WHSmith experienced a significant decline in organic visibility and site traffic due to poor URL indexation. The issue stemmed from the website’s mobile top navigation design, which prevented search engine bots from effectively crawling key internal links. Given the size of the site and the potential revenue impact, identifying and resolving the issue quickly was critical.
Our SEO team conducted a comprehensive technical audit to identify the root cause of the indexing issue. The investigation revealed that a recent restructure of the mobile navigation menu was blocking search engine bots from crawling the top-level navigation links.
To resolve this, we implemented a technical solution that ensured links within the mobile navigation were fully accessible and crawlable for search engines. Throughout the process, we worked closely with multiple client-side stakeholders to ensure the fix was implemented effectively while maintaining site functionality and user experience.
Number of non-branded keywords ranking on page 1 of organic search results
Additional non-branded keywords ranking on page 1 of organic search results
Number of non-branded searches for which the site appears on page 1 of organic search results
This project demonstrated the critical role technical SEO plays in maintaining search performance, highlighting how resolving crawlability issues can quickly restore visibility and traffic for large-scale websites.
