Gente
Gente, a leading HR consulting and payroll services provider based in Johannesburg, South Africa, has been empowering businesses with tailored workforce solutions since 2016.
Specializing in recruitment, payroll management, and HR advisory, Gente serves both B2C and B2B clients seeking efficient and compliant HR services.
Despite a strong offline reputation, their website struggled with stagnant organic traffic and poor search visibility for over two years.
Partnering with EcoSEO, Gente aimed to revitalize their digital presence, boost search rankings, and attract high-intent clients to drive business growth.
Lead Time: 8 months
Sector: HR Services and Recruitment
Target Type: B2C & B2B (businesses and individuals seeking HR and payroll services)
Demographic: Business owners, HR managers, and individuals aged 25–55 in South Africa, primarily in urban areas.
Website Goal: Increase organic traffic, improve search engine rankings, and drive relevant traffic to high-priority pages (e.g., homepage, pricing, bookkeeping services).
Services: On-Page SEO, Technical SEO, Content Strategy, Link Building, Local SEO, EEAT Optimization
Technologies: Google Analytics, SEMrush, Ahrefs, Google Search Console
5X Growth
In SEO Results with EcoSEO
The Challenge
Gente’s website had been live for a long time, but it wasn’t attracting the kind of organic traffic they needed to grow their business.
One of the main issues was the lack of optimized on-page and technical SEO elements. Their website was outdated in terms of both design and content, and it was not structured in a way that aligned with SEO best practices.
Meta titles, descriptions, and headers weren’t optimized for their target keywords, which made it difficult for Google to understand the relevance of their content.
- Technical SEO: Outdated site structure, slow loading speeds, and lack of structured data hindered crawlability and rankings.
- On-Page SEO: Meta titles, descriptions, and headers were not optimized for high-value HR and payroll keywords, reducing relevance in search results.
- Content Strategy: Outdated and unoptimized content failed to align with user intent, leading to low engagement and missed ranking opportunities.
- Backlink Profile: A weak backlink profile with few authoritative links limited Gente’s domain authority and competitiveness.
- EEAT Compliance: Lack of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness signals, critical for YMYL topics like HR and payroll, impacted credibility.
- Local SEO: Insufficient optimization for Johannesburg-specific searches limited visibility among local clients
EcoSEO’s Solution
EcoSEO implemented a multi-phase strategy to address Gente’s challenges, focusing on technical improvements, content enhancements, backlink building, and EEAT optimization.
Phase 1: On-Page and Technical SEO Fixes
We conducted a thorough website analysis to identify and fix foundational SEO issues. Meta titles, descriptions, and headers were optimized for relevant HR and payroll keywords. Technical improvements included enhancing site speed, mobile responsiveness, and structured data markup to boost crawlability and rich snippet eligibility.
Phase 2: Content Audit and Strategy
A comprehensive content audit revealed outdated and underperforming content. We updated existing pages with keyword-rich, user-focused content and created new service pages and blog posts targeting high-intent keywords. EEAT principles were prioritized to establish Gente’s credibility in the YMYL space.
Phase 3: Backlink Building
We strengthened Gente’s domain authority through targeted backlink acquisition, securing high-quality guest posts from authoritative HR and business websites. Manual outreach ensured niche relevance and contextual links to key service pages.
Technical SEO
Gente’s website suffered from technical issues like slow loading speeds, poor mobile responsiveness, and missing structured data, which limited search visibility.
We conducted a technical audit to prioritize and resolve these issues, improving site performance and crawlability.
Technical SEO Tools:
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider: Crawled the site to identify broken links, 404 errors, and structural issues.
- Google Search Console: Monitored crawl errors, indexing issues, and site performance metrics.
- Google PageSpeed Insights: Analyzed and optimized site speed with image compression and code minification.
- Structured Data Testing Tool (Google): Used to identify and fix missing or incorrect structured data. By implementing proper schema markup, we improved the site’s rich snippet eligibility, boosting click-through rates in search results.
- Mobile-Friendly Test (Google): Evaluated the site’s mobile responsiveness and pinpointed issues like unoptimized layouts or touch-unfriendly elements. Fixing these ensured a seamless mobile user experience, aligning with search engine mobile-first indexing requirements.
By using these tools, we were able to diagnose and resolve Gente’s website technical issues, significantly enhancing its search visibility, mobile responsiveness, and overall performance.
On-Page SEO
The website’s on-page elements were not optimized for target keywords, reducing relevance in search results.
We optimized meta titles, descriptions, headers, and content on key pages, aligning them with high-value keywords like “HR consulting Johannesburg” and “payroll services South Africa.”
Below is a list of SEO tools and brief explanations of how they are used to address on-page optimization issues:
Technical SEO Tools:
- Yoast SEO: Fine-tuned metadata and on-page content for WordPress pages.
- SEMrush: Conducted keyword research to target high-intent HR and payroll terms.
- Surfer SEO: Optimized content for keyword density and on-page SEO best practices.
- Ahrefs Keywords Explorer: Used to refine keyword targeting by analyzing competitor strategies and search volume for terms like “HR consulting Johannesburg.” This ensured the selection of high-value keywords to enhance on-page relevance.
- Rank Math: Provided advanced on-page SEO analysis, including schema markup suggestions and keyword optimization for headers and content. It streamlined metadata adjustments, improving click-through rates and search visibility.
By using these tools, we were able to optimize the website’s on-page elements, significantly improving its relevance for target keywords, thereby boosting search result rankings.
Content and Blog Writing (Improve Search Intent)
Gente’s existing content was outdated and misaligned with user intent, failing to engage or rank for competitive keywords.
We conducted a content audit to identify gaps and developed a strategy to create search-intent-driven content.
Gente’s existing content was outdated and misaligned with user intent, failing to engage or rank for competitive keywords.
We conducted a content audit to identify gaps and developed a strategy to create search-intent-driven content.
New blog posts covered topics like “What is Payroll Outsourcing?” and “In-House vs. Outsourced HR: Which One Is Right for Your Business?,” targeting high-intent keywords. Service pages were refreshed with clear, compelling copy to drive conversions.
Service pages were refreshed with clear, compelling copy to drive conversions.
Technical SEO Tools:
- SEMrush: Identified high-volume keywords and content gaps for blog topics.
- AnswerThePublic: Generated content ideas based on user questions and search intent.
- Grammarly: Ensured high-quality, error-free content for blogs and service pages.
Link Building (Profiles and High DA Links)
Gente’s weak backlink profile limited their domain authority and competitiveness.
We implemented a targeted link-building strategy, securing four high-quality guest posts per month from authoritative HR and business websites (DA 50+).
Manual outreach focused on niche-relevant blogs, with contextual links to Gente’s service pages.
We also optimized Gente’s business profiles on platforms like LinkedIn and industry directories to enhance authority.
Technical SEO Tools:
- Ahrefs: Analyzed backlink profiles and identified high-DA link opportunities.
- BuzzStream: Managed outreach campaigns for guest post placements.
- Majestic: Cross-checked link quality and monitored backlink growth.
EEAT Analysis and Implementation
As an HR and payroll provider, Gente’s content needed to meet Google’s EEAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) standards for YMYL topics.
We conducted an EEAT analysis, identifying gaps in author credibility and content trustworthiness.
Author bios with qualifications were added to service pages and blogs, showcasing Gente’s team expertise.
Trust signals like client testimonials, certifications, and secure site protocols (HTTPS) were implemented to enhance credibility.
Technical SEO Tools Used:
- Google Analytics: Tracked user engagement to assess content trustworthiness.
- Schema App: Added author and organization schema to boost EEAT signals.
- Trustpilot: Integrated client reviews to enhance trustworthiness.
Local SEO
Gente’s visibility in Johannesburg-specific searches was limited due to poor local SEO.
We optimized their Google My Business profile with updated details, photos, and reviews, and created location-specific pages targeting “HR services Johannesburg” and similar terms.
Technical SEO Tools:
- Google My Business Dashboard: This tool was used to optimize Gente’s Google My Business profile by updating business details, adding high-quality photos, and managing customer reviews. These enhancements improved local search rankings and increased click-throughs for “HR services Johannesburg” queries.
- BrightLocal: Ensured Name, Address, and Phone (NAP) consistency across directories and tracked local search performance metrics. It helped identify and fix inconsistencies, boosting Gente’s credibility and visibility in Johannesburg-specific searches.
- Moz Local: Synced business listings across multiple directories to ensure accurate information, enhancing local SEO authority. It streamlined citation management, improving Gente’s rankings in local search results.
- Whitespark: Identified opportunities for local citations and built high-quality local backlinks targeting Johannesburg-specific directories. This strengthened Gente’s local relevance and supported higher rankings for location-based keywords.
- SEMrush Local SEO: Analyzed local keyword performance and competitor strategies for terms like “HR services Johannesburg.” Its insights guided the creation of location-specific pages, ensuring content aligned with local search intent and further boosted visibility.
These tools collectively ensured Gente’s local SEO strategy was robust, driving increased visibility and engagement in Johannesburg-specific searches.
The Results
In just four months, EcoSEO’s tailored SEO strategy delivered outstanding results for Gente:
- Organic Traffic: Surged from 329 monthly visitors in August 2023 to 1,900 by January 2024—a 5x increase.
- User Engagement: Improved dwell time and lower bounce rates due to engaging, relevant content.
- Keyword Rankings: Significant ranking improvements for high-priority pages (Homepage, HR Payroll Services, Pricing.
- Relevant Traffic: Increased visits to high-intent pages, driven by targeted keyword optimization.
- Domain Authority: Boosted by high-quality backlinks from authoritative HR and business sites.
Great results for Gente. We delivered apid, measurable improvements, positioning Gente for sustained growth and enhanced online visibility in a competitive market.
Technical Tools:
Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Google Search Console, Google PageSpeed Insights, Structured Data Testing Tool (Google), Mobile-Friendly Test (Google), Yoast SEO, SEMrush, Surfer SEO, Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, Rank Math, Google My Business Dashboard, BrightLocal, Moz Local, Whitespark, SEMrush Local SEO
SEO Services
On-Page SEO, Technical SEO, Content Strategy, Link Building, Local SEO, EEAT Optimization
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