NYC music studio: avg rank 10 to 2.9 on 30 target keywords.
A local NYC music studio we started working with in October 2015. Existing-site optimization, original content, and high-value link building took the average rank on 30 target keywords from 10 to 2.9 and grew online bookings from organic search by 24% in the first 12 months.
- Stack
- WordPress, SEO tooling, GA, content, link building
- Time
- Started October 2015 ยท first 12 months reported
- Output
- On-site optimization, content, high-value links
- Shipped
- 2015 to 2016
Context: a local studio with decent rankings and room to move.
The client is a local NYC music lessons and recording studio we started working with in October 2015. The site was not starting from zero. It had credibility, some existing rankings, and a reasonable on-page structure. The opportunity was to take that foundation and push it into the top 3 for the queries that drive bookings.
The approach: optimize what works, publish what is missing, earn links that matter.
- Existing-site optimization. Tightened metadata, header structure, and internal linking across the pages that were already ranking on page two. Page-two to page-one is the shortest path to booking lift.
- Original content. Filled gaps in topical coverage. Lesson formats, instrument pages, genre-specific content, recording use cases.
- High-value link building. Earned links from publications and music-community sources that move the needle on a Google algorithm evaluating local music studios.
- Conversion tracking. Instrumented online bookings so every ranking change could be tied to actual revenue impact.
What we shipped.
- On-page optimization across priority booking pages.
- Original content expanding topical coverage into instrument, genre, and use-case queries.
- A high-value link building program focused on music publications and relevant authority sources.
- Booking-conversion tracking tied to organic search.
Results detail.
Data: Google Analytics Universal, first 12 months of engagement starting October 2015.
- Average rank on 30 target keywords10 → 2.9
- Organic traffic+38%
- New users+43%
- Sessions+38.22%
- New sessions rate+3.67%
- Pages per session+13.81%
- Goal completions+12.51%
- Goal value+20.93%
- Online bookings from organic search+24%
Why this engagement worked.
The site was not broken. It was underworked. Ranking improvements came from pushing existing page-two assets into the top 3, adding the coverage the site was missing, and making sure the sites that music students and parents trust were actually linking back. No trick. Disciplined execution against an existing foundation.