Case Study 1: Sudden Organic Traffic Drop After Redesign
In this matter, a business claimed that a redesign and CMS migration caused a dramatic decline in organic search traffic. The central question was whether the vendor’s SEO work was deficient or whether other factors were responsible for the drop.
Bill analyzed analytics data before and after the redesign, search console reports, crawl data, and the redirect mapping between old and new URLs. He found that many high-value pages were removed or consolidated without proper redirects, and several key sections were blocked from indexing. These findings supported the conclusion that specific technical and structural decisions contributed to the traffic loss.
The analysis helped the parties better understand how changes inside the site translated into traffic and revenue losses.
Case Study 2: Defamatory Content in Search Results
Another matter involved a series of defamatory statements about a professional appearing prominently in search results for name-based queries. Counsel needed to understand exposure, visibility, and the impact of search rankings on reputation.
Bill reconstructed search results over time using historical data, examined how often the harmful pages appeared for key queries, and estimated likely click-through behavior based on position and layout. He also assessed the effectiveness of mitigation efforts, including publishing authoritative positive content.
This work provided a factual basis for discussing harm and helped the court understand how search results influenced public perception.
Case Study 3: Domain Name and SEO Value Dispute
In a domain name dispute, the parties disagreed about the value of a long-held domain that had built up significant search visibility and backlinks. The question was whether the domain carried meaningful SEO value and how that value should be described.
Bill reviewed the domain’s backlink profile, organic visibility, historical rankings, archived versions of the site, and its role in driving organic traffic. He explained how search engines had associated the domain with specific topics and how that association contributed to its value.
The resulting analysis helped clarify why the domain had importance beyond a simple registration fee.
Case Study 4: Alleged SEO Malpractice
In a malpractice-style dispute, a company alleged that its SEO provider used harmful tactics that triggered penalties and long-term ranking damage. The record included contracts, work product, and communications over several years.
Bill examined the tactics used, such as link-building methods, on-page changes, and technical implementations. He compared those tactics to widely accepted best practices at the time the work occurred, not just current standards.
This context helped determine whether the provider’s work was reasonably consistent with professional SEO practices or whether serious deviations likely contributed to the outcome.
Case Study 5: Local Search Rankings and Business Impact
In a dispute involving a local service business, counsel needed to understand why the business disappeared from local search results after a combination of site changes and profile updates.
Bill reviewed local pack rankings, map listings, citations, and on-site local signals. He identified several inconsistencies in business name, address, and phone number across major platforms, as well as significant changes to the site’s local landing pages. These factors helped explain the local ranking decline.
The analysis informed both legal strategy and corrective steps for the business.
Using Case Studies as a Planning Tool
While every dispute is unique, these case studies provide examples of how SEO evidence can be gathered, analyzed, and presented in a legal context. They can help attorneys plan early discovery, identify useful data sources, and frame questions for both fact and expert witnesses.
For more structured guidance on preparing for an SEO expert engagement, review the Attorney Checklist and Engaging an SEO Expert Witness pages.