Table of Contents

AQ Trials, a clinical trial management system provider, came to us with zero presence on Google and a minimal social presence. This B2B SAAS SEO case study outlines how we scaled their organic reach through semantic strategies.

Initial Challenges

This SEO case study highlights the exact steps taken to overcome deep-rooted visibility issues in a niche SaaS sector.

  • Generic site content with no keyword targeting
  • On-page SEO neglected (meta tags, alt texts, schema missing)
  • No presence on local or industry-specific directories (e.g., software listings)
  • Blog filled with AI-generated, non-strategic articles
  • Weak social media posting and engagement

When we started, the 1st month stats on Semrush

Goals & Targets

Our SEO campaign for AQ Trials was guided by two primary objectives, tailored to the client’s limited budget and long-term growth expectations:

  • Reach 1,000+ monthly organic visitors, outranking competitors like https://edgeclinical.com/
  • Rank on Page 1 for high-intent, relevant keywords, including:
    • ctms (Clinical Trial Management System)
    • clinical trial software

  • Enhance site’s local and global trust signals to build EEAT

What We Did

We mainly executed a Semantic SEO strategy, covering full topical mapping across all major and micro topics relevant to CTMS (Clinical Trial Management System) and related SaaS terms.

Here’s what our growth plan included:

  • Optimized core pages on keywords like ctms, clinical trial software, and clinical trial management system
  • Removed non-human blog content and implemented a new content roadmap based on topical clusters
  • Targeted and mapped each blog post to a specific user intent and product solution
  • Handled complete on-page SEO and technical cleanup (titles, meta descriptions, schema, alt attributes)
  • Strengthened brand authority by positioning AQ Trials as a trusted SaaS partner in the clinical research niche
  • Managed social media growth through platform-specific content strategy and regular management

Check the AQ Worksheet for more insights.

Results

Despite working with a below-average SEO budget, we achieved consistent organic growth without relying on paid ads. This B2B SAAS SEO case study proves that strategic groundwork can lead to lasting authority—even in complex, compliance-driven niches like clinical research.

Achieved All Goals & Targets

  • Hit 1,000+ monthly organic visitors within just 6 months
  • Ranked AQ Trials on Google’s Top 10 positions for all primary and supporting target keywords
  • Outranked major competitors like Simpletrials.com across key commercial and informational search terms

Geo-Targeted Success + Google AI Overview Recognition

Our Semantic SEO and topical authority strategy produced tangible location-based visibility in both the UK and US:

  • 🇬🇧 United Kingdom:
    • Featured in Google’s AI Overview snippet for the query “what is clinical research software”
    • Displayed as the trusted source of the answer, above all other results
  • 🇺🇸 United States:
    • Ranked on Page 1 for queries like “ctms vs lims” and other semantically linked searches
    • Content selected for Google’s generative summaries, reinforcing trust and topical relevance

Long-Term Impact

  • Even after the client paused SEO work due to their budget limitations, our foundational optimizations ensured:
    • High-ranking keyword positions persisted
    • Visibility continued to grow organically over time
  • No other SEO team has worked on the site since our campaign ended—proving the authenticity and strength of our strategy

Proof of Results

  Overall Ahref Stats (aq-trials.com)

(Overall Semrush Stats, it also includes traffic gained from People Also Ask For section)

  Ahref Keyword Stats (aq-trials.com)

  Ahref Keyword Stats (aq-trials.com)

   Console Stats (aq-trials.com)

     Keyword Positions on Google in the USA and UK (aq-trials.com)

Tags :
Case Study,SEO
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