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Digital Marketing Agency Portfolio SEO Performance Case Study: Funeral Services - Ukraine

Performance Case Study: Funeral Services - Ukraine

Scope of Work

Engagement Period

2020 - Present

Client Overview

By the time the client came to us, they had already worked with three agencies over four years - and emerged from that experience deeply skeptical of vendors in general. Once we audited the project, the reason was clear: it effectively had to be rebuilt from the ground up. There were almost no usable assets, no reliable analytics, and virtually no search visibility, and every previous approach had left behind disappointment rather than results. The niche itself raised the stakes: the cost of a mistake is high, because users reach out at a moment of acute need and don't give second chances - a business that isn't visible in search loses the customer to a competitor within minutes. So "from scratch" meant rebuilding on two fronts at once: technical and reputational.

The Challenge

The technical side was only half the problem - the harder issue was trust. Over the previous four years the client had cycled through three agencies and approached us with serious skepticism: there was no goodwill to draw on, and zero room for a slow ramp-up. Every step had to produce a visible signal immediately, or the engagement risked repeating the fate of the previous ones. On top of that came tight time pressure - we were given just three months to fully relaunch the project and establish a presence in Google. The real challenge, then, wasn't so much the technical rebuild as the need to quickly prove, with concrete results, that this channel was capable of working at all.

Strategic Objectives

Eliminate every point of data and lead loss - capture and correctly attribute every inquiry
Relaunch the project on a technically secure foundation
Reach the top 5 of organic results for core commercial keywords
Win Google Ads auctions and secure maximum presence in paid results for priority queries
Ensure maximum contact availability at the user's moment of acute need
Rebuild client trust through transparent analytics and managed, measurable results

The Comprehensive Strategy & It's Execution

Pre-Project SEO

The foundation before development begins

Keyword research and intent-based clustering of the semantic core
A new site architecture built around search intent rather than internal business logic
Bilingual content preparation: rolling out a Ukrainian-language version to expand audience reach and comply with Ukraine's law "On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language"
SEO-optimized Title tags and meta descriptions for every page type
Optimized content to match the defined keyword clusters
Supporting content blocks - FAQ and HowTo - to broaden semantic coverage and strengthen E-E-A-T signals

Web Development

A secure, clean technical base

Competitor analysis and a prototype built on the strongest solutions in the niche
Design of every page-type template across responsive breakpoints (desktop / mobile)
Responsive, clean front-end build - for proper crawlability and fast load times
Development on Laravel instead of the outdated, already-compromised
WordPress - built to the highest security standard
Dedicated landing pages for memorial-meal services and headstone manufacturing/installation

Google Ads - Funeral Services

Contact at the critical moment

Messaging that is precise and free of emotional pressure - users reach out at a moment of acute need
Search campaigns only; two key geos: Kyiv and Odesa
Service segmentation: funeral services and transport (morgue, intercity transfers, etc.)
Call-focused campaigns; ads showing the phone number only
Optimization for calls rather than clicks
In-depth keyword work and systematic negative-keyword cleanup
Improved Ad Rank and Quality Score
Ad extensions for maximum SERP coverage
Focus: maximum contact availability at the critical moment

Google Ads - Headstone Orders

Lead generation via forms

Search campaigns optimized for form conversions (inquiries)
Structured by query type: manufacturing, installation, pricing
Targeted work on commercial (transactional) keywords

Google Ads - Memorial Meals (Kyiv)

Local geo-focus

A dedicated search campaign geo-targeted to Kyiv only
Optimized for form inquiries
Filtering out non-relevant traffic via a refined negative-keyword list

On-Page SEO

Fully manual optimization

Manual on-page optimization of every page on the site - no template-based auto-generation
Work on Title tags, meta descriptions, heading structure (H1–H3), and image alt attributes
Optimization of internal linking and a clear information hierarchy
Content work aligned with the E-E-A-T framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
Technical oversight: indexing, crawling, speed, Core Web Vitals
Structured data implementation (Schema Markup: LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage)
A 301 redirect map for the migration to the new site - preserving accumulated page authority
Ongoing sitemap.xml updates as new pages are added

Off-Page SEO

Building the backlink profile

Link building primarily through high-quality guest posts
Donor selection based on topical relevance and backlink-profile quality
Priority on Kyiv-based donors to reinforce local signals
A natural link-acquisition pace with no risk of algorithmic penalties

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

Preparing for AI search

Creating llms.txt and llms-full.txt files for accurate parsing and citation of content by AI systems
Structuring content for citability in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews
Adapting for answer engines (AEO) alongside classic search results

Local Business

Map visibility and reputation defense

Optimization and ongoing management of the company's Google Business Profile (Google Maps)
Listing in industry directories to build a complete branded-query presence
Continuous profile monitoring: competitors regularly attempt to post fake negative reviews and submit edits to the business hours in Google - we track these manipulations and file appeals promptly

Growth Metrics

Before 90

After 6,163

Organic search sessions

Before 2

After 65

Keywords in the TOP 1

Before 2

After 269

Keywords in the TOP 3

Before 10

After 1,122

Keywords in the TOP 10

Cost per click, ₴ 67.24

Conversions generated 1.29k

Google Ads call-only (phone number) campaigns

1.9s

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

New Website: Design & Responsive Build

A complete ground-up rebuild: design for every page type across responsive breakpoints (desktop / mobile), a custom front-end build, and development on Laravel - replacing the compromised legacy WordPress.

01/07