Blue Ridge National Heritage Area

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area was created by Congressional and Presidential designation in November 2003 in recognition of the unique character, culture, and natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Foothills in Western North Carolina. Its mission is to protect, preserve, interpret, and develop the unique natural, historical, and cultural resources of Western North Carolina for the benefit of present and future generations, and in so doing to sustain our heritage and stimulate improved economic opportunity in our region.
Total organic visits in 2013: 244,551
Project
JB Media was selected by the non-profit Blue Ridge Heritage Area Partnership through a competitive bid process for six months of search engine optimization consulting, training, and content editing in 2011. Two years later, JB Media suggested that the organization consider the Google Ad Grants program for free advertising on the Google AdWords platform to drive additional visitors to the BRHA website. JB Media provided consultation, strategy, set-up and management of the grant and subsequent advertising campaigns. In 2014, an extension contract was granted for management and optimization of the Google Ad Grant supported campaigns during peak tourism months.
Scope of Work
- Keyword research
- Technical website review
- SEO strategy development
- SEO training for BRNHA staff
- Edit 20 existing web pages for SEO best practices
- Apply for, set-up, and optimize a Google Grant for AdWords marketing
- Google Grant AdWords campaign optimization
Results
BEFORE JB MEDIA
SEO
Total organic visits (2010): 41,946
Total keyword variations: 18,115
Best traffic month from organic SEO: 5,574 (October)
WITH JB MEDIA
SEO
Total organic visits (2013): 244,551
Total keyword variations: 47,989
Best traffic month from organic SEO: 37,779 (October)
Change: + 583%
Google Grant
Total free visits from Google Grant: 38,281 (Oct 2013 – March 2014)