EdTrust: Analytics and SEO Transformation
Summary: At The Education Trust (EdTrust), I improved SEO performance, strengthened analytics capabilities, and helped the organization adopt a data-informed approach to digital content. These efforts led to a 49% increase in organic search traffic, 133% growth in organic social traffic, and multiple first-page SERP rankings for priority topics in education policy.
Context
EdTrust is a national nonprofit focused on advancing educational equity. When I joined as Web Manager in 2023, the organization was preparing for a full website redesign — but its analytics and SEO foundations were minimal. Key performance metrics were undefined, metadata fields went unused, and editorial workflows were not aligned with SEO best practices.
This created an opportunity to build a measurable, sustainable digital strategy that supported both content production and the upcoming redesign.
Challenge
EdTrust had strong content and authoritative backlinks, but lacked the systems and practices needed to leverage them. Key issues included:
No consistent analytics reporting or traffic benchmarks
Underused CMS SEO features (e.g., Yoast metadata fields left blank)
Limited staff understanding of metadata and keyword strategy
No deliberate keyword targeting in editorial decisions
Fragmented site structure prior to redesign
To increase visibility, EdTrust needed a clear SEO framework and ongoing analytics support.
Approach
I introduced a structured, data-informed process that combined SEO optimization, analytics reporting, and staff enablement:
1. SEO & Content Optimization
Fully implemented Yoast SEO features across posts (meta summaries, keywords, key phrases)
Standardized keyword and metadata usage across titles, headings, and opening paragraphs
2. Staff Enablement & Editorial Processes
Trained writers and editors on SEO fundamentals
Added keyword selection and metadata submission to content workflows
Established clear editorial best practices for search visibility
3. Keyword Monitoring & Market Insights
Used SEMRush to monitor priority keywords tied to EdTrust’s mission
Tracked SERP performance and identified opportunities for content updates
4. Accessibility Improvements
Improved alt text across images for accessibility and SEO
5. Website Redesign Support
Consolidated two blogs into a single, streamlined subdirectory
Prioritized mobile-first, responsive design in the redesigned site (launched August 2024)
6. Analytics Infrastructure
Created monthly reports on web traffic, email engagement, and social performance
Delivered insights that informed editorial planning and organizational decision-making
Impact
The combined SEO and analytics improvements delivered measurable results:
Organic Traffic Growth (Sept 2023 → Feb 2025)
+49% increase in organic search traffic
+133% increase in organic social traffic
SERP Improvements
Post-redesign:
#1 rankings for urgent policy topics, including:
“What happens to students with disabilities if the Department of Education is dissolved”
“Why do we need the Department of Education”
Press releases landing on Page 1 for competitive keyphrases (e.g., Title IX + Department of Education topics)
Pre-redesign:
#1 SEO rankings for key terms such as:
“Advocate education equity”
“Affirmative action in higher education”
“Dual enrollment meaning”
First-page rankings for high-volume terms like “Black student debt” and “Literacy in the US”
Outcome
By implementing SEO best practices, strengthening analytics capabilities, and preparing staff to make data-informed decisions, I helped EdTrust significantly increase discoverability and search authority. The redesigned site now provides a strong foundation for ongoing growth, supported by consistent workflows and sustainable digital operations.
