Proven organic positioning: The strategy behind ZEWS's success

SEO Agencies SEO content Costa Rica Digital marketing

At ZEWS, we like to test our strategies, which is why we apply the same SEO methodology we offer our clients. Over the years, these are the results, lessons learned, and adjustments that have led us to the Top 10 for highly competitive keywords.

From anonymity to digital authority

Have a good site It's not enough if no one finds it! This is a reality faced by many companies. They offer excellent services, but they don't receive inquiries because they simply aren't where they should be. At ZEWS, we've also experienced this. And that's why we decided to apply. in our own house, the same process we recommend to our clients.

The result? Today we not only occupy the top spots on Google for terms like SEO agencies in Costa Rica, but also in other key countries in the region.

We detail how we achieved it, what mistakes we made and what we would do differently if we had to start today, so that you can start applying it to your own strategy or decide to contact us and have us review your own plan. search engine optimization.

The starting point: No focus, no results

Before starting this path, our site It had content, but it wasn't necessarily aligned with the services we wanted to offer. We were appearing for a wide variety of search terms that brought us leads, but not quality ones.

Furthermore, our international presence reflected this same situation, attracting prospects interested in services with a lower contribution margin. From there, we began a thorough analysis, not only technical but also business-wise, to realign everything and be consistent with what we wanted to achieve.

Image 1. Part of the benefits of robust SEO is also appearing in Google's AI-generated search results. This was achieved after months of focused management.
Image 2. We also increased our target keywords, which were “SEO agencies in Costa Rica” and variants, such as “best SEO agencies in Costa Rica.”
Image 3. Another way to call SEO is search engine optimizationWe did some extra work there too to get into the top 10 on Google.

Keys to success: Strategy applied in phases

We implemented a positioning strategy divided into four stages, each designed to strengthen a part of the ZEWS digital ecosystem.

1 phase: SEO Audit internal of our website

  • Complete review of current titles, descriptions, and URL structure to identify areas for improvement.
  • Detection of duplicate or cannibalized content.
  • Analyze user behavior with tools such as Search Console and Analytics.

Phase 2: Technical and content optimization

  • Writing new texts with greater semantic weight for the target key phrases: SEO agencies, search engine optimization, SEO companies, web positioning agencies.
  • Improved heading hierarchy, internal structure, and cross-links between related pages.

Phase 3: International Expansion

Phase 4: Constant monitoring and adjustments

  • Weekly monitoring with tools like Ubersuggest and Ahrefs.
  • Direct comparison with positioned competitors.
  • Monthly evaluation of keywords won, lost, and ranking evolution.

These well-thought-out and executed steps had a huge impact on our target keywords. While it wasn't a quick success, knowing (from a technical perspective) that we were on the right path kept us moving forward even when results weren't coming, as we know SEO takes time.

Image 4. We also have an office in Panama, so we should definitely be listed in “SEO agencies Panama” as well.
Image 5. Guatemala is of interest to us because it's the most populous country in Central America. The keywords alone generate business opportunities for us with companies from that country.
Image 6. At some offline events such as BTM (Costa Rica) and EXPOCOMER (Panama), we have closed deals with clients from Honduras, so we wanted to boost our digital presence in phrases for that country.
Image 7. The most recent case was a new real estate client in Cochabamba, Bolivia. We never met in person; everything was done online, but it started with a search, precisely the one in the image, according to the client. Despite having received offers from cheaper agencies, they ultimately decided to work with ZEWS because of the results we were able to demonstrate in our previous meetings.
Image 8. In Bolivia, we also appear in the results generated by Google AI, or Google Insights.

Content with a purpose: The change of mentality

One of the biggest lessons was validating what we always say: publishing for the sake of publishing is uselessWe had to move away from irrelevant articles and start producing useful content that specifically addressed what our prospects were searching for, but with the target keywords we wanted to achieve.

Once the new strategy was defined, we focused on:

  • Write articles focused on key phrases with commercial intent.
  • Create valuable resources that were citable in generative results.
  • Align each page with a phase of the customer's decision process.

This change allowed us to increase the density of our target keywords without resorting to over-optimization or “black-hat SEO” practices that are penalized by Google.

But, as they say, what isn't measured isn't improved, so we also kept a constant eye on our evolution and that of our main online competitors:

Our report monitors 187 keywords (a lot!) for our target markets. Phrases like "SEO agency in Panama," "Google Ads agency in Guatemala," and many others. While we're at 51%, our closest competitor is at 22%.
We measured progress month by month. At the time of this report, we had 14 number 1 keywords, 73 in the top 10 (with 12 keywords entering the top 118 during the month), and 50 phrases in the top XNUMX. A huge undertaking, but one that consistently yields results: new business applications every week.

Results that support the strategy

Over the course of several months, the results began to become visible:

  • We've increased our rankings for targeted keywords, now far outperforming our direct competitors.
  • Organic traffic growth from new markets such as the US and South America.
  • Higher conversion rates thanks to more focused content.
  • Inclusion in ChatGPT generative responses and Google Insights when consulting SEO agencies in the region.
Image 9. This is an example of ChatGPT query results. At no point in the query was anything specific to ZEWS mentioned; instead, everything was general and used an example of a transport company.
Image 10. ChatGPT referred us in their responses. In fact, we've already acquired two new clients through ChatGPT: one for apartment sales and one for a nutrition clinic.

Relevant data: The first organic result on Google captures the 27.6 % of clicks (Backlinko, 2023). And according to Statista, generative environments like ChatGPT already influence more than 15 % of the workáfico orgunique in certain sectors (2024).

Mistakes made and lessons learned

Getting here wasn't a road without its pitfalls. We didn't want to be "one-man-at-a-time, one-man-at-a-time," so if we wanted to sell SEO services, we had to make that source of traffic our primary acquisition channel, which it indeed is.

But it wasn't a smooth or quick road. We experienced firsthand the frustration our clients also feel when they want to see fast SEO results (there are faster tactics like Google Ads, but that's for another post).

These are some specific mistakes we made, which we wouldn't repeat today, and which we don't want you to make in your own SEO management:

1) We went after many key phrases at the same time

We tried to rank for many different terms, which diluted our focus. Our content was losing thematic traction, and Google couldn't associate us with a clear specialization, all while attracting the wrong prospects.

Solution: Group related terms into thematic silos, and target a family of phrases per landing page or specific section, checking each space for technical and on-site SEO.

2) Publishing without a strategy only consumes resources

We had blogs and texts that were bringing in traffic and conversions, but from unaligned prospects. These prospects weren't aligned with our business goals, and we took action not only on the website but also across the company, removing services from the catalog and focusing on what we're good at.

Solution: Refine your content based on search intent and reinforce it with keywords that truly attract qualified leads that translate to real business.

3) We were attracting clients for services we no longer wanted to offer

Some of the traffic came from service-related phrases that we had deprioritized, but were still indexed.

Solution: Review and refine the service catalog, remove or redirect outdated content, and realign the strategy (digital and physical) with current business objectives.

What if you could do it too?

We know that many companies wonder if it's worth investing in SEO. And we also understand that the path isn't immediate or easy. But if it's built with clarity, focus, and follow-through, the results come. We ourselves are proof of this.

At ZEWS, we don't speak from theory. We speak from practice, with real data, hard work, and a team that has experienced the process firsthand.

Is your company in a situation where its website is not contributing to business indicators? We can help you. Tell us about your requirements through our Contact Form, or if you prefer something more direct, start a conversation on WhatsApp here: www.zews.me/hello.

The first step isn't binding, but it can mark the beginning of a new chapter for your online presence.

Publication date:
♥

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *