Niva Bupa’s Rise to Prominence Through Strategic SEO Mastery in Collaboration with #ARM Worldwide

Introduction

In India, a noticeable surge in health consciousness is transforming lifestyles, prompting a growing number of individuals to embrace healthier choices. This heightened awareness is particularly evident in the booming health insurance sector, with over 70% of India’s population covered under public health insurance or voluntarily private health insurance. The escalating demand for health-related services has ignited a digital revolution, making a strong online presence indispensable for businesses to effectively connect with their audience. Amidst this profound paradigm shift, health tech companies are compelled not only to cater to the evolving health-conscious preferences of consumers but also to establish a formidable digital presence. Niva Bupa, with the trust of 1 crore+ satisfied customers, backed by an extensive network of 10,000+ hospitals across India, astutely acknowledged this shift and decided to undertake a strategic website upgrade with an aim to not only elevate overall business performance but also enhance the visibility of diverse product range, engage the target audience, and solidify its standing in the competitive market. This case study takes us through the journey telling how Niva Bupa in collaboration with #ARM Worldwide made health insurance more accessible and user-friendly for a diverse consumer base.

Challenges

The team started with certain in hand challenges including:

1. Low SERP Visibility:

Due to website migration in October 2021, the search engine result pages (SERP) visibility was negatively affected which tampered with the brand's online business. The challenge was to enhance visibility and improve the overall digital footprint in a short span of time to bounce back as well as enhance digital presence.

2. Content Credibility Issues:

Existing content lacked keyword optimisation, resulting in subpar website performance. Further, content duplication issues led to a decline in SERP credibility, inviting penalties. Addressing these issues were crucial to safeguarding and enhancing the brand's online reputation.

Objectives

To tackle the challenges, the team set the following goals:

1. Keyword Visibility Enhancement

We targeted to enhance the visibility of initial 2476 keywords in SERP through refined targeting and continuous optimisation. We started with 300 keywords on the first page with an aim to increase the number by 95% to 100% by the end of 12 month operations. Maximise the presence of Niva Bupa's targeted keywords on the first page of search results out of a pool of 30 relevant terms, reinforcing dominance in the health insurance sector.

2. Traffic Growth

Achieve substantial website traffic growth through the integration of organic search and content marketing strategies. Further, enhance it by 60% and contribute to generating business leads, through strategic keywords and content planning and publishing.

3. Enhance Domain Authority

Implement a comprehensive SEO strategy, including on-page optimisation and technical enhancements, to strengthen online presence. And continuously enhance the same through ranking of thematic keywords relevant to Niva Bupa's core offerings through an effective content strategy, fostering high-quality backlinks, and staying adaptive to evolving search algorithms.

Approach

1. On-Page SEO

Our comprehensive On-Page SEO strategy addressed every facet to ensure optimal search engine visibility. Starting with an in-depth keyword analysis, we identified and leveraged the most potent keywords across all pages of the migrated website. The execution included the utilisation of industry-standard tools like Semrush, Google Keyword Planner, Google Analytics, and others for keyword placement analysis and competitor benchmarking. Later, each web page underwent meticulous optimisation, strategically integrating keywords to enhance both Search Engine Results Page (SERP) ranking and user searchability.
The optimisation extended utilisation of trophy keywords to other critical on-page elements, including meta titles, meta tags, and other meta attributes, aligning them for maximum impact.

2. Off-Page SEO

We took a user-focused approach to boost off-page SEO efforts. By crafting engaging blogs, landing pages, Quora responses, and FAQs, we aimed to answer common user queries and enhance the visibility of our website. Our strategic content approach provided in-depth information, linking relevant blogs to encourage users to explore further and learn continuously.
To enhance readability and user experience, we organised and added new content, focusing on specific pages with potential for improvement. This included optimising content with high-intent keywords, ensuring better discoverability and meeting audience informational needs. We enriched the content for added value, incorporating required keywords for relevance. Transforming blogs into listicles for quick access and including FAQs aligned with blog topics boosted visibility on the search engine results page (SERP).

3. Refined Content Optimisation

Under our meticulously planned content strategy, which was crucial post-website migration, an extensive scan was conducted across numerous web pages. This thorough evaluation led to the identification and removal of numerous duplicate content, ensuring a streamlined and unique online identity.
Recognising the importance of addressing duplicate content challenges, we conducted a comprehensive audit, resulting in the creation of reframed content that resonated with both search engines and discerning users. Proactively tackling duplication concerns through strategic use of meta tags, heading and sub heading optimisation, internal linking and others, our approach consolidated ranking signals and markedly enhanced the overall user experience.
Simultaneously, we initiated an aggressive monthly content creation initiative, generating 5 times more content pieces per month. This content was strategically divided, with 50% allocated to website blogs and the remaining 50% published on third-party articles and guest posts on high authority websites to significantly expand our digital footprint.

4.Technical Enhancements

Beyond technicalities, our user-centric approach prioritised content structure, readability, and responsive design for an enhanced user experience. This blend of technical precision and user-centred design maximised search engine performance while ensuring a positive user journey. To achieve this, we proactively resolve duplicate content issues through canonical tags, assisting the technical team in correction of redirections (301 and 302). We also focused on enhancing Core Web Vitals performance, considering compatibility, and optimising loading time, interactivity, and visual stability. The team assisted with a seamless website migration by executing critical technical updates. Addressing issues like broken links and optimising internal linking, we ensured a smooth transition.

5. Resolving Google's Cache and Indexing Issues

Prioritising the intricacies of Google's cache and indexing mechanisms, our team pinpointed obstacles and implemented technical fixes to optimise content reading and enhance indexing efficiency.

Adressing Cache Issues

In our campaign to tackle cache issues, we proactively managed data storage and retrieval, rectifying broken and internal links, ensuring that cached versions accurately reflected the latest updates. This comprehensive approach significantly contributed to an optimised online experience, with content changes suggested on numerous pages to further enhance cache efficiency.

Tackling Indexing Challenges

Indexing issues arise when search engines struggle to crawl and catalogue web pages, resulting in certain pages being excluded from the search engine index. As part of our campaign strategy, we identified and implemented technical fixes to address indexing concerns, facilitating efficient crawling and inclusion of all relevant pages in the search engine index. This included on-page and technical enhancements, and strategic internal linking between blogs and product pages. This holistic approach not only resolved immediate indexing concerns but also fortified the overall structural integrity and performance of our online content.

6. Adapting To Google's Updates

During our campaign execution between Jan 2022 to Jan 2024, Google rolled out three impactful updates that significantly influenced SEO and site rankings. The October 4, 2023, Spam Update targeted various forms of spam content, including cloaking, hacked sites, and misleading content. The fourth Core Update in November 2023 aimed to improve search quality and reduce spam, introducing changes to the reviews system. The September 28, 2023, Helpful Content Update sought to reward informative content and demote sites creating content primarily for search engine ranking. Our consistent efforts for content and SEO optimisation were user friendly and already in line with these updates, and hence navigating through them was easier in comparison to competitors in the industry. Our team proactively monitored and navigated through each of these updates strategically.

For the Spam Update, we conducted a meticulous content audit to ensure compliance with Google's guidelines and avoid penalties associated with spammy practices.
During the Core Update, our content strategy was adjusted to align with Google's emphasis on quality and relevance, optimising reviews and prioritising authentic user feedback.
For the Helpful Content Update, we proactively curated informative and valuable content, aligning with Google's preferences and ensuring our website continued to be recognised positively by the updated algorithms.

Results

Over the course of our comprehensive campaign, spanning from January 2022 to January 2024, implementation of SEO initiatives yielded significant results:

#1. Keywords

First page keywords saw a massive surge of 229% surpassing our expectations of 100%, a testament to our effectiveness.
Unbranded keywords witnessed a substantial growth of 49.72%, while Pole Position keywords surged impressively by 185.19% during the same period.
The top 3, 5, and 10 keywords experienced impressive growth rates of 337.50%, 368.97%, and 406.06%, respectively.

#2. Organic Traffic

The organic traffic sessions exhibited a remarkable growth of 150.7% during the course of the campaign, with a substantial increase of 50.07% specifically from January 2023 to December 2023.

#3. Organic Impressions

Organic impressions surged by 295.58%. Specifically in the last year the impressions showed a substantial growth rate of 149.78%.

#4. Domain Authority Improvement

Niva Bupa experienced a remarkable growth of 69%, while the specific keyword for competition showcased growth at 32% signifying a robust enhancement of its online presence.
Notably, the improvement in trophy and core keywords' ranking further highlights the success enhancing Niva Bupa's overall domain authority and competitive edge.