Learn from a Shark Tank-Featured Company's Winning SEO

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by.  Welcome to The Weekly Click by Adogy, where we dive into expert tips and tricks by analyzing websites to uncover actionable takeaways that could help them rank better at the top of search results.

The newsletter is written by Kate Shaw, the VP of Digital Strategy for Adogy. She has worked alongside a variety of businesses, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, to help equip them to significantly increase their organic visibility and establish their voice as thought leaders within their industries.

Do you have questions about SEO or want your website to be featured in an upcoming review? I’d love to help. Contact me today, and let’s discuss how we can enhance your online presence together.

Who is LARQ, and Why Did We Analyze Their Site?

LARQ (livelarq.com) registered its domain in 2018 and gained significant exposure after appearing on ABC's SharkTank in 2021. Since 2019, it has grown from 400 referring domains to an impressive 2,200 referring domains today, with backlinks from prestigious sources like Harvard, TechCrunch, USAToday, and Inc.

They operate in the convenient and sustainable hydration solutions market, which is experiencing substantial growth. The self-cleaning bottle market is expected to reach US$ 145 million in 2023 and grow at a CAGR of 6.6% to reach US$ 274.75 million by 2033. While everyone needs water, making this market scalable, high price points and ongoing filter replacement costs remain barriers to wider adoption.

In this week's analysis, I analyze LARQ's website, which receives approximately 50,000 monthly visitors, according to Ahrefs. The site was rated one of the top e-commerce websites in 2024 for a good reason.

This is what I cover in this report:

  • Website overview

  • Major highlights

  • Competitor overview

  • Easy wins to increase revenue and/or traffic

  • Actionable takeaways you can apply

Let’s get into it.

How I collect the data: I do not have access to direct Google Analytics accounts and earnings. To collect data and information, I only use tools such as Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz, and my personal experience to provide the report.

This is just a little about Adogy; feel free to click here to skip ahead for more details about LARQ’s success!

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LARQ’s Website Overview & First Thoughts

LARQ's traffic profile shows interesting patterns, with over 60% of their 50k organic traffic coming from branded searches. This suggests strong brand recognition but also indicates room for growth in non-branded traffic. They've created a separate publication subdomain (basq.livelarq.com) that pulls in about 10,000 monthly visitors from diverse topics ranging from interior design to tap water safety.

Their backlink strategy is particularly interesting. Many of their high-quality backlinks come from deal affiliate pages, gift guides, and special occasion recommendations. The $95 price point for their bottles makes them an attractive affiliate product for major publishers - after all, a 25% commission on a $95 sale is much more appealing than the same percentage on a $10 product.

The website design deserves its high ratings. They effectively use reviews, testimonials, and smart product naming to build trust and encourage purchases. The content targets a more upscale audience, particularly through their basq subdomain.

Highlights

  • Strong brand recognition with 60%+ branded search traffic

  • High-value backlinks from major publications

  • Smart use of affiliate marketing through gift guides

  • Separate content hub targeting lifestyle audiences

  • Award-winning website design and user experience

Why is this site winning?

LARQ has successfully positioned itself as a premium brand in the water bottle market. Their marketing strategy combines high-end positioning with practical sustainability messaging. The SharkTank appearance gave them initial momentum, but they've maintained growth through smart digital PR and content strategy.

Top 3 competitors

  • Brita.com (2,385 common keywords) - Traditional household water filtration

  • Lifestraw.com (1,857 common keywords) - Diverse water filtration solutions

  • Homewater.com (1,664 common keywords) - Built-in water filtration systems

🚀 4 Easy Wins to Grow This Site

  1. Increase depth of content

  2. Add experts to content

  3. Strategic affiliate marketing

  4. Clear branding for Basq (sub-domain publication)

Win 1: Increase depth of content

While their content targets good keywords, it often lacks comprehensive coverage. For instance, their article "Is Brisbane, Australia Tap Water Safe To Drink?" is just 1,000 words long. This topic could convert well with travelers, but it needs more depth to fully address user concerns and rank better.

Takeaway: Focus on being comprehensive rather than just hitting word counts. When topics can lead to sales, they deserve thorough coverage.

Win 2: Add experts to content

Currently, blog posts lack author attribution. Their technology team likely includes water treatment experts who could review and author content, adding credibility and trust.

Takeaway: Showcasing in-house expertise can differentiate content and build trust with potential customers.

Win 3: Gray-hat affiliate marketing

Keywords like "cirkul water bottle" (88k monthly searches) and "water dispenser" (70k searches) represent valuable opportunities. By creating product comparison pages that feature competitor products, LARQ can attract people searching for these alternatives and introduce them to LARQ as an option. A banner could appear for added impact when users hover over competitor affiliate links, asking, "Are you sure you don't want to use LARQ?" This subtle nudge encourages visitors to consider LARQ before leaving, potentially turning competitor interest into LARQ sales.

With the same schema as a product page, Google will rank your pages similarly to a Target or Walmart website.

Takeaway: Smart affiliate marketing can turn competitor searches into sales opportunities. Plus, you can earn commission if they don’t buy from you.

Win 4: Clear ‘about us’ info for Basq

The basq publication needs clearer LARQ branding. Adding "Official Publication of LARQ" to the sidebar or footer of each blog post would build trust and create stronger brand association.

Takeaway: Being transparent about brand ownership can increase trust and conversion potential. Also, users want to know WHO you are.

Takeaways to Strengthen Your Website

  • Target high-value keywords with comprehensive content

  • Add expert authorship to build credibility

  • Use competitor keywords strategically

  • Be transparent about brand ownership in content

  • Focus on depth over length in content

  • Consider affiliate marketing as a traffic source