A national healthcare nonprofit was leaving most of its $10,000 Google Ad Grant unspent every month on a Dynamic Search Ads setup. We transitioned the account to Performance Max in October 2025. Monthly grant spend rose 165.738% to hit the full cap by April, clicks grew 439.206%, and website events increased 107.692%.
SEO + Content Case Study
How Strategic SEO Formatting Earned Featured Snippets and Boosted Rankings for Custom Home Builder
A data-backed, news-first content campaign delivered explosive traffic growth by aligning with Google’s evolving SERP landscape—turning smart formatting into measurable wins.
+514%
SERPs features
+90%
new users YoY
+75%
top 20 keywords
The Client
Lombardo Homes is a family owned and operated custom home and land developer. They build craftsman houses in both Michigan and Missouri markets.
The Objective
For four years running, Lombardo Homes has leaned into seasonal link-building with two reliable winners: their Halloween and Christmas decoration surveys. These campaigns consistently attract high-authority backlinks from top-tier media outlets.
In 2024, we raised the bar. The SEO team reworked the strategy to make each campaign do more than earn press. By reformatting the blog content for search, we turned one-dimensional PR assets into dual-purpose content designed to drive organic traffic and claim valuable SERP features like People Also Ask, Image Packs, and AI Overviews.
SEO Strategy
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The problem
The annual Holiday Décor Survey campaigns were clear PR wins, earning hundreds of high-authority backlinks year after year. But from an SEO standpoint, they were leaving value on the table. Built primarily for media pickup, the content lacked the structure and intent targeting needed to drive long-term organic visibility.
Despite their success off-page, these assets weren’t showing up for relevant keywords or capturing key SERP features like People Also Ask, Image Packs, AI Overviews, or Things to Know. We saw the gap—and the opportunity. It was time to evolve the campaigns from press-first to performance-driven, combining link-building power with on-page SEO impact.-
The solution
Winning SERP features like featured snippets, knowledge panels, and People Also Ask requires more than just good content. It demands structure, clarity, and a deep understanding of search intent.
To position the Holiday Décor campaigns for visibility in organic search, DTC rolled out a layered SEO strategy. We started by identifying keywords with high potential to trigger SERP features, focusing on longtail queries that aligned with how users actually search. Content was rewritten to surface direct answers early, supported by clean, hierarchical headings, scannable formatting, and data-forward elements like tables.
We also implemented schema markup to give search engines a clearer understanding of the page structure and context. The result was content built not just to rank, but to own premium real estate on the results page. It earned clicks, authority, and visibility far beyond the initial media buzz.-
Why it matters
Backlinks matter. But backlinks paired with lasting organic traffic? That’s a true marketing asset.
By optimizing the Holiday Décor Survey content for SERP features, DTC extended its value well beyond the PR push. Features like People Also Ask, AI Overviews, and Image Packs helped the brand appear in front of users actively searching for seasonal trends.
What was once a moment-in-time media hit became a reliable, high-ROI traffic source that boosted visibility, authority, and brand reach in search.
SERPs Feature Trend. Other SERP features include image pack, things to know, AI overview, local pack, and knowledge panel.
The Traffic and Keyword Trends
Results
Over the six-month campaign window from October to March, the results spoke for themselves. Sessions increased by 76%, while new users visiting campaign-related URLs jumped by 90%.
We also saw a massive 514% increase in SERP features. Top 20 keyword rankings had a 75% gain, as well.
These outcomes reinforce what we already know: when digital PR is paired with SEO-optimized content, it drives more than just press. It delivers sustainable, compounding growth in organic visibility and brand reach.
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Performance Max Transition Maxes Out a $10K Google Ad Grant for a national healthcare nonprofit
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