SEO SUCCESS STORIES

Helping Planetshakers Rank After a Website Wipeout

When Planetshakers' website was accidentally deleted, it could have spelled disaster. Years of SEO rankings gone overnight, leaving them with a blank slate and a daunting road to recovery. Instead of accepting defeat, they turned to StudioHawk for an SEO strategy that would not only restore their digital presence but propel them to new heights. Find out how we transformed a crisis into an opportunity for growth.

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198%

Increase in all keywords

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75%

Increase in Top 3 keywords

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110%

Increase in first page keywords

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About Planetshakers

Planetshakers is more than a church—it’s a global Christian movement with a thriving community in Melbourne. Known for its passionate worship services, inspiring messages, and commitment to outreach, Planetshakers has become a beacon for those seeking spiritual guidance and connection. With thousands searching for churches and faith-based resources online, a strong digital presence was critical to reaching and serving their audience.

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The Need

Planetshakers had a clear objective: to rank prominently for church- and Christianity-related keywords, particularly those tied to their Melbourne campus. Due to the website deletion, their online presence had suffered a significant setback, and they needed to recover lost visibility and strengthen their local SEO performance.

With an already competitive search landscape, simply rebuilding the site wouldn’t be enough. They needed a strategic approach to ensure their new website could reclaim its former authority and reach those who needed it most.

Our additional work with providing workshops for the in-house Black Pepper team allowed them to feel empowered and provide us with support throughout the campaign. This collaborative approach has helped to lead to these results, which mat not have been possible otherwise due to a limited budget. As we continue to work with Black Pepper, we will continue to provide refresher training and additional workshops on different areas of SEO, to ensure that the site continues to grow.

StudioHawk Team

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The Plan

First, the StudioHawk SEO team prioritised optimising their location pages, refining on-site elements such as URL structure and metadata to improve relevance for local searches. We knew that offsite authority would also play a critical role, so we developed a backlinking strategy to reinforce their presence in Melbourne.

Beyond foundational SEO improvements, we identified an opportunity to build topical authority through content. By developing high-value blog topics on Christianity and faith-related themes, we could not only drive organic traffic but also position Planetshakers as a trusted resource for those seeking spiritual answers. Technical SEO was another crucial pillar, ensuring that the website was fast, crawlable, and free from issues that could hinder its performance in search engines.

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The Execution

Our approach began with an in-depth audit of the new Planetshakers website, identifying the areas that needed immediate attention. The Melbourne campus page was a key focus, as it had previously ranked in 19th position. We restructured the page’s URL, refined its headings, and updated the metadata to better align with user search intent. Internal linking played a vital role in reinforcing the page’s authority, connecting it with relevant content across the site.

Offsite, we secured high-quality backlinks using location-specific anchor text, helping search engines better associate the page with Melbourne-based queries. A comprehensive Google My Business audit ensured that all details were optimised for local search visibility, further strengthening Planetshakers’ presence in location-based results. Additionally, we reviewed and updated their Wikipedia page, recognising it as an often-overlooked but valuable SEO asset.

Building authority wasn’t just about technical enhancements—it was also about content. We worked with Planetshakers to identify key faith-based topics that would resonate with their audience. From deep dives into theological concepts to explanations of religious traditions, these blogs helped answer common search queries while expanding the site’s organic reach. Each piece was carefully crafted to complement their existing digital presence and align with the broader SEO strategy.

Technical SEO fixes rounded out our efforts. The site had faced ongoing challenges, including broken links, slow load times, and indexing issues that hindered performance. We addressed these problems, ensuring a seamless user experience and laying a strong foundation for long-term search visibility.

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The Results

Our strategy made a huge impact on their organic SEO performance. Planetshakers’ keyword rankings surged, with the Melbourne Church page jumping from the 19th position to 7th—an impressive leap that put them directly in front of their target audience. Non-branded traffic saw a significant increase, with location-based searches and blog content driving new visitors to the site.

Overall, keyword visibility improved by an around 198%, with first-page rankings growing by 110%. As a result, the site experienced a steady increase in clicks and impressions, signalling a strong recovery trajectory looked likely to continue. What could have been a catastrophic loss turned into a strategic win, proving that with the right approach, even the biggest setbacks can be transformed into opportunities for growth.

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Conclusion

Black Pepper’s SEO transformation is a testament to the impact of technical improvements, content expansion, and team collaboration. By restructuring the site, and creating unique and relevant content for their audience, and fostering a culture of SEO awareness within the Black Pepper team, we created a sustainable SEO structure that will continue to deliver results.

With a stronger search presence and improved internal capabilities, Black Pepper is well-positioned for ongoing success.

Are you an online store in need of a tailored eCommerce SEO strategy? Not stress StudioHawk can take a look and see where SEO can help - get started with a free SEO audit.

302%

Total clicks increase (YoY, over 3 months):

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