How We Doubled a Client’s Traffic with a Website Cleanup
A Real Example of Why Maintenance Matters
When most businesses think of website growth, they imagine big redesigns, new ad campaigns, or flashy SEO tools. What they overlook is the quiet power of cleanup, the behind-the-scenes maintenance that can completely change a site’s performance.
This is the story of how a routine audit and cleanup doubled a client’s traffic in less than three months.
The Problem Beneath the Surface
Our client came to us with a simple complaint: “My site feels slow and people aren’t finding me.”
The website looked fine on the surface. But beneath it, we found:
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Dozens of unused plugins and scripts loading on every page
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Broken internal links and missing image metadata
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Conflicting SEO plugins creating duplicate tags
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Large uncompressed images dragging down load speed
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Outdated sitemap entries that blocked Google from indexing new content
Each issue alone seemed minor. Together, they were suffocating the site’s visibility and speed.
The Cleanup Plan
Instead of rebuilding from scratch, we created a Website Cleanup Plan.
The process looked like this:
Step 1: Audit Everything
We ran the site through tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Ahrefs, and Screaming Frog. That gave us a complete snapshot of errors, duplicate titles, crawl issues, and unnecessary bloat.
Step 2: Streamline Plugins and Code
We kept only essential plugins, updated each one, and replaced heavy builders with lighter options. The site’s requests per page dropped by nearly 40%.
Step 3: Optimize Images and Files
All media was resized, compressed, and renamed to include keyword identifiers. We converted background visuals to WebP and lazy-loaded large elements.
Step 4: SEO Structure Repair
We fixed meta titles, descriptions, alt text, and canonical tags. Then we created a clean XML sitemap and resubmitted it through Google Search Console.
Step 5: On-Page Enhancements
We restructured key pages to focus on clarity, keyword hierarchy, and mobile usability. Content was refreshed with updated copy that matched modern search intent.
The Results
After three months of consistent technical and content refinement:
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Organic traffic increased by 118%
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Average page load speed improved from 6.8s to 2.1s
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Bounce rate dropped by 32%
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Keyword rankings doubled in the top 10 positions
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Google Core Web Vitals passed on every page
The most surprising part? We didn’t publish a single new article during that period. The gains came purely from cleaning up what was already there.
Why Website Maintenance is Non-Negotiable
A website isn’t a one-time project. It’s an evolving ecosystem that accumulates clutter with every update, plugin, and upload.
Skipping maintenance costs visibility, security, and performance.
Routine cleanup protects your investment by:
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Keeping Google happy with a fast, crawlable structure
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Improving user experience on mobile and desktop
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Reducing server strain and hosting costs
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Preventing future compatibility issues
Neglecting this is like never servicing a car — it runs fine until it suddenly doesn’t.
Check out our Website Maintenance services to see how we can help you
Lessons for Every Business
- Speed matters more than design flair. If your site loads slowly, users leave before seeing your creativity.
- Old content can perform like new. Fixing broken structure often revives buried pages.
- You do not always need more content. Sometimes the gold is already on your site — it just needs dusting off.
- Maintenance builds authority. Google rewards clean, reliable performance over time.
Ready for Your Own Cleanup?
If your analytics show decline or your site feels sluggish, a cleanup might be the best marketing move you can make this year.
At In-Sites, we turn “average websites” into fast, search-ready ecosystems that drive results. Check out our Maintenance Services here
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