Donald Wilkin

Technical SEO • On-Page SEO • Search Intent • Local SEO • Search Console • Site Performance

SEO Strategy Built for Visibility, Clicks, and Real User Intent

I approach SEO as a complete website system. I combine technical SEO, search-focused content, on-page optimization, site architecture, internal linking, local relevance, page experience, and Google Search Console analysis to make websites easier to discover, understand, and use.

My work spans hospitality, golf, restaurants, private events, and multi-brand organizations, with measurable organic search results across visibility, clicks, click-through rate, average search position, and website performance.

Technical SEO + Site Health

Performance, crawlability, page structure, mobile usability, Core Web Vitals, resource efficiency, and technical website health.

Search Intent + Content Strategy

Keyword intent, SEO copy, metadata, headings, internal links, information architecture, local relevance, and useful content.

Search Performance Analysis

Google Search Console analysis across clicks, impressions, CTR, average position, pages, queries, trends, and optimization opportunities.

View Organic Search Proof View Technical SEO Proof

+139%

Organic Click Growth

Joliet Union Station

+93%

Search Impression Growth

Joliet Union Station

13.2%

Average Search CTR

Mistwood Golf Dome

267K

Google Search Impressions

Mistwood Golf Dome

8.4

Average Search Position

JBM Hospitality

100

Desktop Performance Score

MPC Golf

11K

Organic Search Clicks

McWethy’s Tavern

10.1%

Average Search CTR

McWethy’s Tavern

35.3K

Organic Search Clicks

Mistwood Golf Dome

How I Think About Search

SEO Is a System, Not a Checklist

Search performance is connected to far more than a list of keywords. I look at what people are searching for, why they are searching, what page should answer that need, how search engines understand the page, how quickly the experience loads, and whether the visitor has a clear next step once they arrive.

My work connects content strategy, page architecture, technical health, metadata, internal linking, local relevance, mobile usability, and continuous Search Console analysis. The goal is not simply to create more impressions. It is to earn relevant visibility and turn that visibility into useful traffic.

Search Intent
On-Page SEO
Technical SEO
SEO Copywriting
Local SEO
Information Architecture
Internal Linking
Metadata
Google Search Console
Site Performance
Mobile UX
Ongoing Optimization

Organic Search Proof

SEO Case Studies

The strongest proof is not a keyword list. It is what happens when search-focused content, strong website structure, technical execution, and ongoing optimization work together. These case studies use real Google Search Console data to show performance across growth, visibility, engagement, and search position.

Case Study 01

McWethy’s Tavern

Strong Organic Visibility With a 10.1% Search CTR

McWethy’s Tavern combines restaurant content, reservations, menus, events, local relevance, and brand storytelling inside one website.

My SEO approach focuses on making that content easy for users and search engines to understand through page structure, metadata, search-focused copy, internal linking, and clear conversion paths.

During the six-month period shown in Google Search Console, the site generated 11K organic clicks from 109K search impressions while maintaining a 10.1% average click-through rate and 9.3 average search position.

Visit McWethy’s Tavern

11K

Organic Search Clicks

109K

Search Impressions

10.1%

Average CTR

9.3

Average Search Position

The combination of search volume and click-through rate is the key story here. The site is not only appearing in search results at scale. Searchers are choosing to click through at a strong rate.

Case Study 02

Joliet Union Station

SEO Optimization + Organic Growth

139% Increase in Organic Search Clicks

Joliet Union Station is a historic event venue serving weddings, corporate events, private celebrations, and venue-focused local search intent.

My work connects search-focused website copy, metadata, page hierarchy, internal linking, and clearer content structure with the venue’s larger digital experience.

Following ongoing SEO optimization, organic search performance increased during the measured period. Clicks increased 139% and impressions increased 93%. Average CTR improved from 4.9% to 6.1%, while average search position improved from 19.7 to 12.8.

Visit Joliet Union Station

+139%

Organic Click Growth

+93%

Search Impression Growth

4.9% → 6.1%

Average CTR

19.7 → 12.8

Average Search Position

The comparison shows stronger visibility, more search-driven visits, and a higher rate of searchers choosing the site during the latest six-month period.

Methodology: Results compare the latest six-month period shown in Google Search Console with the previous six-month period. Organic traffic can be influenced by seasonality, brand demand, content, competition, and other factors, so this case study presents measured performance change without claiming isolated causation.

Case Study 03

Mistwood Golf Dome

High-Volume Organic Search Performance

Driving 35K+ Organic Clicks During Indoor Golf Season

Mistwood Golf Dome serves search intent across indoor golf, Toptracer, practice bays, lessons, club fitting, food and beverage, events, golf outings, rates, and facility information.

That breadth makes search architecture and content organization especially important. Pages need clear intent, useful supporting content, local relevance, and direct paths to rates, reservations, lessons, fittings, and events.

During the 2025-26 indoor golf season represented by the uploaded Search Console reporting, the site generated 267K Google Search impressions and 35.3K organic clicks with a 13.2% average click-through rate.

Visit Mistwood Golf Dome

35.3K

Organic Search Clicks

267K

Google Search Impressions

13.2%

Average CTR

Seasonal

Search Strategy

Indoor golf + facility intent

This case study demonstrates search scale. The site appears across a broad mix of facility, service, golf, event, and branded search intent while generating substantial organic click volume.

Case Study 04

JBM Hospitality

High-Quality Search Visibility for a Multi-Brand Hospitality Company

JBM Hospitality connects multiple golf, dining, event, and hospitality brands under one parent organization.

SEO for this type of site requires a clear relationship between the parent company, individual brands, services, location relevance, content hierarchy, internal navigation, and the intent behind each page.

The Search Console snapshot shows an 8.8% average click-through rate and an 8.4 average search position, providing evidence of search-result quality and user interest.

Visit JBM Hospitality

8.8%

Average Search CTR

8.4

Average Search Position

Multi-Brand

Architecture

Connecting parent and brand content clearly

Intent

Search Mapping

Aligning pages with what users are trying to find

The results reflect a site structure that helps users and search engines understand how the parent company, brands, services, and locations connect.

Search Intelligence

Search Intelligence

SEO gets stronger when performance is broken down by what people searched, which pages earned the click, and where visibility exists without enough action. I use Google Search Console to connect search intent, page structure, metadata, content updates, and conversion paths into a clearer optimization plan.

Query-Level Proof

These examples show how search demand connects to brand awareness, local intent, menu intent, venue intent, and golf facility searches.

McWethy’s Tavern

mcwethy's tavern

Clicks2,354

Impressions6,205

CTR37.9%

mcwethy's

Clicks1,505

Impressions3,427

CTR43.9%

mcwethy's tavern menu

Clicks811

Impressions2,511

CTR32.3%

mcwethys menu

Clicks402

Impressions897

CTR44.8%

restaurants near me

Clicks110

Impressions7,157

CTR1.5%

Strong branded and menu-intent queries show that users are finding the restaurant through high-intent searches, while broader terms like restaurants near me show room for ongoing local SEO growth.

Joliet Union Station

joliet union station

Clicks338

Impressions1,734

CTR19.5%

joliet train station wedding

Clicks183

Impressions612

CTR29.9%

joliet union station wedding

Clicks178

Impressions484

CTR36.8%

the grand ballroom joliet

Clicks153

Impressions616

CTR24.8%

grand ballroom joliet

Clicks132

Impressions487

CTR27.1%

joliet union station wedding cost

Clicks60

Impressions248

CTR24.2%

The venue is earning visibility for high-value wedding and local venue searches, not only direct brand searches.

Mistwood Golf Dome

mistwood golf dome

Clicks19,746

Impressions30,275

CTR65.2%

mistwood dome

Clicks2,693

Impressions3,863

CTR69.7%

golf dome bolingbrook

Clicks622

Impressions1,067

CTR58.3%

golf dome

Clicks528

Impressions4,532

CTR11.7%

bolingbrook golf dome

Clicks461

Impressions786

CTR58.7%

golf dome near me

Clicks407

Impressions3,530

CTR11.5%

Mistwood Golf Dome shows strong branded, local, and category search performance, especially around golf dome and Bolingbrook golf dome intent.

JBM Hospitality

jbm hospitality

Clicks108

Impressions180

CTR60%

the great hall at mistwood golf club

Clicks3

Impressions9

CTR33.3%

mistwood golf club wedding

Clicks2

Impressions51

CTR3.9%

jbm restaurant

Clicks1

Impressions14

CTR7.1%

jim mcwethy

Clicks1

Impressions14

CTR7.1%

JBM Hospitality is a parent brand site, so the strongest story is quality of visibility and brand search accuracy rather than large traffic volume.

Technical SEO + Site Health

Search Visibility Starts With a Website That Works

Content and keywords are only part of SEO. I also pay attention to how efficiently a site loads, how stable the layout feels, how much work the browser performs, how resources are delivered, and whether the experience remains fast and usable across devices.

Technical performance gives search-focused content a stronger foundation while improving the experience for the people who actually use the site.

Performance Case Study

MPC Golf

A 100 Desktop Performance Score With Fast, Stable Rendering

The MPC Golf performance report shows a fast desktop experience across paint timing, visual completion, browser responsiveness, and layout stability. These lab measurements support a stronger technical foundation for both users and search-focused content.

100Desktop Performance

Technical Performance Metrics

0.6s

Largest Contentful Paint

How quickly the page’s largest visible content element renders. It helps evaluate when the main content feels available to the visitor.

0.5s

First Contentful Paint

How quickly the browser displays the first visible piece of page content after navigation begins.

0.5s

Speed Index

How quickly the visible area of the page fills in while the page loads.

0ms

Total Blocking Time

The time long main-thread tasks block the browser from responding efficiently during the measured loading period.

0

Cumulative Layout Shift

Measures visual stability. A zero result means the measured layout did not unexpectedly shift while loading.

LCP and CLS relate to current Core Web Vitals. FCP, Speed Index, and TBT are additional lab performance metrics. INP is not included in the supplied report and is not inferred here.

Beyond the Score

The deeper audit shows how resource delivery, image efficiency, browser workload, and layout behavior support the headline score.

Minified JavaScript and CSS
Efficiently encoded and properly sized images
Short initial server response
Controlled DOM and network payload
Low JavaScript execution time
Minimized main-thread work
Visible text during webfont loading
Reduced unused and duplicate JavaScript
Limited third-party blocking
Preloaded largest content image
Passive event listeners
No document.write usage

Performance Case Study

McWethy’s Sports Bar

97 Performance Score With Strong Technical Health Signals

McWethy’s Sports Bar gives the SEO page another technical performance example beyond organic search totals. The report shows a 97 performance score with strong loading, blocking, stability, and server response indicators, including a 1.0s Largest Contentful Paint, 0.5s First Contentful Paint, 80ms Total Blocking Time, and 0 Cumulative Layout Shift.

97Desktop Performance

Technical Performance Metrics

97

Performance Score

The overall desktop performance score shown in the supplied technical report.

1.0s

Largest Contentful Paint

How quickly the largest visible content element renders. The supplied report gives this metric a score of 95.

0.5s

First Contentful Paint

How quickly the first visible page content appears. The supplied report gives this metric a score of 100.

80ms

Total Blocking Time

A lab metric measuring time when long tasks block browser responsiveness. The supplied report gives this metric a score of 99.

0

Cumulative Layout Shift

Measures visual stability during loading. The supplied report gives this metric a score of 100.

50ms

Initial Server Response

The root document response time shown in the supplied technical audit.

LCP and CLS relate to current Core Web Vitals. FCP, Speed Index, and TBT are additional lab performance metrics. INP is not included in the supplied report and is not inferred here.

Technical SEO is not only about search terms. It also includes how quickly a page becomes usable, how stable the layout feels, how efficiently scripts run, and whether users can move through the site without performance friction.

Beyond the Score

The deeper audit shows how resource delivery, image efficiency, browser workload, and layout behavior support the headline score.

Avoid large layout shifts: 100
Avoid long main-thread tasks: 100
Avoid non-composited animations: 100
Avoid multiple page redirects: 100
Minify CSS: 100
Short initial server response: 100
JavaScript execution time: 100
Minimizes main-thread work: 100

Performance Case Study

Mistwood Golf Dome

97 Performance Score for a High-Volume Seasonal Golf Site

Mistwood Golf Dome adds a technical SEO example for a seasonal website that also carries strong organic search volume. The performance report shows a 97 score with strong loading, blocking, script, server response, and usability indicators. This supports the larger SEO story: search visibility matters more when the website experience is fast, stable, and easy to use.

97Desktop Performance

Technical Performance Metrics

97

Performance Score

The overall desktop performance score shown in the supplied technical report.

0.6s

Largest Contentful Paint

How quickly the largest visible content element renders in the measured loading experience.

0.5s

First Contentful Paint

How quickly the first visible page content appears after navigation begins.

0.5s

Speed Index

How quickly the visible area of the page fills in during the lab test.

0ms

Total Blocking Time

A lab metric measuring time when long tasks block browser responsiveness.

20ms

Initial Server Response

The root document response time shown in the supplied technical audit.

0.0s

JavaScript Execution Time

The script execution time recorded in the supplied technical audit.

0.3s

Main-Thread Work

The measured browser main-thread workload shown in the audit.

933 KiB

Network Payload

The total network payload recorded in the supplied technical audit.

LCP and CLS relate to current Core Web Vitals. FCP, Speed Index, and TBT are additional lab performance metrics. INP is not included in the supplied report and is not inferred here.

Beyond the Score

The deeper audit shows how resource delivery, image efficiency, browser workload, and layout behavior support the headline score.

Third-party resource facades: 100
LCP image was not lazily loaded: 100
Avoid long main-thread tasks: 100
Avoid non-composited animations: 100
Reduce unused JavaScript: 100
Avoid chaining critical requests: 100
Minimize third-party usage: 100
Passive scrolling listeners: 100
No document.write usage: 100
Explicit image dimensions: 100
Viewport meta tag: 100
Preloaded LCP image: 100
Defer offscreen images: 100
Efficient static asset cache policy: 100
Visible text during webfont loads: 100

Technical Infrastructure

Domain, DNS & Email Infrastructure

Search visibility is only one part of keeping a website healthy. I also manage the infrastructure connecting domains, websites and business email — from registration and DNS routing to email authentication, propagation checks and troubleshooting.

Domain Management

domain registrationdomain transfersregistrar managementnameserver managementDNS hostingdomain verificationrenewal managementdomain connection troubleshootingserver/IP routingsuccessful website/domain migrationspropagation verificationdomain health checks
DOMAIN↓
NAMESERVERS↓
DNS↓
SERVER / SERVICE

DNS Health + Propagation

global DNS propagation checksresolving records across geographic locationsTTL awarenessnameserver verificationconflicting DNS recordsstale DNS recordsincorrect IP routingbroken CNAME relationshipsMX routing issuesTXT verification failuresDNS changes during hosting migrations
CHANGE RECORD↓
VERIFY AUTHORITATIVE DNS↓
CHECK PROPAGATION↓
TEST DESTINATION↓
CONFIRM RESOLUTION

DNS Record Management

A RECORD

Domain → IPv4 server address

AAAA

Domain → IPv6 address

CNAME

Alias → canonical hostname

MX

Email routing

TXT

Verification / authentication / service configuration

SPF

Authorized email senders

DKIM

Cryptographic email signing

DMARC

Authentication policy + reporting

Email Authentication

SPFauthorized sending sources
DKIMdomain-signed outbound email
DMARCauthentication policy, alignment and reporting
domain reputation checksdomain/IP blocklist checksauthentication-result testingemail deliverability troubleshootingmail routing verificationmailbox healthsender authentication

Business Email Administration

mailbox creation and managementwebmail administrationIMAP configurationSMTP configurationSSL/TLS-secured IMAP/SMTPtroubleshooting legacy non-SSL configurations when requiredApple Mail setupOutlook setupiPhone mail setupincoming/outgoing server settingsport configurationauthentication troubleshootingsignaturesconnection testingaccount migrations
DOMAIN↓
MX↓
MAIL SERVER↓
IMAP / SMTP↓
OUTLOOK • APPLE MAIL • MOBILE • WEBMAIL

Technical Troubleshooting Examples

WEBSITE IS NOT RESOLVING

CHECK:domain registration↓nameservers↓A/CNAME records↓target IP/server↓DNS propagation↓SSL↓final browser test

EMAIL IS LANDING IN SPAM

CHECK:MX↓SPF↓DKIM↓DMARC↓domain reputation↓blocklists↓message authentication results

Technical Skill Tags

Technical SEODomain ManagementDNS ManagementDomain RegistrationDomain TransfersNameserversDNS PropagationA RecordsCNAMEMX RecordsTXT RecordsSPFDKIMDMARCEmail AuthenticationEmail DeliverabilityDomain ReputationBlocklist MonitoringIMAPSMTPSSL/TLSWebmail AdministrationEmail ConfigurationHosting MigrationTechnical Troubleshooting

My SEO Process

How I Build Search Visibility

01

Search + Business Discovery

Understand the business, audience, locations, services, conversion goals, competitors, and searches that matter to the customer journey.

02

Technical + Indexing Review

Review crawlability, indexing, page structure, redirects, performance, mobile usability, technical issues, and search-engine access.

03

Search Intent Mapping

Connect important search themes to the right pages instead of forcing every keyword onto one page.

04

Architecture + Internal Linking

Build clear navigation, page hierarchy, contextual links, and content relationships for visitors and search engines.

05

On-Page Optimization

Improve titles, headings, page copy, metadata, image context, URLs, calls to action, and content structure around relevant intent.

06

Local + Content Optimization

Strengthen location relevance, service information, useful supporting content, and local search context where it supports the business.

07

Performance + Experience

Review mobile behavior, page speed, layout stability, image delivery, scripts, and factors that affect the user experience.

08

Measure + Improve

Use Search Console and analytics to monitor clicks, impressions, CTR, pages, queries, search position, technical health, and next opportunities.

Website architecture, responsive UX, WordPress development, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript all overlap with technical search work. See how that execution connects on my Website Development page.

BE EASIER TO FIND

READY TO TURN SEARCH VISIBILITY INTO REAL OPPORTUNITY?

TALK SEO WITH DONALD