Published by isobel.regan@dontpanicprojects.com
Published Date 12.12.2023 
Pattern Australia is pleased to announce our SEO work with Strand has been named a finalist in this year’s APAC Search Awards for the Best Use of Content Marketing.
Our Beginning
Since July 2022, Pattern’s SEO department has had the pleasure of working with the Strand team across various content and SEO deliverables. As part of our strategic offering, our team knew the benefits of a strong content strategy for accelerating Strand’s performance in organic SERPs against its competitors. As Strand didn’t have a blog, our teams collaborated to write and publish articles to establish Strand’s position as a thought leader and authority in the world of travel and fashion.
Our Strategic Process
Our approach was simple – develop a robust content strategy that further established Strand as a key player in the travel products market, as well as grow its organic rankings for fashion bag terms.
In order to achieve these objectives, Pattern helped Strand launch the Strand Edit hub, featuring brand articles as well as SEO-focused content pieces targeting topics with both seasonal and evergreen intent.
The process of developing Strand’s new content strategy involved the following components.
- Keyword Research: Pattern conducted extensive research to identify high-volume keywords relevant to Strand’s product line where the site needed to improve its visibility. Our research also focused on keyword seasonality to identify the best time to publish content for maximum impact.
- Content Gap Analysis: By examining Strand’s existing on-page content and identifying gaps in the company’s content marketing, we honed in on topics that were relevant to the brand’s target audience, previously unaddressed on the website.
- Content Calendars: Utilising insights from the above projects, Pattern developed Content Calendars for the brand to address these content gaps and attract more organic traffic by covering key industry topics. These calendars outlined the topics, keywords, and publishing dates for each piece of content. The content calendar provided a clear roadmap for the creation process, ensuring that Strand was constantly creating fresh and relevant creative material.
- Blog Creation: Pattern worked collaboratively with Strand’s digital marketing team to write the topics that were a priority and aligned with the brand’s product launches as well as seasonal trends. Over the course of November ‘2022 through to October 2023, Pattern has written over 25 articles for the brand focusing on a mix of evergreen and seasonal topics. The content was optimised for search engines and further amplified on EDMs
The Results
After the launch of the Pattern-driven blog, Strand was able to significantly increase the site’s organic rankings.
The brand underwent a rebrand from Strandbags to Strand in November 2022, leading to a natural drop in rankings. However, comparing the site’s ranking when the blog had been live for two months in January 2023 with November 2023, overall site rankings are now up by +61.5% (ranking for 58,124 terms).
Page 1 Rankings have more than doubled, having lifted by 192% from January to the end of October, going from 12.06k to 35.24K.
While rankings improved, these results also work as a testament to the importance of a strong content offering to drive revenue. The Strand blog has an average conversion rate of 2.6%, far above industry benchmarks.
Much of the content has been based on research and structured to answer users’ most popular questions. This has resulted in articles such as “What size suitcase do I need?”, genuinely answering customer queries and becoming one of the top revenue-driving pieces of content.
In summary, the collaboration between Pattern and Strand teams achieved the following:
- +192% increase in Page 1 ranking keywords (Jan – Oct ‘23)
- +62% increase in total Organic keyword rankings (Jan – Nov ‘23)
- Strand’s top blog “What Size Suitcase Do I Need?” garnering over 14.3K sessions from its publication date in 2023 to Nov ‘23
- Strand began ranking number 1 for [Suitcase], [tote bag], [shoulder bag,] [duffle bag] – achieving objectives across travel and fashion categories
- Key Projects – Keyword Research, Content Audits & Blog Creation
Katie Mckelvie, SEO and Analytics Department Director, reflecting on the team’s relationship states that “Pattern has become an extension of the Strand team and it’s so exciting to see what we can achieve when we have SEO-led content driving real results”.
“We wanted to solidify our position as a prominent voice in both the fashion and travel space and the blogs allowed us to do this. Through the execution of our incredible agency Pattern’s strategic content plan, Strand saw remarkable results. We’re so pleased with the phenomenal 192% increase in Page 1 ranking keywords and 62% growth in total organic keyword rankings. We look forward to continued success with Pattern’s innovative solutions”, says Nicola Ramsey, Digital Marketing Manager at Strand.
The success of the Strand Edit has been groundbreaking for the brand, establishing Strand as a key, unrivalled competitor in the market. Our team is so proud of the results and being able to share them with this award is a true testament to the time, effort and strategic input from both teams.
About Pattern
Pattern is a global ecommerce accelerator that partners with brands across local and international markets to drive brand expansion and revenue. Across digital ecommerce retail, B2B and marketplaces, Pattern’s extensive knowledge, authority and strategy help brands grow and excel in an ever-changing and ultra-competitive environment.
Our Pattern Australia team works across both digital ecommerce and marketplaces, like Amazon. As part of our digital offering, we support our clients through SEO, SEM, Social, CRM, Affiliates and Analytics channels, offering detailed and customised solutions to win against competitors in an ever-evolving market.
