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Article's Content
When we talk about high-volume content, we’re often talking about blog posts. But EquipmentShare made a different kind of content investment.
EquipmentShare put their efforts into making high-quality, detailed landing pages. And it paid off, doubling their site’s total organic traffic in less than a year and driving that traffic to high-impact pages with strong CTAs.
Here’s how they did it.
How EquipmentShare Raised $3.5 Billion
Read that again — they didn’t get valued at $3.5 billion. EquipmentShare has raised $3.5 billion in cash over 14 rounds of funding since they were founded nine years ago. That staggering total is built on a solid business model and impressive growth.
That’s because EquipmentShare makes it easy to rent anything from a stump grinder to a giant diesel generator to a 77,000-pound excavator. With that business model and some impressive growth, they’ve soared to their current multi-billion-dollar valuation and may even be considering an IPO soon.
Most recently, EquipmentShare got a total of $440 million in Series E funding to keep up their impressive growth. With that funding in hand, they needed to find the best way to spend it.
EquipmentShare’s Traffic Explosion
From my research, it appears that EquipmentShare identified organic traffic as a key area for growth in 2023 and 2024, and they went after it with a targeted SEO campaign. I don’t know what their goals or KPIs were for that campaign, but I can tell you I’m pretty sure they smashed them out of the park.
That’s because, between June 2023 and April 2024, EquipmentShare doubled their organic traffic. This wasn’t a stroke of luck but rather the result of a strategic and well-executed content plan. Their approach centred on creating highly informative, SEO-optimized landing pages that drew in traffic and converted those visitors into customers.
EquipmentShare’s High-Traffic Product Category Pages
One core part of EquipmentShare’s traffic explosion has been their product category pages. These pages are not mere listings but comprehensive resources that provide potential customers with everything they need to make an informed decision.
How EquipmentShare Builds a Product Category Page
EquipmentShare’s product pages perfectly balance user-centric design and SEO optimization. Their mini skid steer product category page and mini excavator product category page are both perfect examples of this.
Here are the main features that make the pages stand out.
Brief Descriptions
These pages put about 30 to 50 words into describing the product category. These descriptions have everything they need: They include the keyword for the product category, list the product’s uses, include an internal backlink to a relevant page, and end with an encouraging CTA.
This is the kind of thing that’s easy to overthink, but a multi-paragraph section here wouldn’t actually do the page much good.
Item Features
There isn’t much room for full item descriptions on category pages, so when you make one, you have to be very selective about what to include. The mini excavator page lists each vehicle’s total weight, while the mini skid steers have their ROCs or lifting capacities. EquipmentShare has clearly put research into what specifications customers care the most about when looking at different equipment categories.
Category Table
On the left side of each category page, EquipmentShare includes a small table to navigate between different subsections of the category.
It’s an intuitive way to make it simple to find similar or related types of equipment in case one category doesn’t exactly match what you need. This easy navigation could be contributing to the 6.97 pages EquipmentShare’s visitors go to on the site on average — about twice as many as their rivals, United Rentals.
Why EquipmentShare’s Product Page Format Works
EquipmentShare’s product pages work so well because they make it easy by combining relevant content with user-friendly design elements. Here’s why this approach is effective:
- SEO optimization: The pages are optimized for search engines with relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and alt text for images, helping them rank higher in search results. But they avoid the overstuffing that could see them drop in the SERPs.
- Focus on user intent: These pages are designed with the user’s intent in mind, providing all necessary information upfront, which reduces bounce rates and increases the time spent on the page.
- Engaging UI: High-quality images and interactive elements keep users engaged and provide a richer browsing experience. You’re only ever one click away from adding equipment to your cart, and it’s easy to navigate to what you need.
Google’s algorithm favours content that is relevant and provides a good user experience. By focusing on these aspects, EquipmentShare ensures their product pages rank well and attract organic traffic.
The Benefits of Product Category Pages Like EquipmentShare’s
We opened this discussion by talking about organic traffic numbers, but that’s not the only benefit of product category pages like these.
Here are a few more.
- Targeted Traffic: These pages attract highly targeted traffic, as they are designed to rank for specific, high-intent keywords related to equipment rental. The traffic volume doesn’t matter as much as who’s visiting.
- Increased Conversions: By providing select, relevant information and clear CTAs, these pages are more likely to convert visitors than generic blog posts.
- Customer Retention: High-quality product pages improve the user experience, which can lead to higher customer satisfaction and repeat business.
- Data Collection: These pages can also serve as a valuable source of data on customer preferences and behaviours, which can be used to further refine marketing strategies.
EquipmentShare’s investment in high-quality product pages is a key pillar in their content success. By using few words but choosing them well, they’re bringing in more traffic and making the most of it.
EquipmentShare’s Geo-Specific Page Recipe
The power of EquipmentShare’s content strategy extends beyond product category pages. They also excel in creating geo-specific pages that cater to the needs of local markets. These pages are simple yet highly effective in driving local traffic and conversions.
How EquipmentShare Builds a Geo-Specific Page
Where EquipmentShare’s product category pages try to keep the text as brief as possible, their geo-specific pages give themselves a bit more space for a longer explanation of their services. As you can see in the example below from their Dallas location page, they spend a lot of time listing what equipment they have available and throwing in a few location-specific keywords.
They follow that up with just the key information about their location that you need:
- Hours
- Address
- Phone number
- Hyperlink for directions
- CTAs to either pick equipment or submit a request form
Here’s how they structure it on their Arizona location page:
The pages are designed to be straightforward and user-friendly, making it easy for visitors to find the information they need.
Why EquipmentShare’s Geo-Specific Page Format Works
EquipmentShare’s geo-specific pages work because they are highly relevant and focused on the needs of local customers.
Here are the tools they use to make this approach effective.
- Local SEO optimization: These pages are optimized for both local and equipment-specific search terms, helping them rank higher in local search results.
- User-friendly design: The simple and straightforward information delivery means it’s easy to find out what you need to know and take action.
- Additional information: There’s one part of these pages I didn’t mention earlier. It’s a section at the bottom with even more information about their services. This gives EquipmentShare the opportunity to include even more relevant information and the associated keywords.
Google’s algorithm favours content that is relevant to the user’s search and location. By creating geo-specific pages with localized content, EquipmentShare ensures their pages are highly relevant to local searchers, which boosts their rankings and drives more targeted traffic.
The Benefits of Geo-Specific Pages Like EquipmentShare’s
Geo-specific pages like those created by EquipmentShare drive traffic and convert visitors into customers to bring in revenue. By providing localized content and clear contact information, these pages make it easy for local customers to take the next step, whether it’s making a call or visiting the location.
The traffic for EquipmentShare’s top geo-specific pages, like those linked above, has increased by ten times in the last six months, demonstrating their effectiveness in driving local traffic. The Dallas page alone brought in $3,400 worth of traffic in June 2024.
EquipmentShare’s Content Repurposing Strategy
EquipmentShare doesn’t just rely on organic traffic to bring them visits. In fact, more than 12% of their site traffic is from social media. Let’s explore how they make the most of that social media content.
How EquipmentShare Creates Social Media Content
EquipmentShare uses social media to engage with their audience, showcase their services, and promote their content.
Here’s a breakdown of their approach using three LinkedIn posts as examples.
- Content tone: Informational.
- Purpose: Highlight the cooling systems available for rent, emphasizing their importance in maintaining optimal working conditions, and drive traffic to a relevant landing page.
- Key features: The post includes a detailed description of the cooling systems, high-quality images, and a link to the product page for more information. It targets businesses needing climate solutions, demonstrating EquipmentShare’s expertise and comprehensive offerings.
- Content tone: Promotional.
- Purpose: Promote their forklift rental services, aiming to drive immediate inquiries and rentals.
- Key features: The post includes an engaging image of the forklift, a brief yet compelling description of its benefits, and a call-to-action (CTA) encouraging users to rent. This direct approach helps in generating leads and conversions.
- Content tone: Storytelling.
- Purpose: Connect to readers with a short, uplifting story and promote rental offerings.
- Key features: This post has an image of EquipmentShare’s boom lift helping a local hospital and mentions how they helped that institution. The emphasis is on visual appeal and telling a story, with a CTA for rentals at the end.
Through these varied posts, EquipmentShare maintains a balanced and strategic social media presence. They drive traffic to different landing pages and approach the CTA from different angles with each approach.
How EquipmentShare Repurposes Content Across Platforms
EquipmentShare excels at repurposing content across various platforms, ensuring maximum reach and engagement while tailoring each post to suit the specific platform’s audience and format.
For example, they repurposed their LinkedIn post to a nearly identical Instagram post and Facebook post.
View this post on Instagram
But they also use unique platform features, such as Instagram Stories. The saved and featured stories let them keep everything from customer testimonials to pictures of employees’ dogs up at the top of their page. That humanizes the brand and gives them a unique voice.
How EquipmentShare Can Expand Their Social Media Efforts
Currently, 98% of EquipmentShare’s social media referrals come from LinkedIn, highlighting their strong presence on that platform. However, this also indicates an opportunity to diversify and expand their social media efforts.
1. Exploring X
Despite their success on LinkedIn, EquipmentShare has yet to tap into X. By establishing a presence on X, they can engage with industry conversations in real time, share quick updates, and connect with a broader audience. X’s fast-paced environment is ideal for sharing news and company milestones while interacting directly with customers and industry influencers.
2. Creating More Platform-Specific Content
To maximize engagement, EquipmentShare can develop more platform-specific content. For example, creating short, informative videos for TikTok or YouTube and visually appealing posts for Instagram can help reach different demographics and increase brand visibility. They published videos on TikTok until April 2023, and this video in particular got over 19,000 views — there could be plenty more opportunity there.
@equipment_share“Oh, I love what I do. I have never been this happy working somewhere,” Kyle Martin, service manager at EquipmentShare Phoenix.♬ original sound – equipment_share
3. Distributing Blog Articles
Social media can be an effective channel for distributing their blog articles. By sharing snippets and key insights from their blogs across various platforms, EquipmentShare can drive traffic back to their website, increasing readership and engagement. This would also establish them as thought leaders in the industry and give them even more variety in their social content.
4. Diversifying Efforts
Diversifying their social media efforts can help reduce dependency on LinkedIn. Industry-specific forums and subreddits could offer unique ways to connect with audiences. Regularly analyzing the performance of these platforms can help EquipmentShare tailor their content strategy to meet the preferences of each user base.
EquipmentShare’s Nascent Content Expansion
EquipmentShare appears to be making a significant push into blog content, having published no articles before April 2024 but suddenly releasing 27 articles in just two months. This heavy investment is already showing results. For example, their article “What Is a Skid Steer” is already ranking for 110 keywords merely two months after being published.
This surge in blog content presents numerous opportunities for EquipmentShare. By maintaining this momentum, they can significantly boost their organic traffic and establish themselves as thought leaders in the construction equipment rental industry.
Non-Branded Content
Currently, about 40% of EquipmentShare’s traffic comes from people searching terms related to their brand name. That gives them a great opportunity. By writing blog posts about non-branded content, they can attract a broader audience who hasn’t heard of them yet from the almost $60-billion rental equipment industry.
Keyword Ranking
Investing in blog content allows EquipmentShare to rank for a wider range of keywords and search intents. Articles that address specific problems, provide industry insights, or offer detailed guides can attract visitors searching for those specific topics. By targeting a diverse set of keywords, EquipmentShare can increase their visibility on SERPs, capture a larger share of organic traffic, and drive more qualified leads to their website.
What to Learn From EquipmentShare’s Content Strategy
Too often, when we think about content, we just think about blog posts. But, there are so many different ways to create content that ranks high and drives revenue, including EquipmentShare’s strategy of focusing on landing pages.
Other companies find success with different content strategies. For example, Contentsquare raised organic traffic by 400% by focusing on one keyword cluster. On the other hand, Wiz has seen 72% growth with a wide-ranging and multifaceted content strategy. Check out those breakdowns in the Lab for even more digital marketing insights.
