Stuck on page 10 while competitors capture the customers you want?
RLS Logistics used a Golden Keyword Strategy to turn six underperforming keywords into powerful organic growth drivers.
30+
Logistics Clients Nationwide
21
Years of Digital Marketing
10x
Proven ROI
The Challenge
For RLS Logistics, the goal wasn’t simply to get more website traffic—it was to scale online visibility and reach the right customers at the right time. At the beginning of 2022, RLS identified six “golden keywords” that represented valuable opportunities for organic search traffic and leads. The problem? Every one of those terms ranked on page 10 or lower on Google.
These keywords had strong monthly search volume and were closely connected to RLS’s core services, but they had not yet been fully maximized. Autumn Consulting and RLS set an ambitious goal: move all six golden keywords onto the first or second page of Google and build the domain authority needed to compete for difficult, high-value search terms.
Our Process
Discover
Connect
Build Trust
Win Business
Scale Growth
"Golden" Keyword Strategy
SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Rather than looking for a quick ranking boost, Autumn Consulting and RLS Logistics developed a year-long strategy designed to create sustainable organic growth and build authority over time.
The process centered on three key areas:
1. Align keywords with user intent.
First, Autumn reviewed each golden keyword in the context of RLS’s core business services and target audience. The team analyzed whether each phrase truly matched what potential customers were searching for, then refined the frequency, use, and context of the keywords to better meet specific user intent.
2. Strengthen the technical foundation.
Next, Autumn made targeted technical revisions to the webpages associated with each golden keyword. Title tags, meta text, URLs, photo file names, image sizes, and other Google indexing priorities were optimized to improve search performance while maintaining a strong user experience. The goal was to support Google optimization without resorting to keyword stuffing.
3. Build strategic content around each keyword.
Finally, Autumn worked with RLS’s marketing team to create content that naturally supported the target keywords and their organic growth. Vague transportation terminology was replaced with more specific phrases such as freight brokerage and less-than-truckload shipping, while relevant internal links were added to strengthen connections between pages.
Instead of simply producing content for the sake of publishing, RLS became more deliberate about creating intentional, SEO-focused content designed to generate website traffic and support valuable search terms.
Results
The strategy delivered exactly what RLS set out to accomplish: the company’s six weakest keywords became some of its strongest digital assets.
Through consistent content and technical updates, more than half of the six golden keywords reached page one or two of Google, while the remaining terms continued to steadily climb through the rankings.
And the improved rankings translated into measurable business results:
- 40% increase in organic web traffic
- 25% increase in website leads
- 31% increase in marketing deals won
The impact went beyond rankings. By increasing visibility for high-value search terms, RLS was able to capture more opportunities from organic search before potential customers reached competitors.
The success of the strategy and the innovative marketing work Autumn and RLS accomplished together earned Autumn Consulting and RLS Logistics the 2023 TSMA Trailblazer Award for innovative marketing in the transportation and logistics industry.
40%
Increase in organic traffic
25%
Increase in inbound leads
31%
Increase in deals won
12
Month campaign
Why it Worked
The results came from treating SEO as a long-term growth strategy rather than a one-time project. Autumn Consulting and RLS worked together consistently, using keyword research, technical optimization, content, internal linking, and ongoing analysis to build domain authority around difficult search terms.
The strategy was also grounded in the real business of RLS. Every keyword was evaluated against its core services and target audience, ensuring that the company wasn’t simply ranking for traffic—it was working toward visibility with the right customers at the right time.
25%
Increase in Pipeline Leads
Ready to turn your hardest-to-rank keywords into your strongest digital assets? Build a strategic SEO plan designed to move your logistics business up the rankings—and bring more qualified customers with you.
