The Dispatch SEO Case Study
Stats
The site now scores above 90% in Google PageSpeed Insights
Industry
Digital Publication
Niche
News
Reporting Date
January 2025
Introduction
cdispatch is a digital publication and news site that shares articles on culture, politics, and public discourse. Built on WordPress and using the Yoast SEO plugin, the site aims to deliver timely, thoughtful content to a wide audience. However, in recent months, the site faced significant performance and visibility issues that impacted its reach through organic search. The client approached us with a focus on improving technical SEO and resolving the issues highlighted in their Google Search Console Page Experience report.
The Problem / Challenge
The client reported a sudden and dramatic decrease in Page Experience scores in Google Search Console, impacting their overall SEO performance. The request was two-fold: identify the root causes of the drop and provide recommendations for broader visibility improvements across the site.
Page experience issues:
Google flagged multiple core web vitals and UX signals as failing, resulting in lower scores and a potential impact on rankings and search visibility.
WordPress setup limitations:
Despite using the Yoast SEO plugin, the site lacked proper caching, image optimization, and lightweight code, which contributed to slow load speeds and poor mobile usability.
Underperforming content:
A portion of the site’s articles were outdated or thin, which diluted overall topical relevance and may have hurt performance metrics like engagement and bounce rates.
Unoptimized category pages:
Several category pages had minimal or no content, limiting their potential to rank and provide useful internal linking opportunities for SEO.
The Strategy / Solution
 We implemented a performance-first SEO strategy, aimed at improving both speed and structure. WP Rocket was added to enhance caching and load times. Images were converted to WebP format, significantly reducing page weight. Low-value and underperforming content was removed or consolidated to strengthen topical focus and site authority. We also optimized category pages to include contextual content, helping improve indexability and user experience. This technical and structural cleanup laid the foundation for better visibility in search, particularly in Google’s Page Experience signals.
Added WP Rocket:
We installed and configured WP Rocket to enable caching, minification, and lazy loading—drastically improving load times and overall page performance across devices.
Migrated images to WebP:
All images were converted to modern WebP format, reducing file sizes without compromising quality, which significantly improved speed and user experience metrics.
Removed unuseful content:
Thin, outdated, or irrelevant posts were either removed or merged, improving content depth, authority, and engagement across key topical clusters.
Improved category pages:
We enriched category pages with introductions, internal links, and structured metadata, transforming them into indexable SEO assets that aid both navigation and rankings.
The Results
The performance improvements quickly translated into measurable results.
Google PageSpeed Insights
Organic traffic rose by 20%, driven by enhanced performance signals, better content structure, and improved engagement
With these changes, cdispatch not only improved its technical SEO health but also positioned itself for sustainable long-term growth in a content-driven niche.
Conclusion & Takeaway
The success of Condor Performance highlights the power of getting SEO fundamentals right—especially for niche service businesses. By addressing technical issues, implementing a clear content strategy, and introducing an email capture system, we were able to drive consistent organic growth and build a pipeline of engaged, high-quality leads. The dramatic increase in keyword rankings, organic clicks, and subscriber count demonstrates that even without a massive budget, smart SEO can deliver meaningful, lasting results.
Tools Used
