Growth & Performance Optimization in a Regulated B2B Environment
Executive Summary
Improved growth performance and data reliability for a global compliance and testing organization by resolving technical debt, strengthening attribution, and optimizing paid and organic acquisition strategies. The work increased marketing efficiency, restored confidence in performance data, and enabled more disciplined funnel and budget decisions in a regulated, high-stakes environment.
Context
Company: Applied Technical Solutions
Industry: Industrial compliance, testing, and certification
Environment: Highly regulated, technically complex B2B markets
Role: Marketing Strategist (consulting)
The organization served clients across aerospace, defense, healthcare, energy, and manufacturing. Marketing credibility depended on accuracy, speed, and trust, yet growth efforts were constrained by technical debt, unreliable data, and inefficient acquisition spend.
The Strategic Problem
This was not a channel problem. It was a growth reliability problem.
Key constraints included:
Slow page load times degrading UX and SEO performance
Content cannibalization and unclear keyword ownership
Fragmented analytics and incomplete conversion tracking
Paid media inefficiencies increasing cost without proportional return
Limited internal capability to interpret and act on performance data
The executive question became:
How do you improve growth efficiency and decision-making when the underlying data and systems cannot be trusted?
Objectives
Improve site performance to support SEO and conversion
Restore confidence in analytics and attribution
Increase paid media efficiency without increasing spend
Enable clearer visibility into the full conversion funnel
Build internal capability rather than long-term dependency
Strategy & Execution
1. Addressed Technical Debt Blocking Growth
Conducted comprehensive SEO and technical audits using Screaming Frog and SEMrush
Identified significant page load issues and content cannibalization
Consolidated JavaScript tags within Google Tag Manager, improving load time by 2.3 seconds
Strategic impact: Removed structural friction that suppressed both organic and paid performance.
2. Rebuilt Measurement for Decision-Grade Data
Implemented advanced tracking for AJAX-based form interactions to capture true intent signals
Developed a comprehensive UTM strategy to standardize campaign tracking and budget allocation
Investigated and resolved data anomalies to ensure ongoing reporting accuracy
Strategic impact: Shifted reporting from directional to decision-grade.
3. Optimized Paid Acquisition for Efficiency, Not Volume
Audited Google Ads structure, keywords, and ad strategies
Refocused spend on higher-intent queries and cleaner match strategies
Improved click efficiency while reducing cost pressure
Results:
3% increase in clicks (~55% change)
$1.50 reduction in cost-per-click
Strategic impact: Improved ROI without expanding budget or complexity.
4. Strengthened Long-Term Organic Authority
Developed a targeted backlink strategy aligned to credibility and domain authority goals
Reduced internal competition between pages through content consolidation
Strategic impact: Supported sustainable organic growth rather than short-term traffic spikes.
5. Elevated Internal Capability
Mentored junior staff in Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Google Tag Manager
Improved the team’s ability to interpret data and act independently
Strategic impact: Reduced execution risk and improved organizational leverage.
Results
Improved site speed and user experience across key pages
Increased confidence in analytics and funnel visibility
Improved paid media efficiency and reduced acquisition costs
Strengthened SEO foundation and authority
Elevated internal marketing capability and autonomy
Strategic Impact
Growth decisions became data-driven rather than assumption-driven
Marketing performance stabilized in a regulated environment
Leadership gained clearer insight into funnel performance and spend efficiency
Marketing shifted from reactive optimization to controlled growth management