Spreading the word about key conservation law
The charity Friends of the Lake District wanted to get a blog at the top of Google, or at least on the first page of results. By becoming the leading reference point for one of the founding tenets of National Park management, it would help raise awareness. Especially for their Save Our Lake District campaign.
Their target audience: visitors, residents, potential partner organisations, journalists and influencers.
You can never guarantee a top spot in Google, as you can’t control what competing pages are doing. But it was such a niche subject I thought we stood a good chance.
Solution
Getting the blog at the top of Google
I’d worked as the Lake District National Park Authority’s web manager for over a decade before becoming self-employed. So I didn’t need to do much research.
Instead I applied my blog writing skills to write a Search Engine Optimised (SEO) targeted blog page which included:
- researching the best key phrase and incorporating it into headers, text, metadata, image labels
- internal links
- relevant external links I had sourced
Every part of the page must support the keyword phrase, including the page name and the image. Given schoolchildren often research National Park legislation, I sketched out a cartoon design to appeal to the education sector. The charity’s graphic designer translated my scribblings brilliantly.
Encouraging people to join the charity
The blog wasn’t just factual. I included headings such as “How you can stand up for the Sandford Principle” with charity membership links.
My client also wanted to draw attention to the World Heritage Status of the Lake District National Park. It’s the only UK National Park with UNESCO status. I therefore created a section explaining more about this international level of protection.
Results
- Launched in April 2020
- 4 days after launch: ranked sixth
- 2 months after launch: First place Featured Snippet status at the very top of the search results page
- Last checked in August 2023, and it’s still top of the search results and above Wikipedia!
There is no guarantee that it’s still at the top when you read this. But to still have the top spot after so many years – without any edits or changes – is a real accomplishment.
Helen’s work has made a significant difference
“We have all been so pleased with your output, and with your wider contributions to our use of social media. Your work has continued to make a significant difference to our profile.”
Douglas Chalmers, Chief Executive of the charity Friends of The Lake District
Best in Show for me
I believe our National Parks should be protected from over-commercialisation, so was very proud to see my sketches transformed into such a strong image.