Overview
Client: ShopBack Philippines
Industry: Cashback and Coupon Platform
Market: Philippines
Challenge: Scale organic traffic and user acquisition in competitive market
Industry: Cashback and Coupon Platform
Market: Philippines
Challenge: Scale organic traffic and user acquisition in competitive market
The Challenge
ShopBack operates in the crowded cashback and coupon space where dozens of platforms compete for the same users. The Philippines market had established local competitors and international platforms, all fighting for visibility on searches like “discount codes” or “cashback deals.”
The business model depends on volume. ShopBack earns affiliate commissions when users shop through their links. More users mean more transactions and more revenue. But customer acquisition costs through paid channels were high and eating into margins. Organic search needed to become a primary growth channel.
Another challenge was the dynamic nature of coupons and deals. Offers change constantly. Content needs frequent updates. Search engines favor fresh, current information. A static coupon site gets buried in search results behind platforms offering the latest deals.
Finally, ShopBack needed to target different user intents: people searching for specific merchant coupons, people looking for cashback options, and people in early research comparing different savings platforms. Each stage required different content and optimization.
The business model depends on volume. ShopBack earns affiliate commissions when users shop through their links. More users mean more transactions and more revenue. But customer acquisition costs through paid channels were high and eating into margins. Organic search needed to become a primary growth channel.
Another challenge was the dynamic nature of coupons and deals. Offers change constantly. Content needs frequent updates. Search engines favor fresh, current information. A static coupon site gets buried in search results behind platforms offering the latest deals.
Finally, ShopBack needed to target different user intents: people searching for specific merchant coupons, people looking for cashback options, and people in early research comparing different savings platforms. Each stage required different content and optimization.
Our Approach
We built a content and technical strategy focused on three pillars: merchant landing pages targeting specific brand searches, category content for product-based searches, and educational resources for comparison and research queries.
Technical optimization came first. Site speed, mobile experience, and fresh content signals were critical for competing in the fast-moving deals and coupons space. We needed infrastructure that could handle frequent updates without technical issues.
Content strategy focused on localization. Rather than generic coupon content, we created Philippines-specific pages targeting local shopping behaviors, popular merchants, and regional search patterns. This differentiation helped ShopBack compete against international platforms.
Link building amplified organic visibility. We identified Philippines websites, blogs, and communities where ShopBack’s target audience spent time. Strategic partnerships and digital PR earned high-quality backlinks that boosted domain authority and rankings.
Technical optimization came first. Site speed, mobile experience, and fresh content signals were critical for competing in the fast-moving deals and coupons space. We needed infrastructure that could handle frequent updates without technical issues.
Content strategy focused on localization. Rather than generic coupon content, we created Philippines-specific pages targeting local shopping behaviors, popular merchants, and regional search patterns. This differentiation helped ShopBack compete against international platforms.
Link building amplified organic visibility. We identified Philippines websites, blogs, and communities where ShopBack’s target audience spent time. Strategic partnerships and digital PR earned high-quality backlinks that boosted domain authority and rankings.
What We Did
Phase 1: Technical Foundation (Month 1)
- ✓Conducted comprehensive technical audit identifying speed and mobile issues
- ✓Improved page load times by 60% through image optimization and caching
- ✓Enhanced mobile experience for better mobile rankings
- ✓Fixed duplicate content issues across similar merchant pages
- ✓Implemented proper canonicalization for filtered and sorted pages
- ✓Built systems for fresh content updates signaling currency
- ✓Enhanced crawl budget management for large site
Phase 2: Merchant Landing Pages (Months 2-3)
- ✓Created optimized landing pages for 200 plus popular Philippines merchants
- ✓Developed unique content for each merchant highlighting deals and cashback
- ✓Implemented structured data for coupons and promotions
- ✓Added user-generated content elements (reviews, ratings, usage stats)
- ✓Built automated systems to update expired and new deals
- ✓Enhanced internal linking between related merchants
- ✓Optimized for brand plus “coupon” or “cashback” searches
Phase 3: Category and Product Content (Month 4)
- ✓Developed category pages for popular product types (electronics, fashion, beauty)
- ✓Created seasonal content for major shopping periods (Christmas, summer sale)
- ✓Built buying guides incorporating cashback and savings advice
- ✓Optimized for product plus “discount” or “deals” searches
- ✓Added comparison content for shopping across merchants
- ✓Enhanced filtering and navigation for user experience
Phase 4: Educational and Comparison Content (Months 5-6)
- ✓Created comprehensive guide to cashback and how it works
- ✓Developed comparison content versus other savings platforms
- ✓Built FAQ content addressing common user questions
- ✓Created blog content around smart shopping and saving money
- ✓Optimized for early-stage research queries
- ✓Added tools like cashback calculators and savings estimators
Phase 5: Link Building and PR (Months 7-9)
- ✓Identified Philippines blogs, news sites, and communities for partnerships
- ✓Created linkable content (best deals roundups, shopping guides)
- ✓Earned features in personal finance and lifestyle publications
- ✓Built relationships with merchant partners for co-marketing
- ✓Leveraged social proof and user testimonials for credibility
- ✓Implemented digital PR campaigns during peak shopping seasons
Ongoing: Optimization and Updates
- ✓Daily updates to deals and coupon content maintaining freshness
- ✓Weekly monitoring of merchant changes and new partnerships
- ✓Monthly content audits removing expired deals
- ✓Quarterly strategy adjustments based on search trends
- ✓Continuous testing of page layouts and conversion elements
The Results
The combination of technical excellence, localized content, and strategic link building drove massive growth:
Traffic Explosion
Traffic Explosion
- ✓749% increase in organic traffic over 12 months
- ✓Moved from page 3-5 to page 1 for hundreds of target keywords
- ✓Consistent month-over-month growth throughout engagement
- ✓Higher-quality traffic with better engagement and conversion
Rankings Performance
- ✓Page one rankings for 300 plus merchant name plus “coupon” searches
- ✓Top three positions for popular Philippines shopping keywords
- ✓Featured snippets for cashback and savings how-to queries
- ✓Local pack visibility for relevant shopping searches
Business Impact
- ✓Organic traffic became second-largest user acquisition channel
- ✓45% reduction in customer acquisition cost through organic growth
- ✓Higher customer lifetime value from organic users versus paid
- ✓Improved profitability through sustainable growth channel
Brand Positioning
- ✓Established as go-to resource for Philippines online shopping deals
- ✓Higher brand awareness reflected in branded search growth
- ✓Better merchant partnerships leveraging traffic and authority
- ✓Competitive positioning against international platforms
What Made This Work
Localization was the key differentiator. We did not just translate generic coupon content. We created Philippines-specific pages targeting local merchants (SM, Lazada, Shopee), local shopping events (Cyber Monday, Payday sales), and local search behaviors. This relevance helped ShopBack outrank international platforms.
Fresh content signals mattered enormously. Coupons and deals change constantly. We built systems that updated content daily, removed expired deals quickly, and added new offers immediately. Search engines rewarded this freshness with better rankings.
Technical excellence created the foundation for content success. Fast load times kept users engaged. Mobile optimization captured growing mobile search traffic. Clean architecture helped search engines discover and rank content efficiently.
Strategic link building amplified visibility beyond on-page optimization alone. Quality backlinks from Philippines websites, blogs, and news sites built domain authority and helped ShopBack compete with established platforms that had years of link equity.
Fresh content signals mattered enormously. Coupons and deals change constantly. We built systems that updated content daily, removed expired deals quickly, and added new offers immediately. Search engines rewarded this freshness with better rankings.
Technical excellence created the foundation for content success. Fast load times kept users engaged. Mobile optimization captured growing mobile search traffic. Clean architecture helped search engines discover and rank content efficiently.
Strategic link building amplified visibility beyond on-page optimization alone. Quality backlinks from Philippines websites, blogs, and news sites built domain authority and helped ShopBack compete with established platforms that had years of link equity.
Lessons for Coupon, Deal, and Cashback Platforms
Localization beats translation. Target local merchants, local shopping behaviors, and local search patterns. Generic international content will lose to locally relevant alternatives.
Fresh content is critical. Deals and coupons change constantly. Build systems that update content quickly. Remove expired offers immediately. Search engines favor fresh, current information.
Merchant pages drive bottom-funnel traffic. People searching for specific brand coupons have high intent. Create optimized landing pages for every popular merchant targeting “brand name coupon” searches.
Technical speed matters more than most industries. Deal seekers are impatient. Slow sites lose both rankings and conversions. Invest heavily in performance optimization.
User-generated content builds trust and freshness. Reviews, ratings, and usage stats provide social proof and create fresh content signals. Encourage users to share feedback on deals.
Link building amplifies results. On-page optimization alone struggles in competitive coupon space. Strategic partnerships and digital PR earning quality backlinks boost domain authority and rankings.
Fresh content is critical. Deals and coupons change constantly. Build systems that update content quickly. Remove expired offers immediately. Search engines favor fresh, current information.
Merchant pages drive bottom-funnel traffic. People searching for specific brand coupons have high intent. Create optimized landing pages for every popular merchant targeting “brand name coupon” searches.
Technical speed matters more than most industries. Deal seekers are impatient. Slow sites lose both rankings and conversions. Invest heavily in performance optimization.
User-generated content builds trust and freshness. Reviews, ratings, and usage stats provide social proof and create fresh content signals. Encourage users to share feedback on deals.
Link building amplifies results. On-page optimization alone struggles in competitive coupon space. Strategic partnerships and digital PR earning quality backlinks boost domain authority and rankings.
Services Delivered
- ✓Technical SEO Audit and Optimization
- ✓Merchant Landing Page Development
- ✓Category and Product Content Strategy
- ✓Educational Content Creation
- ✓Localized Content Development
- ✓Strategic Link Building and Digital PR
- ✓Fresh Content Systems Implementation
- ✓Conversion Rate Optimization
- ✓Performance Monitoring and Reporting
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