Client Overview

• Client: FreshBooks
• Industry: Accounting and invoicing software
• Market Position (at Engagement Start): Early-stage startup with limited brand recognition
• Engagement Focus: Organic traffic growth and foundational SEO visibility

The Problem

At the start of the engagement, FreshBooks was an unknown entrant in a crowded and competitive software market.

Key challenges included:

• Minimal brand awareness in search and across the broader web
• Strong competition from established accounting and bookkeeping platforms
• Limited backlink profile, restricting domain authority and ranking potential
• Low visibility for high-intent keywords related to invoicing and small business accounting
• Need to build credibility quickly without paid traffic dependence

The core challenge was not optimization—it was establishing search trust and authority from scratch.

Strategic Objective

The engagement was designed to:

• Increase organic traffic through sustainable SEO growth
• Build domain authority suitable for competing with established incumbents
• Improve rankings for commercial and informational accounting keywords
• Lay a long-term SEO foundation capable of scaling with the business

The Solution

Digital.Marketing implemented a foundational SEO and authority-building strategy focused on long-term growth rather than short-term wins.

SEO Foundation & Site Alignment

• Ensured FreshBooks’ site architecture supported:
  • Clear keyword targeting
  • Logical content hierarchies
  • Search-friendly technical structure

Content-Led Growth Strategy

• Developed and optimized content designed to:
  • Educate small business owners
  • Address real accounting and invoicing pain points
  • Capture early-stage and mid-funnel search intent

Authority & Backlink Development

• Built FreshBooks’ backlink profile from the ground up through:
  • Contextual editorial placements
  • Relevant business and entrepreneurship publications
  • Natural brand mentions aligned with content themes

Scalable SEO Framework

• Implemented processes that allowed SEO gains to:
  • Compound over time
  • Scale alongside product adoption
  • Support future category expansion

Execution Highlights

• Transitioned FreshBooks from low-visibility startup to a discoverable SaaS brand
• Focused on quality-first authority acquisition, not volume tactics
• Balanced content production with backlink development
• Built momentum steadily rather than chasing volatile rankings

Results (High-Level)

While early-stage metrics remain confidential, the engagement delivered:

• Significant growth in organic traffic
• Measurable improvements in search visibility across key accounting topics
• A stronger domain authority baseline capable of supporting future growth
• SEO results that continued compounding beyond the initial engagement

Why It Worked

• Built SEO the way search engines reward it: trust first, scale second
• Focused on education and relevance, not promotional content
• Created an authority foundation instead of relying on paid acquisition
• Aligned SEO strategy with the realities of a growing SaaS business

Takeaway

For early-stage companies like FreshBooks, SEO is not about quick rankings—it’s about earning trust early and letting growth compound.

Digital.Marketing helped FreshBooks transform from an unknown startup into a brand with sustainable organic visibility, setting the stage for long-term success.

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