SEO Case Studies: How 4 B2B companies achieved massive growth without Ads

If you’ve ever wondered whether SEO can really move the needle for B2B companies, you’re not alone.

We often hear that SEO takes forever, or that it's too crowded to compete especially in niche or competitive markets. But when it’s done with the right intent, structure, and consistency, SEO can become one of the most powerful, scalable growth channels out there.

In this article, I’m walking you through a few standout case studies where smart SEO strategies led to big results: we’re talking 200%+ traffic growth, thousands of new leads, and millions of monthly visitors.

Each case offers a slightly different angle, but they all share a common thread: a focus on content that serves real user intent and drives real business outcomes.

Let’s dive into it !

1. B2B SEO Case Study: How Messente grew lead acquisition by 246% through strategic SEO

Quick context:

In August 2022, Messente, a business SMS service provider, realized it was time to take its digital visibility to the next level. Despite a strong product, standing out in a crowded market like theirs (especially on Google) was a real challenge.

They invested in a focused strategy combining SEO and Digital PR (digital public relations : getting natural mentions and links from reputable websites).

The results? A +246% increase in lead acquisition and a +269% boost in organic traffic. Here's how it happened.

Goals

The mission was clear: grow online visibility and drive sales.
The focus areas were:

• Significantly increase website traffic

• Improve keyword rankings on Google

• Build high-quality backlinks (links from other websites, like endorsements in Google's eyes)

• Most importantly: increase qualified leads coming from organic traffic

Key challenges

1. Tough global competition
   Messente operates in a space where competitors were investing 6x more in SEO and content. Gaining visibility required a sharp, well-executed strategy.

2. Traffic wasn’t converting enough
   They were getting visitors, but not enough of them were turning into leads or customers. The SEO plan had to focus on conversion, not just more clicks.

3. Lack of commercial keyword focus
   Their content wasn’t targeting “money keywords” those with commercial intent (when people are actively searching for services/products). These were especially underused on landing pages and sales-focused content.

The SEO strategy

1. Focus on commercial keywords and landing pages

The first move was to shift from just informational content (like “what is SMS marketing?”) to targeting commercial intent keywords (like “best SMS verification service”). These are the keywords that people type when they’re ready to buy or sign up.

“The problem is that customers rarely convert directly through articles with informational intent keywords. You need to tackle them with commercial keywords using landing pages or high-intent listicle articles.”

– Konstantin Sadekov, CEO Ethical SEO

Also, they built new landing pages and created content clusters (groups of interlinked articles around the same topic : helps Google see you as an expert in that niche). This helped build topical authority, which is key to ranking well.

2. Speeding up high-quality content production

With around 80 topics identified, they ramped up production to about 8 targeted articles per month.

To stay consistent, they built clear content briefs (documents outlining structure, keywords, internal links, tone, etc.) and streamlined collaboration between teams. Tools like Airtable helped keep everything organized and flowing smoothly.

3. Ethical link building via Digital PR

Instead of buying links (which Google dislikes), they went the Digital PR route, building real relationships with websites in the same industry and earning natural backlinks (think of these as Google “trust signals”).

They did a link gap analysis (comparing their backlinks vs. competitors,  to find easy wins) and pitched content to top-tier websites like:

• G2.com (DR 90, 5.6M visits/month)

• Venngage (DR 85), Sleekflow, Teamwork...

This helped strengthen Messente’s domain authority and boosted the visibility of key pages.

4. Content audit and optimization

They didn’t just create new content, they also improved what was already there. Using tools like:

• Screaming Frog (technical SEO and crawl data)

• Google Analytics (user behavior)

• Google Search Console (organic performance)

• Ahrefs (backlink data)

• SurferSEO (content optimization guidance)

...they found and fixed issues like keyword cannibalization (when multiple pages compete for the same keyword), outdated info, and poor internal linking.

They refreshed 28 underperforming articles, and as a result, traffic doubled for many of them.

You can update old content. It takes less work and delivers faster results which can only be beneficial for your overall content marketing strategy.

- Neil Patel

Results at a glance

Comparing two 9-month periods (before vs after the strategy):

• +246.88% increase in organic lead generation

• +269% organic traffic growth

• Updated content brought 2x more traffic

• More backlinks → stronger domain authority

• Major improvement in keyword rankings across the board

Key takeaways

This case shows what can happen when SEO is done right even in a super competitive B2B space. A few valuable insights:

• Listicle articles (top 10s, comparisons) work really well to convert readers

• Don’t build links right away, wait for some traffic and impressions first (Google signals)

• Link building should support good content, not replace it

• Be patient, SEO takes time, especially in high-competition industries

Messente’s story is a great reminder that SEO isn’t dead, far from it. With the right strategy, a company can unlock massive growth through organic traffic alone.

A 246% increase in leads, 269% traffic growth, and a stronger online presence, all without relying on ads. That’s the power of smart, ethical SEO.

2. Preply study case : From 500K to 3.8M monthly organic visitors in 3 years

Preply, the online language tutoring platform, grew its organic search traffic by 660%, jumping from 500K to 3.8M visitors per month in just three years.

This case study breaks down the strategy behind their SEO success and how you can apply similar thinking to scale traffic in competitive markets.

The business goal

Preply’s main objective was to attract and convert language learners from around the world by:

• Driving qualified traffic to their platform

• Educating users about language learning

• Turning that traffic into paying customers using a full-funnel content strategy

Initial challenges

Despite operating in a massive global market, Preply faced challenges early on:

• Low organic visibility

• A need to educate potential users (top-of-funnel content)

• Scaling across multiple languages and regions

SEO strategy breakdown

Preply’s current success is built on three core content pillars, each addressing different parts of the user journey:

1. Blog content (Top + middle of funnel)

The blog is Preply’s largest traffic driver.

They created 5,000+ blog posts answering common questions language learners ask on Google.

Why it works:

• These are high-volume, “evergreen” questions

• People searching them are often in the early stages of learning

• This opens the door for Preply to introduce its tutoring services

Bonus: They optimized for conversion:

• Posts are written by real tutors → adds trust & authority

• FAQs are embedded in the design → supports SEO & UX

• Dynamic CTAs (calls to action) appear during scroll → tailored to each article’s topic

• Custom visuals/graphics → better engagement and brand perception

2. User forum (UGC + Community SEO)

Preply runs a public Q&A forum where users ask questions about language, and Preply tutors answer.

• Forums exist for each country/language

• Tutors include their name and qualifications, reinforcing Preply’s authority

• Threads like “what does X mean in English?” get indexed and ranked in Google

Why this is powerful:

• Content is user-generated → Preply doesn’t have to write it all

• Tutors benefit from increased visibility → they’re motivated to contribute

• Scalable SEO loop → more content, more visibility, more engagement

3. Programmatic SEO for tutoring services

Preply has created 48,000+ service pages, targeting commercial keywords like:

• Online English tutor

• Japanese tutor near me

• Maths teacher online

How they do it:

• Their database of tutors is used to automatically generate pages

• They target high-converting queries like:
  [language] + tutor or [online] + [language] + classes

• They even include geo-localized pages (“English tutor in London”) for better local SEO visibility

Each page includes:

• A list of relevant tutors

• Custom text based on the city/language

• SEO elements like FAQs and internal links

Even though Preply is fully online, they still benefit from ranking for local searches because users often search for tutors in their city, even if the sessions are virtual.

Backlink building (Digital PR at scale)

Getting high-authority backlinks was a key part of Preply’s strategy:

• A dedicated in-house and agency team runs digital PR campaigns across markets

• They target links from websites with DR 40+ (domain rating)

• Example campaigns:

  • Survey-based research (rudest cities by country)

  • Localized news stories that generate regional press coverage

• Over 20,000 new backlinks added since 2021

• Domain rating (Ahrefs) grew from 75 to 81

These PR-driven campaigns position Preply as a global brand and boost rankings by building trust in Google’s eyes.

The results

Key takeaways

• Go big on content but stay relevant
  Don’t just publish more. Publish content that aligns with your audience’s real needs, in multiple languages if needed.

• Use every part of the funnel
  Preply didn’t just chase traffic, they targeted TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU queries to bring users from awareness to conversion.

• Leverage programmatic SEO if you can
  If you have a database (tutors, products, locations), use it to generate landing pages that match real-world search queries.

• Invest in Digital PR for authority
  Earned media and backlinks remain one of the strongest ranking signals especially when done strategically and at scale.

• SEO is a compound asset
  Preply’s success didn’t come overnight. But once the machine was built, it started compounding with scalable returns.

3. B2B SEO case study: How Storylane increased organic traffic by 201% and grew to 140+ customers in 6 Months

Quick intro:

Storylane is a no-code platform that helps businesses create interactive product demos, think of it as a way for companies to show off their product in action without needing engineering support. In a space where first impressions matter, Storylane helps sales and marketing teams wow prospects with personalized walkthroughs.

They partnered with TripleDart to make SEO a growth channel and the outcome was huge: +201% traffic, 400+ demo requests, and 140+ paying customers in just 6 months.

Here’s how they pulled it off.

The challenge

Storylane operates in a very niche category. Interactive product demos are a relatively new concept, so awareness was low and search volume for high-intent keywords (keywords with clear buying intent) was limited.

The main challenges were:

• Few high-intent keywords available

• Building a full-funnel content strategy from scratch

• Finding a way to turn organic traffic into actual product demos and sales

The goals

1. Increase brand visibility and awareness

2. Generate traffic from relevant, high-converting keywords

3. Convert top-of-funnel visitors into demo requests

4. Grow organic sales through targeted content

The SEO strategy

1. Capture bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) search intent

To drive real revenue, the focus was on BOFU content, landing pages and blog articles optimized for high-intent search terms. These are the keywords people search when they’re ready to book a demo, try a product, or make a decision (example: "interactive product demo software").

Result: Storylane ranked #1 in North America for the term “interactive product demo.”

2. Build full-funnel content clusters

To attract users at every stage of the buyer journey, they built content funnels for each product feature or use case. This included:

• Top-of-Funnel (TOFU) content to educate people about the value of product demos

• Middle-of-Funnel (MOFU) content comparing tools and explaining use cases

• Bottom-of-Funnel (BOFU) content targeting people ready to try or buy

This helped build topical authority, a major SEO signal that tells Google you're an expert in your niche.

3. Leverage backlinks from clients and partners

Backlinks are like votes of trust on the internet. To improve domain authority (Google’s trust level for a website), the team earned backlinks from Storylane’s client base and related partners, a smart way to build credibility without aggressive outreach.

Read more on how to increase domain authority.

The results

In just 5–6 months, the SEO strategy translated into real business growth:

• +201% increase in organic traffic

• 400+ demo signups

• 140+ paying customers

• 5x increase in search traffic

• Storylane's blog received 9,220 clicks and 779,000 impressions from SEO-optimized content

• Ranking #1 for the keyword "interactive product demo" in North America

What you can learn from this

• Even niche products can grow fast with SEO, if you nail the right intent and content structure.

• Focus first on BOFU content, this is what drives demos and sales.

• Use TOFU content to build awareness and feed your funnel.

• Don’t ignore backlinks, but start with what you already have (clients, partners, media).

• SEO takes time, but even within 5–6 months, the impact can be massive with the right strategy.

Storylane’s journey shows how a niche SaaS product can break through with a smart, focused SEO plan. From limited awareness to 5x traffic and 140+ customers, all driven by content, keywords, and technical execution.

This isn't just about getting more traffic, it's about getting the right traffic that converts. SEO still works, especially in B2B, if it’s done with intent.

For blog strategy tips, check B2B blogs best practices.

4. Case study : How CommandBar boosted leads by 340% using SEO

CommandBar, a SaaS startup that helps improve product adoption with AI-powered tools, managed to grow organic leads by 340% with no in-house SEO expert.

In this case study, we break down how CommandBar used simple SEO strategies, powered by tools like Surfer, to generate results quickly and cost-effectively.

About CommandBar

CommandBar is an AI-powered assistant embedded in software products to help users get the most out of the tools they’re using.

Their flagship tool, Copilot, gives users contextual guidance like a smart helper inside the app. This drives:

• Better product adoption

• Higher engagement

• Improved user satisfaction

The challenge: Breaking the boom-and-bust launch cycle

Before they focused on SEO, CommandBar relied on big feature or product launches to drive attention. Each time, they’d see a spike in traffic and interest, followed by a drop back to normal.

“When we have big launches, we get a lot of people… and in between those peaks, there's just this baseline of normal activity. Our idea with SEO was: how do we bring that baseline up?”

– Lucas, CommandBar

Their goal: Use SEO to raise the ongoing baseline of traffic and leads, not just rely on big PR moments.

The SEO strategy (Starting in March 2023)

CommandBar had a small team and no SEO specialist. So they needed a solution that was:

• Easy to use

• Scalable

• Focused on bottom-line results (qualified leads)

Step 1: Keyword research with Surfer

Even without SEO experience, the team could instantly find high-potential topics to write about.

For example:

• When they searched “product adoption” (a topic central to their business), Surfer suggested 77 article ideas

• Topics like “user onboarding” and “in-app guides” came up, all highly relevant to CommandBar’s product and audience

• Some of these topics had medium competition and decent search volume, making them ideal for a young site

Step 2: Focus on bottom-of-funnel keywords

Instead of just chasing high-traffic keywords, they prioritized commercial-intent searches, the kind users make when they’re close to buying.

Example:

• Keywords like “in-app guides” may not have massive search volume, but they attract the exact audience CommandBar wants

• This helped them generate leads, not just clicks

Surfer helped filter keywords based on search intent, so CommandBar could easily find phrases tied to real business value.

Step 3: Create & optimize content with Surfer’s content editor

Instead of writing blindly, the team used Surfer’s Content Editor, which told them:

• What keywords to include

• How often to use them

• Ideal word count

• Recommended structure and formatting

This allowed them to produce high-quality, SEO-optimized blog posts fast even without SEO training.

Result:

• Increased blog production from 1 post every two weeks → 4 posts per week

• Saw faster improvements in traffic and rankings

Step 4: Update old content

Using Surfer, they also optimized existing blog posts, updating keywords, improving structure, and aligning with SEO best practices.

This resulted in better rankings and more traffic from content they already had.

Results after just a few months

• Organic traffic tripled in a few months

• Leads from organic search increased by 340%

• Baseline traffic (between launches) is now 5x higher than before SEO

All of this was achieved:

• Without a dedicated SEO expert

• Using one tool (Surfer)

• Starting in March 2023, in just months, not years

Learn how to measure success in What is a good ROI : how to measure it ? 

Bonus: Other channels they use

While SEO has become their most cost-effective growth channel, they also invest in:

• Cold email outreach

• Paid ads

• G2 reviews

• Sponsored newsletters (to 100K+ subscribers)

But unlike these paid efforts, SEO continues working long after content is published making it more sustainable and scalable.

Key takeaways

• You don’t need to be an SEO expert to get results
  With tools like Surfer, Ahrefs or Semrush, even beginners can find keywords, write optimized content, and grow traffic.

• Focus on content that aligns with your product
  CommandBar only writes about topics relevant to their tools and users which improves lead quality and SEO performance.

• Target commercial-intent keywords
  Don’t just write for traffic. Write for buyers. Filter keyword ideas by purchase intent to maximize conversions.

• Use tools to speed up the process
  Surfer’s suggestions helped them move fast, publish more often, and skip time-consuming SEO research.

• SEO is a sustainable growth channel
  Unlike ads or one-time launches, SEO builds momentum over time, lifting your baseline traffic and bringing in leads 24/7.

Conclusion

So, what do these stories tell us?
Whether you're starting from scratch or optimizing what you already have, SEO still works, and it works incredibly well when you stay focused on the right things: intent-driven content, full-funnel strategy, and consistent technical execution.

From Messente’s 246% lead growth to Preply’s global content engine and Storylane’s BOFU-first approach, the common thread is clear: success came from aligning SEO with actual business goals, not just chasing traffic for traffic’s sake.

No matter your industry or starting point, there’s likely something you can borrow, adapt, or scale from these strategies. And remember, great SEO is less about hacks and more about long-term thinking, relevance, and value.

If you want to dive deeper into practical tips, don’t miss our guide on How to increase blog traffic, packed with actionable strategies to boost your blog’s reach and grow your audience.

Thanks for reading, hope you picked up something useful to apply to your own SEO game!