Stocktonia | Audience, SEO & Ad Strategy Overhaul
Client: Stocktonia, a nonprofit newsroom covering civic issues in Stockton, CA
Scope: Analytics audit, audience definition, SEO strategy, paid ads analysis, messaging recommendations
The Problem
Stocktonia produced strong journalism but lacked clarity across all critical performance levers:
Who their most engaged readers actually were
Which channels drove real engagement vs empty traffic
Which keywords were worth paying for
Which demographics and ZIP codes to target
Which messages performed—and why
Where ad spend was being wasted
They needed a full analytical teardown to replace guesswork with evidence.
What I Did
I rebuilt their digital understanding from the ground up using GA4, Meta Ads, Google Ads, and SparkToro.
Key workstreams included:
Acquisition + engagement audit (GA4)
Content + reader behavior analysis
Demographic + location segmentation
Meta Ads performance review (A/B analysis)
Google Ads keyword + search term optimization
SparkToro audience intelligence
Messaging + SEO recommendations
Key Insights
Newsbreak drove 33.76% of users; email + organic search had the strongest engagement.
Women 45–54 and 65+ were the most engaged readers across all channels.
Long-form investigative stories generated 10+ minutes of reading time.
“Stockton news today” CTR: 18.75% (top search term).
Direct, hyperlocal messaging beat all generic news phrasing.
Ad-driven users showed true on-site engagement, confirming keyword relevancy.
The Strategy
I delivered a unified audience, SEO, and messaging strategy built on behavioral data.
Core Positioning
Stocktonia is the most trusted, relevant, and easily discoverable source of local news for Stockton.
Prioritized Audience
Older adults 55+
Especially women 65+
Secondary: adults 45–54
GEO focus: 95211 / 95219 / 95207
Messaging Themes
Hyperlocal immediacy (“today,” “now,” “breaking”)
Value-first (“news with no paywall”)
Community-centered
Depth + credibility
Content + Paid Strategy
Prioritize breaking news, investigative reporting, public safety, accountability, and events.
Scale high-intent search keywords.
Remove low-intent terms.
Keep testing hybrid messaging: trust + timeliness + community relevance.
Impact
Clear, evidence-based audience definition replacing assumptions.
Focused SEO + keyword strategy with high-performing terms identified.
Stronger paid performance through refined targeting and messaging.
ZIP-code-level geographic clarity for campaigns.
Data-backed content priorities aligned with real reader behavior.
A roadmap for higher ROI and consistent digital growth.
My Role
I personally led all analytics, segmentation, messaging evaluation, and strategic recommendations. My approach stays the same across all clients:
Cut through noise, extract the signal, and turn data into direction.
