This in-depth case study shows one effective way to recover from algorithm updates.
It’s hard to find websites that fully recover lost traffic following Google algorithm updates.
Last April, Google’s John Muller revealed that a site can recover after a Google algorithm update, but this often requires waiting several months for the next update to happen. But that doesn’t mean you should sit idle during this time. On the contrary, the case-study below shows that ClickUp’s hard work between updates helped them recover and then some. And by applying the techniques they learned and validated to other articles after the next update, these articles also benefited from an immediate uplift.
As Head of SEO and Organic Growth at Eleven, I frequently check the traffic graphs of the big players in different industries. When I pulled up clickup.com, I noticed something very unusual.
According to Ahrefs, ClickUp lost 39.5% of their traffic from April 8th to May 1st. However after the next update rolled around in August, they not only regained their lost traffic… they surpassed their April total.
This drop and subsequent recovery is more evident when looking at traffic to the blog.
How ClickUp regained their traffic
ClickUp made what Ahrefs classifies as a “Major Overhaul” to many blog posts — mainly round-up reviews — following the March 2024 Google core algorithm update.
The updates made by ClickUp’s team were intended to boost trustworthiness (we previously wrote about trust and EEAT here) and better align articles with Google’s guidelines for review content.
Here are some of the most important changes I spotted:
- Rewriting introductions in the first-person and improving EEAT
- Adding more specific details on how to choose applications
- Adding “Quick Glance” comparison tables
- Making reviews more personal and demonstrating first-hand experience
- Including genuine user reviews from a third-party website*
Below, we’ll take a closer look at each of these changes, why they worked so well, and how you can apply them to your own content today.
Let’s dive in!* If you’re surprised by the last point, we were too — But we’ll explain below why it works well.
Impressive results from content refreshes
The changes ClickUp made to just four pages helped them to reclaim over 90,000 clicks per month. You can find these pages and their traffic charts below. Note how each page’s traffic spikes after the August 2024 core algorithm update.
Just as telling, we found a number of pages that didn’t receive updates and failed to recover following the August update, which further confirms how instrumental these updated pages were to ensuring ClickUp’s recovery.
25 Best Free Project Management Software Tools to Try in 2024
Organic traffic on May 1st 2024 = 2,707 clicks
Organic Traffic on Nov 17th 2024 = 25,428 clicks
Increase = 22,721 clicks / 839%
20 Best Task Management Software in 2024
Organic traffic on May 1st 2024 = 975 clicks
Organic Traffic on Nov 17th 2024 = 30,129
Increase = 29,154 / 2,990%
15 Best Project Management Tools in 2024
Organic traffic on May 1st 2024 = 176
Organic Traffic on Nov 17th 2024 = 15,140
Increase = 14,964 / 8,502%
20 Best ChatGPT Alternatives in 2024
Organic traffic on May 1st 2024 = 11,937 clicks
Organic Traffic on Nov 17th 2024 = 36,177 clicks
Increase = 24,240 / 203%
This page is interesting as the content refresh happened after the August update. Ahrefs is showing traffic exploding just three weeks later.
This could mean that we may not have to wait until the next Google algorithm update to see content refreshes gaining increased traffic.
More examples:
- 15 Best Online Collaboration Tools in 2024 50 to 6,629 clicks / 6,579% increase
- 10 Best Goal Tracking Apps for 2024 314 to 4,452 clicks / 1,317% increase
- 10 Best Note-Taking Apps in 2024 670 to 8,692 clicks / 1,197% increase
- 10 Best Free Gantt Chart Maker Software 297 to 4,528 clicks / 1,425% increase
Did ALL their pages get a traffic bump from Google?With so many pages showing huge traffic increases, a couple of questions come to mind.
- Has Google just applied a site-wide traffic boost?
- How can we be certain the content refreshes are the reason?
During my analysis, I found traffic did not increase for every page. I also found that similar unedited pages continued their decline after the August core update.
Here is an example: Top 15 Competitor Analysis Tools for Businesses in 2024This page’s traffic graph shows a decline from 13,828 clicks in April to 1,720 clicks in November 2024—a decrease of 87.6%.
This page follows the “old style” and format that ClickUp used for these round-up reviews. It does not include the six key updates that restored—and often increased—their organic traffic. These changes also significantly improved the reader experience as I show below.6 changes ClickUp made 1. Rewriting introductionsClickUp has overhauled the introductions for all four pages featured above.
The new copy has the following shared characteristics:
- It’s written in the first-person
- Shows “hands-on” experience
- Is relatable to their target audience
- Hooks the reader through storytelling
- Radiates good EEAT signals for Google.
Take a look at the before/after examples below to see how ClickUp has done this.
Before:
After:
The original introduction has a generic introduction and it asks a question, “How do we know?", that isn't answered through experience or software testing. Instead, it shifts focus to what “You” can do. For me, the copy sounds cold, distant and lacking experience with project management software.
ClickUp rewrites the introduction in the first person. The writer uses a problem/solution lead and describes how they’ve personally overcome some relatable challenges with the software. This is in line with Google’s guidelines for writing review content, specifically:
“Demonstrate that you are knowledgeable about what you are reviewing—show you are an expert.”
Here is another introduction that switches to the first-person and includes a personal story.
Before:
After
The updated introduction continues on and has this great line:
“These apps act as a second brain, helping me turn stray ideas into action items.”
The original introduction in comparison feels very generic and lacking in hands-on experience. The updated intro’s relatable story also helps draw the reader in.
The changes ClickUp made to this next introduction are slightly more subtle.
Before:
After:
A problem/solution lead was in place but the new introduction switches to the first person and again the writer draws upon their experience. Using the pronoun “I” helps the reader to see themselves in the copy and relate to the story.
Further evidence of this first-person approach appears later in the introduction. There’s also a nice segue to task management tools.
This is also effective conversion copywriting as it shows the reader they could make better choices with the right task management software. 2. Adding “Quick Glance” comparison tablesEvery content refresh I analysed added a comparison table before the individual reviews.
Here is an excerpt of one from ClickUp’s page on Project Management Software.
Here is another slightly different example with a column for who the tool is “Best For”.
I find it highly unlikely that adding a couple of tables would result in the hockey-stick traffic growth that we shared previously.
However, these tables are very quick and easy to put together and help the reader make an informed decision. They also make the content more compliant with Google’s guidelines for reviews, particulate this section.
3. Making reviews more personal and demonstrating experience
Another update ClickUp made to every refreshed blog post was emphasizing hands-on experience.
They did this by:
- Stating they’ve used the product
- Describing the features they’ve tried
- Highlighting where it was useful and what they liked
- Using the first-person so it reads more like a review than a product description
Here is an example review that shows all these things in practice.
Before:
After:
This is further exemplified by the start of the second paragraph:
“As we tested the tool further, we noticed…”
There is a clear shift away from “You” to “I”. This is similar to the changes I noted with the reworked introductions.
The theme continues with this new copy added to their Any.do review.
Notice it begins with “During my time with this tool…” and then adds more details to demonstrate their first-hand experience.
Changes to their Wrike review also use the same kind of language.
Language like “I found this…” and “I’ve used it…” helps demonstrate the writer's first-hand experience and adds to their EEAT.
4. Adding details on how to choose applicationsClickUp has made structural and stylistic changes to their page 20 Best ChatGPT Alternatives in 2024 which help align their page closer to Google’s review guidelines.
In short, they are:
- Adding more product features for more depth
- Including features that are top-of-mind for their audience
- Adding a “limitations” section to better match search intent
- Changing the review subheading to include user groups
In the previous version, the subheading “What Features to Look for in ChatGPT Alternatives” preceded the list of alternatives.
Now, a new section appears first:
This addition makes a lot of sense when you consider search intent. The user already knows about Chat GPT but is looking for something else. Discussing its limitations reassures the reader that this is the right page if they are considering their options.
It also helps position ClickUp—first on the list of alternatives—as the solution to their problem.
They have also expanded the “Features” section from four rather general bullet points to nine that are short, snappy, and more specific.
Here is a before/after screenshot from Ahrefs.
The new, updated version includes things like “hallucinations”, “bias control” and “security and privacy”. These are all hot topics around Chat GPT and make much better metrics for assessment than “AI project management use cases”.
I feel this better meets Google’s guidelines for reviews, particularly this section:
Another related change is adding who the product would suit best. Previously, the review subheadings would just be the product name. On some refreshed pages, they add a H4 with this extra information.
For example:
On other pages, the extra information is added in parenthesis to the H3.
I’m not sure which approach is better. I would want to test both but I can see that both pages have gained in traffic. Adding this extra information better matches Google’s guidelines for making product recommendations.
5. Add genuine user reviews from third-party websitesA surprising change that ClickUp made was adding reviews from G2.com and Capterra.com to their own reviews.
Both of these websites are powerhouses in the software review space. G2 hosts close to 3 million user reviews while Capterra has more than 100,000 solutions across 900 different types of software. That’s a lot of user-generated content!
ClickUp is placing these reviews at the end of their reviews as you can see below.
From: 20 Best ChatGPT Alternatives in 2024
The “ratings and review” section existed before, but the quote box is new. These quote boxes aren’t used on every page. Sometimes, they’ll add a quick line of text to link the review to a feature they’ve highlighted.
They also use quotes from both G2 and Capterra for some reviews.
My Takeaways - A bold choice that pays offClickUp’s decision to link to third-party review sites like G2 and Capterra is unusual. Many publishers avoid external links, fearing they might harm search rankings and conversions. There’s also the question of why users wouldn’t simply visit G2 or Capterra directly for reviews. After analyzing the data, I find this approach benefits ClickUp. Including user quotes from external sites enhances the comprehensiveness and helpfulness of their reviews—factors Google has said it values.
Google also recommends linking out to helpful content in their review guidelines.
Source: Write high quality reviews - Documentation
ClickUp is outranking G2 and Capterra
ClickUp’s site architecture plays a critical role in mitigating these risks. For competitive keywords like “Free Project Management Software”, they outrank G2 and Capterra by some margin.
The keyword position chart for this keyword shows how they jumped from 12th to 1st position. Notice how this happened after a content refresh and the August core algorithm update.
Meanwhile, G2 and Capterra languish down in 21st and 93rd position respectively.
Importantly, ClickUp does not link to the main review pages on these external websites. Instead, they link to the specific URLs for individual reviews, such as:
- https://www.g2.com/products/teamwork-projects/reviews/teamwork-projects-review-516557
- https://www.capterra.com/p/120390/Teamwork-Projects/reviews/2459529/
This strategy avoids linking to the round-up pages that compete directly with ClickUp in the search results.
ClickUp’s content is superior to its competitors
ClickUp’s content not only follows Google’s best practices but it has more depth and quality than its competitors. The competing reviews are very brief and do not hit many of the best practices that we’ve discussed in this case study.
Take a look at this excerpt from a G2 review. For me, it reads more like a product description with rather general, confusing language.
Notice their use of “You” and lack of demonstrable first-hand experience. I also have no idea who or what is transparent!
New content with these changes ranks quicklyAt the start of this case study, we shared data that shows ClickUp has recovered 600,000 clicks in six months. While my analysis shows that content refreshes drive much of this uplift, newly published pages written in the same style are also ranking quickly.For example, this round-up for the best OKR software was published on June 15th, 2024.
The traffic graph from Ahrefs shows the same trend as the content refreshes. Traffic exploded following the August core algorithm.
The keyword chart for “best okr software” (1,200 searches per month), is equally impressive.
It shows the page moved from outside the top 100 positions to the 1st position in less than three weeks. ClickUp have included all of the changes we’ve covered in this case study, including:
A story-based 1st-person introduction
This introduction does a lot of heavy lifting. The writer uses a story-based lead to hook the reader and alludes to the wider goal of making the business successful.
We learn the author has managed a large team and used familiar tools to manage goals and objectives. These tools were adequate when the team was small but they needed something else when the team grew.
This is likely the same situation the reader is facing (i.e. it matches user intent) and now they have an experienced guide to help them solve their problem.
A detailed features section before the reviews
ClickUp has included eight features to review, ensuring a comprehensive and user-focused approach. Previously, they only highlighted four or five features which (depending on the product/service) may not meet Google's expectations for “helpful content”.
Competing pages that rank well like Mooncamp.com and Quantive.com include nine features. I’m not suggesting trying to one-up the competition is the right strategy. However, creating detailed and well-rounded content that meets user needs (as we saw with the ChatGPT example) and is better than the competition is something we should strive for.
Click-up have also added four internal links to their other blog articles from this section. These are all highly relevant pages like “Free OKR templates” and “How to set goals”.
This helps Google find other related pages easily, helps keep visitors on the website, and adds to ClickUp’s topical authority.
An “at a glance” comparison table
The “at a glance” comparison table shares the same basic design as the ones added in the content refreshes.
Notice that “Best For” is included and this helps hit Google’s recommendation for explaining the “best for certain uses or circumstances”.The other headings can change depending on the product.
Reviews are written in the first person
The reviews continue the “golden thread” from the introduction, using the first-person and including relatable examples tailored to their audience.
Here’s an excerpt from their 15Five review.
Note how they use language like “I loved…” and “I use” to show their personal experience. This makes the review sound more authentic and demonstrates they’ve actually used the product.
User reviews from G2 added to the content
ClickUp has included 5 reviews from G2.com in this round-up that features 15 products. Here is an excerpt from their Lattice review.
What I find interesting about this review is that it is very positive and ClickUp references the “most loved features”.
I like this because it doesn’t show bias to their competitors. They also use images from their competitor’s website and credit them with an external link. It seems they are quite happy to let their reader go off and check them out.
For me, this adds to the authenticity of the review and it would be one that I trust. As I wrote in a previous blog post, trust is central to Google’s concept of E-E-A-T.
Conclusion
This case study demonstrates how ClickUp successfully reversed a significant traffic decline through strategic content refreshes. The results are impressive, both in terms of regained clicks and the quality of their revamped content.
Every update ClickUp made—from rewriting introductions in the first person to demonstrating hands-on experience, adding comparison tables, and incorporating genuine user reviews—was focused on creating content that feels more personal, relatable, and genuinely helpful.
ClickUp’s traffic figures also show that John Mueller’s statement of “bigger effects requiring another update cycle” was true. Which is nice, as there is often a large disparity between what Google says “should” happen and what actually happens in the SERPs…
Perhaps even more interesting is the evidence that content refreshes after the August core update started to see an improvement in traffic a few weeks later. This suggests to me that a switch was thrown in August and we might not have to wait until the next update cycle to see improvements.
If you’d like help safeguarding your site against Google Updates or recovering lost traffic, we’d love to hear from you.
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