Blog Monthly Management Case Study: Erica Warren Photography

One of the biggest barriers to blogging (and SEO in general) is patience.

And listen — if I take off my blogger hat and put on my small business owner hat, I get it. Investing in something that doesn’t immediately put money back into your bank account can feel risky. Especially when social media feels faster, louder, and way more rewarding in the short term.

If you take away anything from this case study, let it be this: Social media is rented land. Blogging is owned.

So today, I want to walk you through a long-term blogging case study with one of my monthly management creatives — Erica Warren Photography — and show you what actually happens when consistency, strategy, and trust are allowed to compound.

TL;DR: After 19 months of blogging support, Erica’s Google inquiries increased by 51% year-over-year — and that growth is still climbing. (Erica gave me this stat TODAYY – 12/11/25 !!)

The Starting Point

When Erica invested in monthly blogging support, her website already had strong visuals and a clear brand. But like most photographers, her blog wasn’t being used to its full potential as a traffic and inquiry driver.

Before we publish a single post, I require access to two things:

• Google Search Console
• Google Analytics

Why? Because blogging without tracking is just posting into the void.

This data allows us to:

• Establish a baseline
• Track keyword movement over time
• See how people are actually finding the site
• Adjust strategy month-to-month based on real behavior — not vibes

Note: Google Search Console data in this case study dates back to July 2024, but Erica and I have been working together for 19 months as of December 2025.

The Blogging Strategy (Important Disclaimer Ahead)

Quick but important note: you will not get the same results by copying Erica’s exact blogging strategy. 

Why? Because her strategy was built specifically around her business, her goals, and her ideal clients. SEO isn’t a copy-and-paste situation — it’s a custom job.

That said, Erica’s monthly blogging strategy focused on:

• High-intent wedding and elopement keywords
• Location-specific content she actually wanted to book
• Educational posts that answered real client questions
• Long-form blogs designed to compound traffic over time

This wasn’t about chasing trends or pumping out fluff.

It was about building a searchable library of proof that showed:

• Where she works: the Seacoast, babyyyy
• Who she works with: cool-ass humans who value their memories
• What it feels like to be photographed by her: pretty freaking sick — and her reviews back that up

The Results (AKA the Part Everyone Actually Cares About)

Here’s what that consistency produced:

• 51% increase in Google inquiries year-over-year
• Steady upward growth in impressions and clicks
• Multiple blogs ranking for primary and secondary keywords
• Website traffic coming in without daily social media posting
• Inquiries from clients who already felt aligned before reaching out

This didn’t happen overnight and that’s the whole freaking point.

Blogging works because it compounds. One post supports the next. One month builds on the last. And eventually, your website starts doing the heavy lifting for you.

AKA: Miss Google finally believes you’re legit and gives you some authority. Slayy. 💅🏼

What the Data Is Actually Showing Us

1. SEO Keywords Ranking (998 Keywords)

This graph shows top-of-funnel authority growth — not vanity rankings.

When we started, Erica was ranking for a limited set of keywords, many of them buried far beyond page one. Over time, consistent blogging expanded both how many keywords she ranks for and where they land in search results.

Now? Nearly 1,000 ranking keywords, with more moving into page one and page two — the sweet spot where traffic and inquiries begin to snowball.

More keywords = more entry points. More entry points = more chances to be found by the right clients.

2. Monthly Organic Traffic (687 Organic Visitors/Month)

This is your “SEO isn’t linear” visual and that’s a good thing.

Slow build → spike → correction → stabilization.

That temporary dip? Likely seasonality and an Ubersuggest reporting glitch (confirmed on their end). The rebound is what matters and it proves the site held authority.

Organic traffic rarely grows in a straight line. This graph is exactly why patience matters.

The goal isn’t constant spikes. It’s sustainable visibility that comes back stronger.

3. Monthly Analytics Reports

SEO isn’t a one-time task. It’s an ongoing strategy. And not to be dramatic, but here at Kinfolk Creative, we take this data very seriously.

Every month, Erica receives a detailed analytics report breaking down keyword movement, traffic trends, and next-step opportunities. These reports guide what we publish next, what we optimize, and where momentum is already building.

Blogging works best when it’s informed by real behavior, not guesses.

4. Where We Started vs. The Impact

SEO growth often shows up quietly before it explodes.

While increases in domain authority and backlinks may look modest on paper, they represent something bigger: trust. Each gain strengthens the site’s ability to rank, compete, and convert — especially in a competitive industry like wedding photography.

These early shifts are what set the foundation for the larger traffic and inquiry growth that followed.

5. Google Search Console: Visibility at Scale

Over the past year, Erica’s website generated 426,000+ impressions in Google search results — with 6,440 clicks from people actively searching for wedding and elopement photography.

This level of visibility doesn’t come from a single post. It comes from consistent, strategic blogging that gives Google (and future clients) plentyyyy of reasons to trust the site.

Visibility creates familiarity. Familiarity builds trust. Trust drives inquiries. Period.

Why This Matters

This case study isn’t about going viral or chasing quick wins. It’s about what happens when you treat blogging like an asset, not a checkbox.

Erica didn’t just get more traffic — she built a system that continues to work even when she’s offline, on vacation, or fully booked.

And that’s the kind of marketing that actually supports a sustainable business. 

Thinking About Monthly Blogging Support?

If you’re tired of:

• Relying solely on social media
• Guessing what to blog about
• Wondering if SEO is “even working”

Monthly blog management might be the long-game move your business needs. (And yes — it works better when you stop trying to rush it. 😉) 

Start blogging today! Get in touch with us here!