In November 2024, I started optimizing the Playschool category, which contained around 60,000 URLs spread across Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, each with multiple local pages. Since the business depends heavily on local services, I focused on city-wise keyword research, competitor analysis, and content strategy, starting with high search volume Tier 1 cities before expanding to Tier 2. 

To improve rankings, I optimized the listing pages with relevant keywords (playschool and preschool) on the same page to avoid duplication, created informational blogs, added real value data, and built a strong interlinking strategy. 

Along with these on-page improvements, I worked on local SEO by targeting “near me” keywords such as “playschool near me” and “preschool near me,” which significantly boosted visibility for location-based searches. To strengthen this, I ensured city and area names were naturally integrated into meta titles, headings, and content while also adding structured data (LocalBusiness schema) for better SERP appearance. 

To capture more “near me” traffic, I implemented FAQs like “Which is the best playschool near me in [City]?” and used internal linking from blogs to location pages. A major challenge was duplicate routes where both playschool and preschool pages were competing; I resolved this by redirecting preschool pages to playschool, applying noindex, and disallowing them in robots.txt. 

Another challenge was crawl budget since the site had crores of pages, so I worked with a Python developer to implement a logic where listings updated daily, ensuring Google crawled fresh content regularly. These combined efforts resulted in a 3x increase in leads within three months, and for the first time, we began receiving consistent organic leads even without running ads, with our playschool category dominating city-based searches.