When our client acquired a cutting-edge 3D animation and motion capture platform specifically designed for creating movies and films, they faced a significant challenge: how to drive organic traffic and establish brand recognition for this newly acquired engine. Despite its powerful capabilities, the platform had minimal online presence and lacked content geared towards "3D animation," one of the most critical and competitive search terms in their industry. Our mission was to change that.
Our journey began with comprehensive keyword research to uncover potential opportunities and content gaps. It quickly became apparent that the client’s website had no content targeting the term "3D animation," and other related long-tail search queries (what is 3D animation, 3D animation explained, learn 3D animation, etc). This represented a significant opportunity to position the client as a leader in this space.
With this insight, we devised an SEO strategy centered around a content cluster model:
Parent Page: "3D Animation"
Supporting Pages: We targeted related top-of-the-funnel keywords, including "motion capture," "2D animation," "types of animation," "rigging in animation," and "real-time animation." For each keyword, we created a dedicated landing page to explore the topic in depth, significantly boosting our chances of achieving first-page rankings on search engines.This approach allowed us to create a structured network of interlinked content that not only addressed the broader topic of 3D animation but also delved into subtopics relevant to our target audience.
The "3D Animation" page became the cornerstone of our strategy. To ensure its success, we leveraged a wealth of unique and highly relevant assets from the client’s existing subdomains. Using a technical SEO crawler, we conducted multiple crawls of these subdomains to identify and compile these assets, which included:
1. Free 3D Animation Tutorial Courses:
- Animated Storytelling
- 3D Animation Systems
- 3D Character Animation
2. Animated Shorts Section: Featuring six explainer videos showcasing animated short stories created with the client’s 3D animation engine.
3. A 3D Animation Sizzle Reel: A promotional trailer highlighting various projects developed using the platform.
These assets not only provided immense value to users but also increased dwell time and link clicks, both of which are crucial ranking factors.
To maximize engagement and meet user intent, we structured the "3D Animation" page with:
Table of Contents Covering key topics such as:
- What is 3D Animation?
- How Does 3D Animation Work?
- Why is 3D Animation Important?
- Real-Time Animation 2D vs. 3D Animation
This format ensured users could easily navigate the page, gain a deeper insight about 3D animation while finding the answers to their questions. This is particularly important because the search term “3D animation” has informational intent. When users search for it, they are primarily seeking to understand, “What is 3D animation?”
Strategic Internal Linking: The content in the table of contents section served as a hub for creating links to supporting pages and other relevant content, driving traffic across the site while enhancing topical authority amongst search engines and the end user.
3D Animation FAQs: At the bottom of the page, we created a "3D Animation FAQs" section featuring three highly relevant questions about the engine and the overarching topic of 3D animation. Instead of including these questions in the table of contents, which could lead to content fatigue—we strategically placed them at the bottom of the page, where users naturally seek additional information. This approach proved effective, as it allowed us to appear multiple times in Google’s featured snippets and People Also Ask (PAA) sections. By occupying more real estate on the search engine results page, we drove additional traffic to the site.
To maximize engagement and meet user intent, we structured the "3D Animation" page with:
Table of Contents Covering key topics such as:
- What is 3D Animation?
- How Does 3D Animation Work?
- Why is 3D Animation Important?
- Real-Time Animation 2D vs. 3D Animation
This format ensured users could easily navigate the page, gain a deeper insight about 3D animation while finding the answers to their questions. This is particularly important because the search term “3D animation” has informational intent. When users search for it, they are primarily seeking to understand, “What is 3D animation?”
Strategic Internal Linking: The content in the table of contents section served as a hub for creating links to supporting pages and other relevant content, driving traffic across the site while enhancing topical authority amongst search engines and the end user.
3D Animation FAQs: At the bottom of the page, we created a "3D Animation FAQs" section featuring three highly relevant questions about the engine and the overarching topic of 3D animation. Instead of including these questions in the table of contents, which could lead to content fatigue—we strategically placed them at the bottom of the page, where users naturally seek additional information. This approach proved effective, as it allowed us to appear multiple times in Google’s featured snippets and People Also Ask (PAA) sections. By occupying more real estate on the search engine results page, we drove additional traffic to the site.
Our efforts paid off. The "3D Animation" page quickly climbed to the #1 spot on Google and has maintained its position ever since. Key metrics include:
- Achieved the #1 ranking for the search term “3D animation” while consistently securing the featured snippet.
- The 3D Animation page boasts an impressive average dwell time of 7 minutes and 32 seconds.
- Within 12 months, the page garnered over 3,000 clicks solely from Google’s search engine results page (SERP).
This case study demonstrates the efficacity of combining strategic SEO planning, high-quality content, and user-focused design. By leveraging existing assets and creating a robust content cluster, we not only achieved top rankings for a competitive keyword but also established long-term brand recognition for our client. This success underscores the importance of aligning SEO efforts with user intent and delivering genuine value at every stage of the customer journey.
