Salvaging Online Presence for a Premier Pinball Machine Business [CASE STUDY]

The Client

A distinguished business specializing in the repair and sales of collectible pinball machines, our client offers a niche service to enthusiasts and collectors. Relying on a strong online presence to drive leads and sales, the client was unknowingly entangled in a deceptive web that jeopardized their digital and business integrity.

The Challenge

The client was ensnared in a precarious situation with a freelancer who not only engaged in blackhat SEO practices but also diverted the client’s rightful leads to an alternate website under the freelancer’s control. This egregious setup involved:

• Dual Charging Scheme: The freelancer charged for both supposed SEO work and per lead, double-dipping into the client’s budget without delivering real value to the client’s actual website.
• Misaligned Associations: The client’s business was tarnished by backlinks from disreputable sites, clashing with the client’s values and potentially harming their reputation.
• Ownership Obfuscation: The client was deprived of their digital assets’ control, with the freelancer holding the domain and hosting hostage, leading to a loss of valuable content and financial investment when the freelancer sold these assets to a competitor.

This unethical arrangement left the client’s website traffic negligible, with almost no direct leads or sales being generated through their online platform.

The Solution

Our comprehensive strategy to reclaim and revitalize the client’s online presence involved several critical steps:

• Website Revamp: We overhauled the client’s website, modernizing the design and ensuring it reflected the quality and passion behind the client’s business. This included showcasing the client’s expertise in repairing and refurbishing collectible pinball machines.
• SEO and Ownership Reclamation: We eradicated the detrimental impact of blackhat SEO tactics by implementing ethical, effective SEO strategies. Key to our approach was ensuring the client had full ownership of all digital assets, including the domain and hosting. This foundational step restored control and transparency to the client.
• Quality Lead Generation: By reorienting the SEO efforts towards the client’s genuine website, we ensured that all leads were directly funneled to the client, eliminating any intermediary exploitation and ensuring immediate, personal follow-up opportunities.
• Analytics Implementation: To build a foundation for sustained growth and visibility, we set up comprehensive analytics to track website traffic and lead conversion, providing the client with insights and control they had previously lacked.

The Results

Post-intervention, the client experienced a transformative shift in their online presence:

• Direct Lead Acquisition: All leads generated were directly channeled to the client, enhancing the potential for immediate engagement and sales.
• Restored Integrity and Transparency: The client’s business was disassociated from harmful backlinks and dubious practices, restoring its reputation and aligning its online presence with its values.
• Empowered Control: With full ownership of their digital assets, the client gained unprecedented transparency and control over their online strategy and content.
• Foundation for Growth: The newly implemented analytics provided a baseline for measuring improvements in traffic and lead generation, setting the stage for informed, strategic marketing decisions.

Client’s Reflection

“The overhaul not only salvaged our online presence but also empowered us with control and transparency we didn’t know we were missing. The direct leads and the clarity in our online strategy have been game-changing for our business.”