Part 9 of the Perfect Website Series
Artillery paid for an outside SEO audit. Then opened it live on the podcast.
In this episode, Jake sits down with marketing coach and copywriter Brittany Downey to walk through the results — delivered by SEO specialist Michelle Bourbonniere, PhD from Words on the Rise.
The new Artillery website is almost done. Before launching, they needed to understand:
- How the current site is actually performing on Google
- What’s working
- What to double down on
The results were a mixed bag.
Artillery ranks #1 for web design in Lincoln, Nebraska.
But 76% of their organic traffic comes from searches unrelated to their services.
One of the top-performing pages? A 2017 post about signing a PDF on a Mac.
This episode is about what traffic actually means — and what to do when the data doesn’t tell the story you expected.
Key Takeaways
- 76% of organic traffic is low-value
- Branded search is the most important signal
- Your Google Business Profile is your real front door
- Business strategy should drive SEO
- One page, one keyword
- Backlinks are PR, not hacks
Episode at a Glance
Jake and Brittany walk through a real SEO audit of artillerymedia.com — paid for, delivered by an outside specialist, and opened live on the podcast.
The results are honest, a little humbling, and full of practical lessons any service business can apply.
Action Step
Pull up your Google Business Profile today.
Check:
- Name
- Description
- Services
- Hours
Make sure everything is accurate and matches your website.
Main Idea
Most businesses don’t have a traffic problem.
They have a wrong traffic problem.
Understanding who is finding you — and why — is the starting point.
Why It Matters
An SEO audit is not about rankings.
It’s about clarity:
- What’s working
- What’s noise
- Where to focus
Quick Tool
Google Search Console (free)
See:
- What keywords bring people in
- Which pages matter
- Where the gaps are
Listen & Subscribe
Podcast Page
https://artillerymedia.com/podcast/
Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slow-steady-a-podcast-by-artillery/id1840249614
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/37ZzVcI8N7xnEDqkap2vCW
Follow Along
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artillery_media
- X: https://x.com/jakekramer15
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artillerymedia
- Contact: https://artillerymedia.com/contact/
About Brittany Downey
Brittany Downey is a marketing coach, writer, and host of the Do Less Marketing podcast.
She helps small businesses and nonprofits:
- Get clear on positioning
- Show up with intention
- Connect with the right people
She has collaborated on 150+ ARTILLERY website projects.
Highlights
- Founder of Downey Strategy
- Podcast host
- Marketing coach
- Strategic collaborator
Links
- Website: https://downeystrategy.com/
- Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/do-less-marketing/id1806109083
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-downey
Highlights & Timestamps
00:00–05:00 — Why Artillery Paid for an Audit
Understanding performance before launching the new site.
05:00–11:00 — The Traffic Problem
517 clicks per month. Only ~60 actually matter.
11:00–14:00 — Branded Search
The strongest signal of trust and reputation.
14:00–18:00 — Legacy Blog Content
High traffic, low conversion. What do you do with it?
18:00–27:00 — One Page, One Keyword
Clarity beats coverage.
27:00–35:00 — Backlinks = PR
Stop chasing links. Build presence.
35:00–50:00 — Entity Pages & StoryBrand
Helping Google understand your team.
50:00–1:04:00 — Technical Fixes
Meta, H1s, speed, schema, and strategy shifts.
The Traffic Numbers Don’t Lie (But They Do Mislead)
Artillery gets about 517 organic clicks per month.
Sounds solid.
But:
- 76% is low-value traffic
- Most comes from unrelated searches
- A 2017 PDF blog post drives a large chunk
Real business traffic: ~60 meaningful clicks/month
Key Insight
Small numbers are not bad.
31 searches for “website designer” can be worth far more than 500 irrelevant clicks.
Traffic volume ≠ value
Branded Search Is the Best Signal
Most valuable traffic comes from people searching:
“Artillery Media”
That means:
- Someone referred them
- Trust already exists
- Reputation is working
The Real Front Door
Not your homepage.
Your Google Business Profile.
Of 415 homepage clicks:
- 243 came from the Business Profile
- That’s 58%
Your profile is the sign outside the building.
One Page, One Keyword
Don’t stuff keywords into a page.
Build the page around one idea.
The Rule
One page = one core keyword
Example:
- A branding page can mention logo design
- But the page is still about branding
What Works
- Clear intent
- Focused structure
- Useful content
Clarity helps:
- Google understand
- Users convert
Backlinks Are Just PR
Backlinks sound technical.
They’re not.
They’re relationships + visibility.
High-Value Links Come From
- Trusted websites
- Industry-relevant sources
- Local publications
How You Actually Get Them
- Podcasts
- Features
- Community involvement
You can’t fake it.
Build real presence.
SEO follows.
Business Strategy First. SEO Second.
Should you expand into a new city for SEO?
No.
The Right Order
- Decide business strategy
- Build real presence
- Let SEO follow
Trying to reverse that:
- Doesn’t work
- Google knows
What Artillery Is Actually Changing
Google Business Profile
- Clean up service list
- Fix description
- Align messaging
- Extend hours
Website Cleanup
- Remove low-value blog posts
- Keep high-value, updated content
New Pages
- One page per service
- Clear keyword focus
Portfolio Categories
- Industry-specific pages
- Healthcare, construction, etc.
Team Pages (Entity SEO)
- Rewrite bios
- Add structured clarity
- Help Google understand people
Content Strategy Shift
From:
- Random blog posts
To:
- Evergreen, strategic content
- Based on real search intent
Call to Action
Want help building a website that attracts the right people?
Start here:
https://artillerymedia.com/contact/
Show Credits
Hosts: Jake Kramer & John Wooten
Guest: Brittany Downey
Produced by: ARTILLERY (Lincoln, Nebraska)
