They Laughed When We Showed Up With This $9 SEO Tool. But Then We Ranked #1.
Two young and ambitious SEO consultants, Alexa and Ilias, started their own SEO agency, called MagicSpace SEO, in Switzerland. Fresh out of college with marketing degrees, they decided to take a chance and launch their business. However, with limited seed money to spend, they knew they couldn’t afford fancy SEO tools and expensive marketing software subscriptions to power their SEO services.
When they showed up to pitch their services to Global Goods, a well-known brand in the manufacturing industry looking to amplify their ecommerce sales, Alexa and Ilias got laughed out of the room.
“You expect to deliver results for us without using the best SEO tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs?” scoffed the VP of eCommerce who managed Global Goods’s search marketing. “We already work with the best agency in the city and our SEO manager has all the expensive bells and whistles at his disposal.”
Though initially discouraged, Alexa and Ilias did not lose hope. They knew that with the right SEO strategy and effort, they could prove themselves even without the most expensive SEO software tools.
“We may not have endless budgets for fancy tools, but we do know how to roll up our sleeves and get work done,” proclaimed Ilias confidently after they left the disastrous sales meeting.
Alexa nodded in agreement. “I have a good feeling about this pitch. Let’s show them what we can do with just the basics.”
Hidden gems with Keywords Everywhere
With their confidence restored, Alexa and Ilias relied on their organic marketing knowledge and an affordable SEO tool they discovered during college projects – Keywords Everywhere. The ingenious browser extension helps uncover the most lucrative keywords for hardly any money. At just $9 for a year subscription, Keywords Everywhere proved to be their go-to for initial keyword research.
Alexa ran searches with a focus on Global Goods’s site and used the data within Keywords Everywhere to identify terms like “steel widgets”, “buy machine parts”, and “mechanical components online” as potential targets. Meanwhile, Ilias used Keywords Everywhere to analyze their competition’s backlinks and keyword strategies. He made notes on which keywords drove traffic to the top-ranking websites in Global Goods’s space.
“Okay, so we’ve got our list of main keywords,” Alexa said when they reconvened to map out a content plan. “Now we need to choose the best ones to focus our efforts on first.”
After using Keywords Everywhere to determine which had the most value in terms of difficulty to rank for and search volume, they shortlisted “affordable industrial spare parts” and “discount steel components online” as priorities.
Using SEO content planning tools
With their target keywords defined, Alexa and Ilias outlined a SEO roadmap. Their content marketing strategy centered on creating content assets like blog posts, videos, and visual guides that catered to each main term.
To assemble the components for an effective content marketing campaign, Ilias tapped into Google’s free webmaster tools. He set up Google Search Console and Google Analytics accounts for Global Goods’ site. The data flowed in quickly, arming the consultants with insights around the site’s existing content and areas for expansion. Ilias used the sitemap inventory in Google Search Console to analyze the parameters of the current site. Google Analytics then enabled him to segment visitors by behavior, uncovering optimization opportunities.
Meanwhile, Alexa started crafting outline content with the help of StoryChief’s AI Power mode. The advanced content generation feature within the platform proved that human-quality drafts could in fact be created on a budget. It took Alexa’s input and produced complete content structures for him to finesse instead of starting from scratch.
Soon, they had batches of SEO-friendly blogs, videos, local listings and visual assets queued for distribution. Ilias set up tracking elements using StoryChief so they could monitor the content performance once launched. He made sure to weave target keywords into page titles, subtitles, meta descriptions and scatter them naturally through the copy using the StoryChief SEO & readability metrics. StoryChief’s keyword suggestions would allow them to pinpoint which terms were resonating the most with searchers.
Ranking #1 with our secret SEO tool
Alexa and Ilias put their heads down and executed the content production plan for over 6 weeks straight. Focused on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority & Trust), from keyword-rich content creation to technical performance checks, they handled every aspect diligently despite their financial constraints. Soon, the assets were live across Global Goods’s digital properties.
The SEO consultants kept close tabs on core metrics using StoryChief’s analytics dashboards. They identified high-performing areas to double down on and tweaked underwhelming pieces. As the weeks went by, the needle slowly crept upwards across organic visits, lead conversions and other KPIs they were monitoring.
Month over month, the numbers compounded until Global Goods’s site ranked #1 for all their target keywords. When Alexa and Ilias presented the data to the eCommerce VP, he stared at them in disbelief.
“This is impossible. You’re telling me your shoestring budget plans managed to boost sales in under 2 quarters?” he asked, studying the reports closely.
Ilias smiled. “It wasn’t easy but we figured it out. No $500/month SEO tools required if you’re determined to make it work.”
Big results with a low SEO tool budget
Despite the challenging circumstances, Alexa and Ilias proved that big results were possible without expensive paid SEO tools. Their grit and strategic minds were the ultimate competitive advantages rather than lavish software budgets. Upon reviewing the resounding success of the marketing initiative, Global Goods expanded the engagement with the young consultants. They became the link building & SEO agency of record across all digital channels thanks to their ingenious approach.
“I guess I shouldn’t have laughed when you arrived with just Keywords Everywhere and StoryChief at your disposal,” admitted the VP. “You’ve shown us that resourcefulness is far more valuable at the end of the day compared to just throwing money at problems.”
Spurred by victory with Global Goods Inc, Alexa and Ilias saw business boom in the following months. The story of their bootstrap digital success won them new SEO clients across various industries. They were sought after by brands impressed with their skills in amplifying online visibility and driving growth without premium SEO software tools.
Within a year, the fledgling agency grew to a 15-person company and even bigger plans on the horizon. But Alexa and Ilias continue to stay loyal to the tools that set them apart such as Keywords Everywhere and StoryChief. No matter how large their budgets grow over time, the founders still have a soft spot for the affordable solutions that gave them that first big break.
You don’t need expensive SEO software
Alexa and Ilias’s journey encapsulates how grit and ingenuity trumps inexperience and limited resources. Their willingness to learn, take strategic risks and leverage affordable solutions demonstrates that new agencies can triumph over incumbents. They overcame deep skepticism by showing up consistently and letting the results speak for themselves.
Now sought after for their unconventional approach, the young founders are writing the playbook for bootstrap digital marketing success. They continue to empower other solopreneurs and new businesses with inspiration and actionable tips. Alexa and Ilias choose to reinvest their profits into educational courses and communities rather than flashy offices and software budgets.
At the core, the consultants continue empowering other underdogs to maximize their chances no matter the barriers against them. The offbeat path is one they hope more aspiring marketers embrace. As Alexa reminds his students frequently, impossible is often just an opinion rather than a fact.