Context
Baluu founder Tom Batting had been running Obby.co.uk, an experience and education events marketplace since August 2016. Alongside running this bustling two sided marketplace, his team had started building booking software tools for their teachers to help them manage their bookings businesses online.
The software offered useful features like payment processing, advanced ticket booking functionality, integrated widgets to take bookings from any website, upsells, giftcards and much more. It was quickly proving a big success among its users and there was potential to expand.
In January of 2022 the decision was made to re-launch the software side of the business under a new name, with a different brand — this time targeting the bookings software market. Baluu was launched with the aim of expanding into new niches.
Teaming up with Toksta as we shifted our SaaS arm from Obby to Baluu was a game-changer. Their knack for SEO and content really pushed us ahead in the competitive booking software game. They nailed it with smart keyword strategies, killer content, and solid link-building that significantly lifted our traffic and sign-ups. Their updates and insights always kept us on track, showcasing our growth. I'm convinced about their expertise. If I were to launch a new SaaS startup, they'd be my first call for digital marketing, hands down.
Tom Batting - Founder of Baluu
Strategy
Getting traction via SEO on a totally new domain and zero content is no easy feat. We set out to devise a strategy that combined effective content marketing with an extensive link building campaign to build authority fast within the niche. The first step involved carrying out in depth keyword research to unearth the core themes and clusters within the booking software niche. The result was a list of target keywords and actionable steps/timelines to rank:
- Pages map for the new website, including URL, meta titles and more
- UX and CTR recommendations (to give us the best chance of ranking)
- Core web vitals improvement recommendations
- Suggested content topics and blog content calendar (with frequency for publishing)
- YouTube content calendar and suggested topics
- Suggested link building frequency and outreach plan
- Data tracking, analytics installation and dashboard build to track success of campaigns
We also set goals for when we would expect to hit our initial targets, e.g. we aimed to get the first 1000 visits to the site within the first month, and begin getting onto page one of Google for some of our target themes.
After this was in place we set our writing, editing and link building team to work alongside the existing Baluu team and an external web development agency.
Over the next 18 months we revamped the blog and parts of the core website for conversions, produced over 30 blog posts and 6 YouTube videos.
Results
We are proud to highlight the exceptional results achieved through our collaboration with Baluu. Initiating our strategy in May of 2022, it didn't take long for our efforts to bear fruit.
Within the first six months alone, the Baluu website saw a remarkable increase in traffic, attracting over 2000 monthly visitors from organic search. This upward trend continued, with visitor numbers reaching 3000 a month by November 2023, showcasing sustained growth even beyond our direct involvement.
Our partnership with Baluu was characterized by mutual dedication and innovative strategies that significantly enhanced their online presence. However, due to evolving market conditions and strategic refocusing, Baluu made the difficult decision to scale back operations and continue with a streamlined team.
This decision came after our successful collaboration had laid a solid foundation for their digital marketing efforts, demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach and the lasting impact of our work.
Organic traffic growth
We were particularly pleased with how quickly we were able to start ranking for some of our key terms within the first few months of producing content. One particular win was ranking for number 1 for "booking system for small business" which drove significantly high quality leads.
User growth
The increase in new user sign ups grew largely in line with the organic traffic we were driving to the Baluu website. It's also worth pointing out that there were no other active marketing channels during this period, with the exception of a very small budget spent on Meta re-targeting campaigns.
Referring Domain Growth
Utilising our link building offering, Baluu were able to attain 280 referring domains and a DR score of 58 in just under a year and now are well on their way to 600 referring domains.
To acheive this we put our outreach team to work, negotiating placements in target pages on high quality domains. As traffic grew, more and more natural back-links were created via a combination of blog traction and new users posting their events across the web.
Some examples of the types of links we were able to gain include Hostpapa (DR92 - 462.2K monthly traffic) and ClickUp (DR86 - 2m monthly traffic)
Concluding our journey with Baluu, we emphasize the pivotal role of our strategic SEO and content marketing efforts in propelling a new brand to significant heights in a competitive sector. Our collaboration led to notable achievements, including a marked increase in organic search traffic and user sign-ups, demonstrating the efficacy of our comprehensive digital marketing strategy.
Our focused efforts enabled Baluu to secure a top ranking for key terms, driving high-quality leads and establishing its market credibility. The successful acquisition of high-value referring domains, including notable placements, underscores the strength of our link-building strategies. Despite the conclusion of our partnership due to external challenges, the enduring impact of our work on Baluu's growth and online presence is undeniable.
