5 SEO Experiments We Ran So You Do Not Have To

SEO advice is everywhere. Half of it contradicts the other half. And most of it comes from people who have never actually tested what they are recommending.

So we did the testing for you. Over the past six months, we ran five SEO experiments on real small business websites (with client permission, of course). Some results confirmed what we expected. Others surprised us. One made us rethink a recommendation we had been giving for years.

Here is what we found.

Experiment 1: Publishing Frequency, Does More Really Mean Better?

The test: We took two similar local service businesses and published blog content at different rates. Site A published once per week. Site B published three times per week.

Duration: 12 weeks

The result: Site B saw a 34% increase in organic impressions compared to Site A’s 18% increase. But here is the catch: Site B’s per-post performance was lower. The extra posts were getting fewer clicks each. When we looked at total organic traffic (not just impressions), Site A was only 8% behind Site B.

The takeaway: Publishing more does help, but the returns diminish quickly. One high-quality post per week consistently outperforms three mediocre ones. If you are a small business with limited time, focus on quality over volume. We covered this philosophy in our content strategy guide.

Experiment 2: FAQ Schema Markup on Service Pages

The test: We added FAQ schema markup to five service pages on a home services website, leaving five similar pages without it.

Duration: 8 weeks

The result: Pages with FAQ schema saw a 22% increase in click-through rate from search results. They also started appearing in Google’s “People also ask” boxes more frequently. The pages without FAQ schema saw no meaningful change.

The takeaway: FAQ schema is still one of the easiest wins in SEO. It takes about 15 minutes per page to implement and the payoff is consistent. For the full how-to, check our schema markup guide.

Experiment 3: Rewriting Title Tags for Click-Through Rate

The test: We rewrote 20 title tags on pages that ranked in positions 4 through 10 but had below-average click-through rates. The rewrites focused on adding specific numbers, power words, and clearer value propositions.

Duration: 6 weeks

The result: Average CTR increased by 31% across the 20 pages. Five of the pages moved up in ranking position (likely because Google uses CTR as a quality signal). Three pages that had been stuck at position 7 or 8 jumped into the top 5.

The takeaway: Title tags are criminally underrated. Most small business sites have bland, keyword-stuffed titles that nobody wants to click. A compelling title tag can move the needle on both clicks and rankings. This ties directly into the on-page SEO checklist we recommend for every business.

Experiment 4: Internal Linking Overhaul

The test: We restructured the internal linking on a 45-page website. Before the overhaul, the site had almost no internal links between blog posts and service pages. We added 3 to 5 relevant internal links to every page.

Duration: 10 weeks

The result: Average time on site increased by 28%. Pages per session went from 1.8 to 3.1. Organic traffic to deep pages (pages more than two clicks from the homepage) increased by 41%.

The takeaway: Internal linking is free, fast, and shockingly effective. Most small business sites treat their pages as isolated islands. Connecting them with relevant internal links helps Google discover and rank more of your content. It also keeps visitors on your site longer. We wrote an entire post on internal linking strategy because it is that important.

Experiment 5: Google Business Profile Post Frequency

The test: We posted weekly updates on two Google Business Profiles and left two similar profiles without posts for the same period.

Duration: 12 weeks

The result: The profiles with weekly posts saw a 15% increase in profile views, a 19% increase in direction requests, and a 12% increase in phone calls. The profiles without posts saw flat or slightly declining engagement.

The takeaway: Google Business Profile posts are low effort and genuinely move the numbers. Most businesses set up their profile and forget it. Weekly posts, even simple ones with a photo and a couple of sentences, signal to Google that your business is active and engaged. We covered this in detail in our Google Business Profile guide.

The Bigger Picture

None of these experiments involved expensive tools or advanced technical skills. FAQ schema, title tag rewrites, internal linking, consistent posting. These are fundamentals. The difference between businesses that rank and businesses that do not often comes down to whether they actually do the basics consistently.

The experiments also reinforced something we see over and over: small, sustained efforts beat big one-time pushes. SEO is not a project you finish. It is a system you maintain.

What We Are Testing Next

We have a few more experiments in the pipeline, including tests on AI search optimization tactics and structured data variations. We will share those results as they come in.

Want us to run these same optimizations on your site? Get in touch and we will identify which quick wins will have the biggest impact for your business.