--- title: Account Review & Turnaround Strategy — 2026-04-05 type: article created: '2026-04-05' updated: '2026-04-05' source_docs: - raw/2025-11-07-weekly-call-w-ben-100109763.md tags: - meeting - client - exterior-renovations - seo - google-ads - domain-rating - content-strategy - local-seo - moz-local - ahrefs - turnaround - case-study layer: 2 client_source: Exterior Renovations industry_context: b2b-services transferable: false --- # Account Review & Turnaround Strategy — 2026-04-05 ## Overview Weekly call between Ben San Fratello and Mark Hope diagnosing Exterior Renovations as a neglected account and defining a two-pillar turnaround strategy. The account shows critical underperformance across SEO, Google Ads, and local search — but the low baseline means measurable improvement should be visible quickly. Mark tasked Ben with owning the turnaround and building it into a case study. **Attendees:** Ben San Fratello · Mark Hope **Recording:** [Fathom](https://fathom.video/calls/465204686) --- ## Account Diagnosis ### Google Ads - **Logo rejections:** Two logos flagged — one for low resolution (blurry), one for excessive blank space. The client sent a PDF logo, which cannot yield a high-res image. High-res files must be obtained from the client (Melissa). - **High CPC ($9):** Driven by an AI-managed Target CPA set to $67. For a siding contractor where only ~10% of leads may convert, the effective cost per closed job becomes ~$670. Target CPA needs to be lowered. - **Messy conversion goals:** Current goals include ambiguous entries ("contact," "converted lead") and a useless one ("get directions" — the business has no public office). Anouk needs to clarify and consolidate. The "submit a form" goal shows "needs attention" status. - **Single campaign:** Only siding is being advertised despite the client offering decks, roofing, and windows. Seasonality may justify this in winter, but should be confirmed with Chris. - **Optimization score:** Below 70% at time of review. ### SEO & Organic - **Domain Rating: 2.** Competitors range from 0.9 to 25+. Infinity Roofing (a regional competitor with a Madison office) sits at DR 25. This is the single largest structural weakness. - **Organic traffic declining since July.** Likely a mix of seasonality and content gap. Keyword count has also dropped over the same period. - **No competitor tracking in Ahrefs.** Competitors were not added until this call. Key competitors identified: Infinity Roofing, The Exteriors Company, Madtown Siding. - **No visitor tracking.** Ahrefs tag was not installed on the site prior to this call. - **Wrong traffic.** Google Search Console shows the top-performing content is a "level beam" article (a roofing structural topic the client doesn't sell) and gutter content. There is effectively zero traffic for high-intent siding keywords ("exterior siding," "siding contractors Madison," etc.). - **Thin on-page content.** The homepage has minimal siding copy — a few sentences and images. The siding services page has almost no text. Google will not rank pages without substantive content. - **Unindexed blog posts.** Several existing articles (e.g., "The Importance of a Good Gutter System," "Garage Bump-Out Project") have so little traffic they are not indexed. ### Local SEO (Moz Local) - Exterior Renovations is present in Moz Local but **Google Business Profile and Facebook are not connected**. - The business does not appear in the Google Maps local pack for "siding contractors Madison." Competitors with worse websites rank above them. --- ## Turnaround Strategy ### Pillar 1 — Technical SEO: Domain Rating Boost - Mark initiated a **$200 backlink service** (resold at $250) targeting a DR increase from 2 → 30 within 30 days. - Ahrefs updates DR monthly, so the jump won't be visible immediately. - Mark added an **Ahrefs visitor tracking tag** to the site during the call. - Key competitors (Infinity Roofing, The Exteriors Company, Madtown Siding) were added to Ahrefs for ongoing monitoring. - Ben should run a **Madison-localized competitor search** using a VPN or browser location spoofing, then cross-reference competitor keywords in SpyFu. ### Pillar 2 — Content & On-Page SEO - **Homepage:** Add 300–500 words of siding-focused copy. Break the services section into distinct subsections with expanded text for siding. Create a staging version (`homepage-new` in WordPress) for client review before going live. - **Blog:** Commission **2–3 long-form articles (2,500+ words)** on siding topics from Gavin. Use Surfer SEO to guide keyword density. Suggested angles: how to pick siding, weatherproofing, signs your siding needs replacement. - **Content promotion:** Boost each new article on Facebook ($25–$100) targeting Madison. This drives social traffic signals to Google alongside paid and organic, creating a more diverse traffic profile. - **Email:** Consider adding a newsletter send linking to new articles (not currently being done for this client). ### Google Ads & Local Fixes - **Logo:** Get high-res files from Melissa; replace blurry and blank-space-flagged logos in Google Ads assets. - **Goals:** Email Anouk to clarify "contact" and "converted lead" goals; remove "get directions"; consolidate form goals; resolve "needs attention" flag on form submissions. - **Target CPA:** Lower from $67 to reduce the $9 average CPC. - **Moz Local:** Connect Google Business Profile and Facebook to the existing Moz Local listing. --- ## Key Decisions | Decision | Owner | |---|---| | Ben owns the Exterior Renovations turnaround end-to-end | Ben San Fratello | | $200 backlink service ordered to boost DR 2 → 30 | Mark Hope (initiated) | | Ahrefs visitor tag installed on site | Mark Hope (completed in call) | | Competitors added to Ahrefs | Mark Hope (completed in call) | | Goal: build this account into a case study | Ben San Fratello | --- ## Action Items - [ ] Email Melissa requesting high-res Exterior Renovations logos; replace flagged logos in Google Ads — **@Mark Hope** - [ ] Email Anouk to clarify "contact" and "converted lead" goals; remove "get directions"; consolidate form goals; resolve "needs attention" flag — **@Ben San Fratello** - [ ] Connect Exterior Renovations GBP and Facebook in Moz Local — **@Ben San Fratello** - [ ] Run Madison-localized competitor analysis via VPN (Ahrefs + SpyFu); update Ahrefs competitor list — **@Ben San Fratello** - [ ] Verify exterior renovations URL and confirm $250 backlink service order; monitor DR in Ahrefs over 30 days — **@Ben San Fratello / @Mark Hope** - [ ] Analyze Exterior Renovations GSC in depth; brief Gavin to write 2–3 siding articles (2,500+ words each) — **@Ben San Fratello** - [ ] Draft `homepage-new` in WordPress with expanded siding content; send preview link to Chris for client approval — **@Ben San Fratello** - [ ] Lower Google Ads Target CPA from $67 to reduce CPC — **@Ben San Fratello** --- ## Context & Notes > "You should make this your purpose in life — make this thing a case study. Just do whatever you got to do. Spend whatever time you got to spend. Just make this thing an icon." — Mark Hope Mark used Citrus America as a benchmark for what a well-managed account looks like: DR 28 (rising to 50), competitors tracked, visitors monitored, organic traffic up. Exterior Renovations is the inverse on every metric. The low baseline is actually an advantage: any meaningful action will produce visible results quickly, making this a strong candidate for a before/after case study. --- ## Related - [[wiki/clients/current/exterior-renovations/_index]] - [[wiki/clients/current/citrus-america/_index]] - [[wiki/knowledge/seo/domain-rating-boost-service]] - [[wiki/knowledge/seo/local-seo-moz-local]] - [[wiki/knowledge/google-ads/conversion-goal-hygiene]] - [[wiki/knowledge/content/blog-content-promotion-facebook]]