WesBanco’s SEO Strategy: From Invisible to Undeniable

WesBanco wasn’t showing up for the searches that mattered. Connected SEO and content work changed that. 

  • 5,000%

    YoY increase in organic mortgage applications

At a Glance

Client
WesBanco
Engagement
SEO & Content
Duration
3 years
Focus
Mortgage products & application starts

Overview

Potential customers searching for banking and mortgage keywords were not discovering WesBanco as the leader in the space that they are.

WesBanco had the products. They had the expertise. What they didn’t have was visibility. And in search, invisibility is indistinguishable from absence. 

The website had almost no content targeting the keywords their customers were actually using. One mortgage page. No landing page architecture. No path for search engines to follow. 

Three years of disciplined SEO and content work built that path. And the results compounded from there. 

The Proof

Three years in. The organic visibility WesBanco deserved finally matched the market position they’d already earned. 

  • 2x+

    YoY increase in organic traffic to mortgage web pages

  • 50

    Position improvement in targeted keywords within six months

  • 36

    Terms onto page 1 within six months


The Goal

WesBanco was invisible for the keywords their customers were searching. The goal was to fix that, and turn organic search into a real driver of mortgage product awareness and application starts.

  • Visibility

    Rank for high-value non-branded banking and mortgage keywords in major search engines 

  • Conversions

    Drive measurable growth in mortgage product awareness and application starts


The Challenge

In search, WesBanco wasn’t ranking for non-branded keywords. That meant potential customers were finding competitors first and never discovering WesBanco at all. The website compounded the problem. Almost no content existed beyond a single mortgage page. 

We needed more content that spoke to WesBanco's unique product offerings, built to rank, and designed to move a potential customer toward an application.


The Solution

Our SEO and content teams built the work in stages.

A person typing on a laptop with a search bar overlaying the image.
  1. Year 1

    In year one, we created SEO-optimized content pages around core products and expanded one mortgage page into 10 targeted landing pages to widen keyword reach and audience coverage.

  2. Year 2

    In year two, we added long-form pages to support SEO and link back to key product pages, while revising blog content for stronger performance.

  3. Year 3

    In year three, we refined site optimizations around specific audiences and needs, building new content and improving user experience to strengthen internal linking and external awareness. 


We knew we had great mortgage products. Brunner made sure the right customers could actually find them.

WesBanco

CMO