By implementing new content and on-page optimisation, we were able to increase organic clicks by 24,000+ in addition to 1,116,000 impressions.
Result 5: 50% of leads were generated by organic traffic
Organic traffic generated just under 3000 leads within a year, which was 4.7x more than paid search was generating for leads.
How did we achieve these results?
Featured snippet optimisation
When I joined ConsenSys, the SEO team had the hard task of outranking competitors such as IBM, Deloitte and the popular online publishing platform Medium.
By implementing a focused content strategy, ConsenSys soon started to rank for featured snippets on the search results pages. This created a domino effect that helped to outrank competitors, doubling both impressions and click-through rate.
For this KW, IBM was paying USD 10 per click on average to rank above ConsenSys
Highly contested featured snippet for “blockchain best uses” keyword
Several featured snippets were captured for ‘blockchain use cases’ which is the top keyword in the blockchain vertical. This allowed us to rank in position 0 over competitors who had a greater authority score and backlink profile.
Optimising for Your Money or Your Life
Featured snippet optimisation forms one part of the overall content optimisation strategy. When developing content in the Blockchain vertical, certain requirements have to be met in order to rank
“Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) content refers to industries where a customer will need to make a decision that could affect their money or their life. This means that any content that is created must be written to an incredibly high standard otherwise the content does not stand a chance of ranking.
As the blockchain and cryptocurrency niche comes under the financial vertical, it means that content is scrutinised by Google’s algorithm under the YMYL standard. This meant that when we created content, we had to ensure that it was thorough, was written by experts, was not misleading, and was constantly updated.
By factoring in YMYL, we developed a content optimisation strategy which utilised the following elements to develop pages that were able to rank within the top three and beat competitors who were considered more authoritative.
1. Content length and quality
2. Anchor links for UX
3. Targeting questions from ‘People also Ask’
4. Answers optimised for Featured Snippets
5. Schema (including FAQs and How Tos)
2. Anchor links for UX
3. Targeting questions from ‘People also Ask’
4. Answers optimised for Featured Snippets
5. Schema (including FAQs and How Tos)
Developed the Enterprise Ethereum section from scratch
When I arrived to work with the clients, they had an abundance of detailed content but it was only used for physical brochures for trade shows and conferences.
Sensing an opportunity, I thought it would be a good idea to focus on building industry-focused landing pages. We did this by building pages by combining the relevant keywords with different industries, such as “blockchain for [industry]”.
These pages targeted key questions asked about blockchain and crypto and provided simple and informative breakdowns of blockchain in different industries. We then made the PDF version of the brochures available to download on each industry page, which provided a more detailed breakdown of how blockchain worked in different industries.
In total, we developed 20 industry pages with long-form content with a CTA for the corresponding downloadable PDF. The other benefit of using a PDF was that it also operated as a lead magnet which was very useful for attracting more customers and generating leads.
Why does the blockchain industry need SEO?
Blockchain SEO is a cost-effective way of attracting relevant traffic to a website. The cryptocurrency and blockchain industry has a unique opportunity for effective marketing in terms of its evolving technologies and high market volatility.
To build trust with customers
SEO can help to build trust, increase transparency and in turn help to verify a business’ website as an authoritative figure in its field of knowledge.
Blockchain search queries reflect the large amount of uncertainty surrounding blockchain solutions and what they provide for users. Targeting these questions with accurate and quality content written by experts in the industry will highlight a website’s expertise, authority and trustworthiness (EAT).
In 2018, there were widespread bans on digital Cryptocurrency adverts due to the fact the industry has been associated with misleading practices. This makes organic SEO and ranking highly on Google’s search engine results pages (SERP) more important than ever.
To challenge and beat competitors
As the blockchain industry continues to grow, the market has become more and more competitive. SEO can be used to help blockchain companies to beat their competitors when it comes to ranking on Google SERPs.
To improve a website’s visibility and traffic
For any blockchain company wanting to sell its product, the business needs to be visible. This means it can’t be tucked away on the second or third page of Google where nobody bothers to look.
SEO can help blockchain companies to rank on Google for their desired keywords, which helps increase their visibility to new customers and improve traffic at the same time.
The top 5 SEO mistakes blockchain and crypto businesses make:
Crafting the perfect website is more than simply understanding and excelling at the industry work in blockchain. There are many technical elements that can make or break a company’s success with organic search when it comes to crypto marketing and general cryptocurrency SEO strategies.
After working for 2 years in the blockchain industry, I have identified the main mistakes being made when it comes to SEO and published an article on Hackernoon about it. These mistakes are:
1. Not using CMS platforms
Several Web3 developers choose not to run their blockchain project or service using CMS web solutions such as WordPress, Jooma or Drupal. Despite the fact these platforms are used by more than 40% of websites, developers aren’t comfortable using Web 2.0 technologies.
Creating a custom built HTML website requires the assistance of front-end designers to implement minor changes. A CMS alleviates this hassle and allows website changes to be made quickly, all of which has huge benefits for SEO.
2. Creating one page websites
One page websites, known as a one pager, can harm a website’s chances of ranking highly in Google’s SERP. Instead of creating one web page that covers all the various product offerings, contact details and an ‘about us’ section, it’s important to create multiple pages. These pages can then be optimised for a particular set of keywords.
The SEO-friendly way to approach a website is to create a homepage that describes the main value proposition with links to new pages for each topic addressed.
Don’t make the mistake of creating thin content that is less than 400 words. Blockchain businesses should focus on long-form content between 1,500 and 2,000 words, optimising one keyword per page and one page per topic.
3. Not using keywords in page titles
Keywords are essentially the foundation of the Web. Unless a company is a major brand like Coca-Cola, it’s important to indicate to Google what the brand is and what it offers.
In SEO terms, this is referred to as ‘keyword research’, and keywords are determined by what the target audience searches for. Keywords enable people to find a website on Google without necessarily knowing a specific brand name, so it’s important to use keywords in page titles and headings (H1 – H5).
For example, when I worked for ConsenSys, an Ethereum-based company, the keywords that best describe ConsenSys are ‘blockchain technology solutions’ and ‘ethereum solutions’. This means that an appropriate title for the homepage would be:
‘Blockchain Technology Solutions | Ethereum Solutions | ConsenSys’.
4. Misuse of subdomains
In the absence of a CMS, any expanding functionality of the website, such as new pages or blogs, will sit on subdomains. This is problematic for SEO, because each time a subdomain is created, the SEO equity of the original domain is split. This is because Google treats each subdomain like a new website, so any backlink juice acquired will not be passed into the new subdomain.
CMS solutions have plugins and extensions that make it easy to expand functionality without creating subdomains. As well as benefiting SEO, it consolidates tracking used on platforms such as Google Analytics and Search Console.
5. Using Medium as a blogging platform
Medium is a popular online publishing platform that is used to share online content. The main problem with Medium for businesses is that it owns all content posted on it. What’s more, up until 2019, Medium did not allow canonicals, which meant that they would receive all SEO equity for the articles posted on their platform.
Instead of uploading articles to Medium, create a blog functionality for a website and promote all information, articles and blog posts using social media. This helps websites rank and ensures that the site receives all link equity when link building.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is blockchain & Cryptocurrencies?
This is the combination of two worlds: Blockchain & Cryptocurrency (Broker, Currency, Seller, Wallet or any business related to any digital currency) and Digital Marketing SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) strategies.
SEO for Blockchain & Cryptocurrency companies will bring more sustainable results in the medium to long term by focusing on organic traffic – which is the highest quality traffic.
What are the benefits of SEO for Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies?
Search engine optimisation is an integral part of marketing and growth strategy for B2B and B2C brands operating in the startups and venture capital sector. Benefits of a good SEO strategy include:
-SEO helps your users find what they’re looking for faster.
-Increase your business reach and opens up your products and services to more qualified customers.
-Cost-effective way to earn your place in the SERPs and generate new leads.
– More engagement: users spend more time interacting with your company’s website, increasing the chances of conversions, revenue and growth.
Why Victoria for Blockchain SEO vs other SEO consultants?
Victoria is well versed in providing SEO and digital marketing consulting for businesses in the blockchain sector. She has an impressive track record of transforming blockchain and crypto ventures’ online presence, and her deep knowledge of the industry helps to amplify digital growth.
– Experience working for a major player in blockchain: In her time at ConsenSys, Victoria delivered tremendous results that boosted organic visibility, clicks and conversions.
– Identified key areas for improvement within blockchain SEO: Victoria understands the importance of SEO for the blockchain industry and the formula required for successful marketing campaigns for Crypto.
-Combines technical requirements with customer needs: Blockchain is an inherently technical topic that causes confusion for search users. Victoria is able to identify grey areas, bring clarity to the target audience and boost a website as an authoritative
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