MGWM

Treehouse

How we helped Treehouse overcome 3 years of algorithm updates

Treehouse is a platform for learning coding online. Going into 2022, Uproer was brought in to further improve Treehouse’s SEO following a series of algorithm updates. Since partnering with Uproer, technical and content SEO have played a major role in growing and rebranding Treehouse’s organic presence.

Our SEO Strategy

Treehouse has been around for over a decade. With experienced teachers and classes designed to help students engage in unique ways, it began to set itself apart from competitors. Then, a combination of misleading competitor reviews and three Google algorithm updates began to cause organic traffic to fall. In less than a year, we've been able to turn this around through significant technical fixes and a consistent content strategy.

  • Moved individual course and video pages into a subfolder of the corresponding course page.
  • Removed the no-index tag from paginated community pages. 
  • Moved profile URLs into their own subfolder and removed from the index, then blocked from crawling. 
  • Removed 14,000 404 URLs. 
  • Established on-page optimization best practices by updating each key landing page with keywords, links, and metadata.
  • Targeted BOFU keywords sourced from Reddit forums like “Is a Treehouse Techdegree Worth It?”
  • Prioritized bottom to mid funnel content that was highly relevant to Treehouse courses and features.
  • No-indexed over 300 URLs with thin or outdated content. 
  • Conducted monthly content updates to refresh previous top-performing articles.

“The Uproer team’s methodical approach to fixing SEO challenges really does produce results. Their team focuses on what matters most to companies like Treehouse, and it shows.”

— Jason Gilmore, CEO, Treehouse

Grew organic users by +33,500 (+21%) in just 3-months to the Treehouse forums

Treehouse’s community pages act as a forum for students to ask questions about different coding concepts and lessons. This section of the site brings in the most traffic, but before beginning our SEO strategy, more than half the URLs were hidden from search results. Traffic immediately increased once these URLs were indexed. This simple technical adjustment resulted in an additional +53,000 unique pages added into Google’s index.

Want to work with Uproer?

We like to start with a 30-minute introductory call to hear what you’re looking for and answer your questions about Uproer. If we gauge that we’re a fit, we’ll move forward with a proposal.

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MGWM

Sr. Manager, SEO & Operations

Dave Sewich

Dave made an accidental foray into digital marketing after graduating from the University of Minnesota Duluth and hasn’t looked back. Having spent the first part of his marketing journey brand-side, he now works with the Uproer team to help clients realize their goals through the lens of search.

When not at work, you’ll find Dave staying active and living a healthy lifestyle, listening to podcasts, and enjoying live music. A Minnesotan born and raised, his favorite sport is hockey and he still finds time to skate once in a while.

Dave’s DiSC style is C. He enjoys getting things done deliberately and systematically without sacrificing speed and efficiency. When it comes to evaluating new ideas and plans, he prefers to take a logical approach, always sprinkling on a bit of healthy skepticism for good measure. At work, Dave’s happiest when he has a chance to dive deep into a single project for hours at a time. He loves contributing to Uproer and being a part of a supportive team but is most productive when working solo.

Founder & CEO

Griffin Roer

Griffin discovered SEO in 2012 during a self-taught web development course and hasn’t looked back. After years of working as an SEO consultant to some of the country’s largest retail and tech brands, Griffin pursued his entrepreneurial calling of starting an agency in May of 2017.

Outside of work, Griffin enjoys going to concerts and spending time with his wife, two kids, and four pets.

Griffin’s DiSC style is D. He’s driven to set and achieve goals quickly, which helps explain why he’s built his career in the fast-paced agency business. Griffin’s most valuable contributions to the workplace include his motivation to make progress, his tendency towards bold action, and his willingness to challenge assumptions.