2023 Wrapped: Lyon Content’s 5 Best Case Studies

It’s been an exciting year for Lyon Content, full of milestones and balanced by some industry-wide setbacks. The economy, AI, and silent recession have kept us all on our toes.

But despite these curveballs, we’ve consistently produced high-level content for our beauty, marketing, and lifestyle clients. So in this spinoff of Spotify Wrapped, we present: 

2023 Wrapped: Lyon Content’s Best Case Studies.

We’ve unlocked major results for many of our long-term clients–from soaring SERP rankings to backlinks from industry kings like HubSpot and beyond, here’s our 2023 wrapped year in review.

1. Best SERP Rankings: HawkSEM 

If you want to know if blogging is dead, here’s our blogging case study that screams otherwise. HawkSEM is an award-winning Google Premier Partner marketing agency offering search engine marketing (SEM) services like pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO).

In other words: they help their clients (giants like Nike, Honda, and Verizon) dominate their digital marketing efforts.

And one thing they know from decades of expertise in the biz? Organic content reigns supreme. But not just any organic content: high-quality, educational content that meets Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines.

High-level blog content

E-E-A-T is not a tall order, it asks that your content showcase Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. So why do so many brands fumble the ball?

Because pumping out 2500-word blog posts that aren’t dry as cement, littered with marketing-speak, or regurgitated from competitors takes time and money.

But for Lyon Content? It’s just another day’s work (and by the way, we love our work).

Here’s what we did:

• Followed HawkSEM’s frequently updated content guidelines
• Wrote 100% human content (no robo-generated garbage)
• Dove deep into the latest research and statistics
• Interviewed HawkSEM’s vast internal team of subject matter experts (SMEs)
• Used Clearscope’s in-depth SEO tool to craft SERP-informed outlines, use relevant keywords, and cover the most relevant talking points
• Updated and re-optimized older posts with new research, links, keywords, and SME quotes

And on top of that?

Updated service pages

We also got our hands on writing web copy for some of their most prominent service pages, which are essential for their core services to dominate SERP status. Refreshing these pages gave us space to incorporate new keywords, format for flow and readability, and articulate the value of HawkSEM’s results-driven offerings.

And speaking of results…

Results

• We scored two Hubspot backlinks: After linking to HubSpot (who has a sky-high Domain Authority score of 93!) for years, they finally returned the love with multiple backlinks to our articles.
• Over 35% of articles ranked in top 5 SERP positions for primary keywords, and that doesn’t even include all the top rankings for keyword variants.
• Over 50% of our articles ranked on page one of Google.

Working with Christina has been fantastic, she is always on time and on budget with superb writing skills. Christina and her team do an amazing job adding personality and flair to content writing. Highly recommended.

Sam Yadegar, HawkSEM CEO

View the full case study here.

2. Biggest Level-Up: Dr. Cat’s Procedure Page Revamps 

Notable Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr. Cat Huang-Begovic stands out as a Rodeo Drive star, but in the digital realm, her service pages fell short on traffic and rankings.

We’ve partnered with Dr. Cat on several projects, but one of our proudest writing case studies of this year was revamping her core service pages.

The problem: low visibility

• While Dr. Cat’s service pages were informational, they lacked the relatability and empathy that Dr. Cat is known worldwide for. 

• There were long walls of text which inhibited the user experience and lowered readability. 

• And given the life-changing transformations she offers her clients, we saw an opportunity to outline clear benefits and points of differentiation from other plastic surgeons.

The solution: Boosting authority with empathy

We couldn’t wait to get our hands on these procedure pages and give them a Dr. Cat-worthy transformation. 

• We rewrote the copy to demonstrate empathy and relatability. It was crucial that the reader felt seen and heard. We did this with a warm, uplifting tone that spoke directly to their pain points and insecurities and offered a valuable solution.

• We promoted niche authority and trustworthiness with before-and-after photos and quotes from Dr. Cat.

• We created a positive user experience with better readability, catchy headings, images, short paragraphs, and bullet lists.

Results

• The client secured the second slot as the most popular surgery site online (after the American Society of Plastic Surgeons) out of thousands!
• 20K+ new organic traffic visits
• 130K monthly visits
• Over 36K organic keywords

Why such drastic gains? On top of exceptionally written content, we significantly improved the user experience. Easy to navigate? Clearly defined sections? Short, concise paragraphs? 

Yes, yes, and oh yes. 

Just look at this gorgeously laid-out copy:

• The results keep pouring in. Just take a look at this second-position ranking on one of their procedure pages for a competitive keyword!

Christina is not only a talented writer and content creator, but she also possesses a deep understanding of our brand and the aesthetics industry. Her writing is captivating and informative, consistently engaging our audience and conveying complex ideas with clarity and elegance. What sets Christina apart is her ability to blend creativity with a practical understanding of our goals. She has a unique talent for capturing the essence of our brand voice, making each piece of content not just a written work, but an extension of our brand’s identity. Her reliability and commitment to deadlines have been a significant asset to our team. Moreover, her communication skills are exemplary; she’s always open to feedback and collaborates closely with our team to ensure that every project exceeds expectations. Christina is a remarkable asset to our team. Her creativity, reliability, and exceptional writing skills have played a crucial role in enhancing our brand’s presence and reputation.

Binais Begovic, CMO

View the full case study here.

3. Fan Fave: MD GLAM’s Warm and Uplifting Blog Content

It’s no secret the beauty industry is notoriously competitive. I mean, who can compete with celeb beauty brands like Rare Beauty and R.E.M.?

If anyone can do it, it’s a celebrity surgeon, Dr. Cat, who definitely deserves two spots on our 2023 Wrapped list. 

The problem:

MD GLAM is Dr. Cat’s surgeon-developed clinically proven anti-aging skincare. 

When I first chatted with their marketing team, they were fed up with lackluster, bland writing that failed to echo Dr. Cat’s worldwide acclaim and reputation for delivering flawless results, pristine office, and warm, empathetic, inviting, safe ambiance. 

Worse, they had bad experiences with writers submitting AI-generated content. Yikes! MD GLAM struggled to get the tone of voice to match Dr. Cat’s signature warmth.

And above all, they wanted to deepen the connection with their audience while also bringing more traffic to their luxury skincare products.

We knew we had to lead with value to stand out in the competitive luxury skincare industry, leaning on Dr. Cat’s prestige and decades of experience to build trust and stand out.

The solution:

• First, we got clear on MD GLAM’s tone and style guide. We wanted to ensure we linked to relevant research while also leaning on Dr. Cat’s authority and expertise as a skincare and beauty leader.

• We meticulously followed SEO outlines to craft SERP-ready SEO blogs that would rank and help improve MD GLAM’s rankings.

• But above all? We wrote with empathy, understanding, and authority. By demonstrating Dr. Cat’s experience and expertise, we crafted trustworthy, educational, valuable content for her target audience to ensure we were writing for her audience first and foremost. 

Results

• Our high-performing articles boosted Dr. Cat’s authority overall, forging a connection with her audience built on trust.
• Our SEO-optimized beauty articles continue to perform well and rank within the top 3 positions of of the SERP:

“We hired Christina to work as an SEO-driven, creative skincare and beauty writer for our blog and let’s just say, she delivered within the first assigned piece. No revisions necessary! Now that’s what you call skill and passion. Typically, it takes a few attempts for a writer to emerge their creative style with our brand voice and needs but for Christina, that was NOT the case! She excelled and we were/are still extremely impressed. Can’t wait to see where her writing takes us! ”

Keia Black, former marketing director at MD GLAM

View the full case study here.

4. Best comeback: recovering lost traffic for our gemstones client with value-based content

We’ve worked with a client in the gemstones and healing crystals niche since 2018. In fact, they were one of my very first freelance writing clients!

Fast forward to 2023, and we’ve written thousands of blog articles for them about just about every topic in the gemstones niche.

From birthstone chart roundups to historical origins of precious gems, we’ve written an encyclopedia of gemstone content for this client that has contributed to multiple millions in sales every year.

Our authoritative, educational content has positioned them to corner the market and ensure that any gemstone-related queries typed into Google landed on their website.

But as Google’s algorithms constantly evolve, so too, did our strategy and content production. Traffic dips are normal, but when they happen we must be adept and vigilant about correcting course.

When the numbers started to dip earlier this year, we infused more authority and experience into the articles.

We also shifted focus from a predominantly SEO tactical strategy. Instead of targeting specific keywords, we focused on answering the questions as comprehensively as possible, then optimizing for specific keywords.

This is generally what we do for all content, but it became clear that Google favored articles showing more niche experience.

By pivoting our technique and doubling down on value, we watched the numbers rise again and see an astonishing comeback!

5. Favorite New Brand: Simply Ingredients 

Custom flour provider Simply Ingredients came to us with limited digital presence and branding. 

They were backed with years of industry experience and had an impressive roster of international clients, but they wanted to attract new ones with a more prominent online presence. 

Step one? Figure out how they wanted to position themselves in their branded content.

The problem: limited brand identity and technical, jargon-heavy content

Simply Ingredients partners with specialty enzyme providers to craft custom flour solutions in their supplier labs. Plus, they cater to all sorts of global food industry clients from small bakeries to billion-dollar restaurant chains. 

But when they first came to us, we didn’t have many digital assets or presence to research. 

They needed help articulating their decades of innovative industry experience and history of family values in online content. 

Additionally, they struggled to communicate the company value, partner roles, and benefits of their offerings.

The solution: 

• We created sharp brand guidelines. Informed by multiple interviews with the Director and competitor analysis, we drafted brand messaging guidelines that would guide us with confidence to create every subsequent piece of content for our client.
• We identified different audience segments. The food industry is huge and we noticed Simply Ingredients served quite a few different client types. We separated them into clear audience personas that captured demographics, income, and pain points across three different client types. 
• We crafted accessible, engaging website copy. Enzymes, emulsifiers, food chemistry — the technical details were overwhelming but we wanted to dissect them in a logical way that not only made sense to non-technical audiences, but also communicated direct value to Simply Ingredients’ target customers. 

Simply Ingredients’ website is under construction, but we can’t wait to share the final product once it’s published!

Ready to Drive Results in 2024?

2023 was an incredible year of steady results for Lyon Content and our partners. We worked with old and new clients to build data-driven strategies and create dynamic, valuable content for their collective audiences.

Whether you’re in the food, beauty, marketing, tech, or ecommerce industries, Lyon Content is your partner for SEO strategy, copywriting, content writing, and more. 

Ready to make 2024 your year of massive growth? Let’s collab!