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Katya Anuchina
Turnkey website development with SEO built in from day one. SEO strategy and optimization by a senior specialist.
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[Case Studies]

Comprehensive SEO services for an international online chess school

How a Chess School website started attracting clients through organic search in just 2.5 months

At a glance:


  • Organic search became the main source of website traffic, allowing paid advertising to be switched off.
  • The site began growing rapidly.
  • The school outranked leading competitors in search results.
  • Phoenix Chess gained visibility and citations in AI-generated search answers.
  • A steady flow of inquiries helped keep the chess coaches booked.
  • Project duration: 2.5 months.
  • Client feedback: "That's enough for us — we’re thrilled!"

The challenge:

The school was receiving very few inquiries. Paid advertising was running, but it still was not bringing in enough new students. Coaches had begun to leave, and advertising spend was delivering little return.

What I did:

Over 2.5 months:

  • Redesigned the website from the ground up to make it clearer, more modern, and more trustworthy.
  • Strengthened the coaches page, particularly the profiles of grandmasters. This became one of the school’s key competitive differentiators.
  • Expanded keyword coverage and optimized commercial landing pages for organic search.
  • Created a helpful "Chess for beginners" blog addressing real questions from parents and children.
Designed the school’s chess coach profile cards.
Design for the “Checkmate” blog topic cluster.
Top-five search rankings for queries in the "chess piece setup" blog cluster.
GEO visibility: Phoenix Chess appeared in both traditional organic search results and Google AI Overviews.
The screenshot shows three visibility signals for a high-volume keyword in this niche, with 15,499 searches per month:

  • AI citation: Phoenix Chess appears as the second source in the right-hand Google AI Overview source panel.
  • In-answer reference: Google cites a detailed Phoenix Chess guide directly in the AI-generated response.
  • Organic visibility: The page ranks first in the traditional search results.
Organic search became the main traffic source in late June. Paid search campaigns were switched off in August.

The results:

The website began generating traffic and inquiries through organic search without relying on paid advertising.

  • With paid search switched off, the site attracted visitors organically.
  • The blog also brought in prospective customers through high-volume searches such as "how to learn chess," "chess piece setup," and "castling."
  • The school overtook leading competitors, achieved top-three rankings, and earned citations in AI-generated search results.
  • The website generated enough inquiries to keep the school’s coaches booked.
  • The client said: "That's enough for us — we’re thrilled!"
In a relatively short time, the school achieved its goal: a steady flow of prospective students and busy coaches’ schedules without additional paid advertising spend.

Looking for a steady stream of students and inquiries from organic search?

I can bring this approach to your project: develop a search-focused site architecture, identify your target search demand, and help your website compete with industry leaders.
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