The Client
A national mortgage lender with over 2,500 experts — and a brand new domain with zero authority.
Since 1986, PrimeLending has been helping neighbors and community members achieve their homeownership dreams. With over 2,500 dedicated mortgage experts, their team delivers the service, support, and guidance home buyers deserve throughout the entire loan process — from application to closing and beyond. Their dedication to clients never wavers. They will always be there to serve as the lending partner you can count on.
417 Marketing was first approached by Brian Chick, Senior Vice President and Midwest Regional Manager, to build a website for the Kansas City, Missouri region. He was also interested in SEO. The challenge was significant — a brand new domain, a competitive mortgage market, and an honest timeline of 12 months to reach page 1 of Google organic search results.
Kansas City, MO
Springfield, MO
Denver, CO
Dallas, TX
West Texas
Minneapolis, MN
Wichita, KS
Manhattan, KS
St. Cloud, MN
Brand new domain with zero authority — whyprimelendingkc.com had no existing SEO history, backlink profile, or search visibility to build from
Highly competitive mortgage market — ranking for mortgage-related keywords in Kansas City required going up against established national and regional lenders
Multiple KC offices to unify — needed to combine many separate offices of the KC region into a single cohesive domain and digital presence
Compliance and legal requirements — working in the mortgage industry requires all content and marketing to navigate strict compliance and legal review processes
The Solution
Website built. SEO launched. Page 1 in 8 months. Then the phone kept ringing.
01
Regional Website Build — Kansas City
Built whyprimelendingkc.com — a website that combined the many offices of the KC region into one unified domain. The site was designed to serve as the digital hub for PrimeLending’s entire Kansas City presence, built with SEO and conversion in mind from day one.
02
Technical On-Page SEO
Launched the SEO campaign focusing initially on technical on-page SEO — title tags, meta descriptions, header structures, and all the foundational elements that help search engines understand who PrimeLending is and what searches they should appear for.
03
High-Authority Backlink Building
Built high-authority backlinks to accelerate the domain’s authority growth — a critical component for a brand new domain competing in a highly competitive mortgage market against established regional and national lenders.
04
Custom Blog Content Strategy
Created and published custom blog content — unique, well-researched articles relevant to homebuyers in each region. Every post was reviewed through PrimeLending’s compliance and legal process before publication, demonstrating 417 Marketing’s ability to work within strict regulated-industry requirements.
05
Google Ads Campaign
PrimeLending was so impressed with the SEO results that they asked 417 Marketing to start a Google Ads campaign as well — adding paid search to the growing organic presence and producing a 2,458% return on ad spend.
06
Multi-Region Expansion
The results earned trust that led to expansion. PrimeLending asked 417 Marketing to replicate the same approach for Springfield MO, Denver, Dallas, West Texas, Minneapolis, Wichita, Manhattan KS, and St. Cloud MN — nearly 10 independent sites in total, each with its own SEO and content strategy.
The Results
Page 1 in 8 months. They’ve dominated it ever since.
95
Consistent page 1 rankings across high-value mortgage keywords in multiple competitive regional markets.
+112%
Year-over-year organic traffic growth driven by compounding SEO results and ongoing content production.
2,458%
For every $1 spent on Google Ads, PrimeLending generated $24.58 in revenue — one of the highest ROAS figures in our portfolio, achieved in a highly competitive financial services market.
- Page 1 rankings achieved at the 8-month mark — ahead of the 12-month timeline given to the client
- 95 keywords ranking on page 1 at Google.com across regional markets
- +112% year-over-year growth in organic traffic
- “Dominated page 1 results ever since” — per the live case study
- 2,458% return on ad spend — $24.58 generated for every $1 spent
- Paid search layered on top of growing organic presence for maximum SERP coverage
- High-intent mortgage buyers reached at precisely the right moment in the home buying journey
- Started with one Kansas City region — expanded to nearly 10 independent sites
- Springfield MO, Denver, Dallas, West Texas, Minneapolis, Wichita, Manhattan KS, St. Cloud MN
- Successfully navigated PrimeLending’s compliance and legal review process for all content
- Exceptionally detailed monthly reports — specifically called out in the client testimonial
“PrimeLending has used Nick Altrup and his team for almost 10 of our independent sites under our company umbrella. 417 Marketing works well with our compliance and legal team, creates unique material for our blogs, has quick response times to questions and is even happy to take a call with us when needed. The monthly reports are exceptionally detailed and provide the feedback we are looking for. Highly recommend!”
Alicia Zschoche
PrimeLending
Project Conclusion
Results earn trust. Trust earns the next nine sites.
The PrimeLending engagement is a masterclass in how good results compound. It started with an honest conversation — 417 Marketing told Brian Chick it would likely take 12 months to reach page 1. It happened in 8. That kind of performance earns trust. And that trust earned 417 Marketing the opportunity to replicate the same approach across nearly 10 independent regional sites spanning the country.
What makes this engagement particularly notable is the environment in which it operates. The mortgage industry has strict compliance and legal requirements for all marketing content. Alicia Zschoche’s testimonial specifically calls out 417 Marketing’s ability to work seamlessly with PrimeLending’s compliance and legal team — creating unique content, responding quickly, and delivering exceptionally detailed monthly reports. In a regulated industry, trust isn’t just earned through results. It’s earned through professionalism and process.
Brand new domain → page 1 at Google in 8 months, ahead of the 12-month estimate
95 keywords on page 1 · +112% YOY organic traffic · 2,458% ROAS
Expanded from Kansas City to nearly 10 independent regional sites
Full compliance with PrimeLending’s legal and compliance review requirements
Ongoing partnership across web design, SEO, Google Ads, and content
Work With Us
Operating in a regulated industry? We know how to work within the rules.
Compliance requirements, legal review, strict content standards — we’ve navigated all of it. Let’s talk about what’s possible for your business.