Rebuilding 11ic After a Major Google Update
Project Overview
- Client/Company: 11ic (online casino & gaming industry)
- Type of Work: SEO audit, blog restructuring, technical cleanup
- My Role: SEO Strategist & Content Optimizer
- Tools Used: Google Search Console, SEMrush, Google Analytics, Screaming Frog, Excel/Sheets
- Timeline: April 2023 – June 2024
- Scope: Blog-only cleanup (the main casino site was not touched)
What I Worked On
Line graph showing gradual decline in 11ic’s organic traffic from April 2023 to March 2024, peaking around October and slowly decreasing after.
The 11ic blog was originally meant to capture organic traffic for the main casino site. On the surface, numbers looked strong, peaking at around 10,000 monthly visits. But the content and structure underneath were weak: AI-written long posts, reused metadata, broken links, and backlinks from guest-post farms.
When Google rolled out a core update, the weaknesses showed. Traffic started sliding gradually, then eventually flatlined as more posts were deindexed. The blog was no longer contributing value to the site.
- Industry Context: Casino and gaming is a competitive niche with strict SEO standards, where Google is quick to penalize low-value or spammy content.
- Problem Trigger: After a Google core update in April 2023, the blog’s traffic began to decline. Unlike the main site (which held steady), the blog was hit hard because it had been running on low-quality, AI-generated content and spammy backlink tactics.
Key Issues Identified
- Long AI-written articles with no real value
- Reused meta titles and descriptions
- Broken internal links and redirect chains
- Poor URL formatting
- Low-quality backlinks from paid guest posts
- No featured images, alt text, or proper keyword mapping
My Role & Responsibilities
- Audit: Conducted a full SEO/content audit of the blog only (left the casino main site untouched)
- Strategy: Built a cleanup plan to stabilize rankings instead of chasing spikes
- Execution: Tracked and fixed every issue post-by-post in a structured spreadsheet
- Reporting: Delivered before-and-after reports on traffic, visibility, and indexing
Keyword Mapping and Cleanup
- Replaced broad keywords with specific long-tail phrases
- Assigned a single focus keyword per post
- Updated URL slugs to reflect the content accurately
- Used keywords consistently in the title, headings, and copy
Blog Content Fixes
- Rewrote outdated posts
- Removed filler content and AI-heavy paragraphs
- Updated meta titles and descriptions based on actual search results
- Added featured images and wrote alt text
- Rebuilt internal linking to improve navigation and relevance
Technical Fixes Within the Blog
- Rewrote outdated posts
- Removed filler content and AI-heavy paragraphs
- Updated meta titles and descriptions based on actual search results
- Added featured images and wrote alt text
- Rebuilt internal linking to improve navigation and relevance
What Hadn’t Worked for 11ic
Before these updates, the blog relied on quick wins. That included paid guest posts, long keyword-heavy content, and minimal user value. These methods brought temporary gains. But when the algorithm changed, those gains didn’t hold.
The problem wasn’t the traffic loss. It was that there was nothing solid underneath to keep it going.
Results & Traffic Timeline
- Before the Google Core Update: Peaked at ~10,000 monthly visits.
- After the Update: Traffic declined gradually until it flatlined. Many posts dropped out of the index.
- After My Cleanup: Traffic recovered to ~3,700 visits/month with an estimated $1.5K traffic value.
- One Year Later: With no new posts published, the blog has remained steady at 3.7K visits, even through additional core updates.
Why the Blog Still Brings In Traffic
Fast SEO tricks don’t hold up. What worked for 11ic was structure, helpful content, and a clear strategy behind each post. It wasn’t complicated, and it didn’t rely on shortcuts.
Even without fresh updates, the blog still brings in search traffic.
That stability came from building something solid that didn’t need constant attention. But for long-term growth and consistent results, it still needs to be maintained every now and then.