How I Ranked #3 for “Penny Stocks” (150K Searches/Month)

How I Ranked #3 for “Penny Stocks” in One of Finance’s Most Competitive Niches (And What This Means for Real Estate Agents & Other High Value Industries)

In November 2018, I was brought in to fix SEO for Timothy Sykes, a financial mentor and company doing millions in annual revenue.

They had one massive problem: They were stuck at #23 (page 3) for “penny stocks” – their most important keyword. 150,000 monthly searches. Ultra-competitive. Dominated by sites like Investopedia (DA 92), NerdWallet (DA 91), and The Motley Fool (DA 89).

Neil Patel’s team had been helping as a favor, but the needle wasn’t moving. The company needed someone who could diagnose structural problems, not just publish more content.

I moved them from #23 to #3 in 5 months.

Here’s exactly how I did it – and why the same problem is costing real estate agents page 1 rankings right now.

The Problem: Google Was Confused (And That Was the Tell)

When I started tracking their rankings, something interesting was happening.

They weren’t just stuck at #23. Google was rotating 3-4 different URLs from the same domain into that position.

One day it would be their blog post about penny stocks. The next day, their comprehensive guide. Then their “how to trade penny stocks” tutorial. Then another related page.

That rotation was the tell.

When Google can’t decide which page from your site deserves to rank, it means your site itself doesn’t know. And if your site doesn’t know, Google definitely doesn’t know.

Most SEO consultants would have looked at this situation and recommended:

• Write a longer, more comprehensive guide
• Build more backlinks
• Add more keywords to the content
• Create more supporting content

All of that would have been wrong.

The Diagnosis: What Most SEOs Would Have Missed

I ran a comprehensive site audit and found the core issue: severe keyword cannibalization.

There were multiple internal links across the site, all using “penny stocks” as anchor text, pointing to 3-4 different URLs:

• An older blog post from a few years back
• A comprehensive “what are penny stocks” guide
• A “how to trade penny stocks” tutorial
• Several other partially relevant pages

From Google’s perspective, the site didn’t know which page should own “penny stocks.” So Google didn’t know either.

This wasn’t a content problem. It wasn’t a backlink problem.

It was an architecture and internal linking failure.

The Solution: Decisive Technical SEO (Not Busywork)

Here’s what I did:

Step 1: Identified the single correct URL

I analyzed search intent for “penny stocks” and determined which existing page best matched what users were actually looking for. In this case, it was their comprehensive guide.

Step 2: Consolidated competing content

I took 3-4 related penny stocks posts and either:

• 301-redirected them to the primary target page (consolidating all historical authority)
• Updated them to focus on more specific, non-competing angles

Step 3: Updated internal links sitewide

I went through the entire site and updated every internal link using “penny stocks” anchor text to point to the single target URL. No more confusion.

Step 4: Reframed the target page to match dominant search intent

I adjusted the target page’s structure and content to better align with what Google’s top-ranking pages were providing.

This was decisive technical and strategic SEO, not busywork.

The Results: From #23 to #3 in 5 Months

Here’s my actual ranking tracking data from the project:

Phase 1: On-Site Fixes Alone (Months 1-3)

After implementing the internal linking and architecture changes:

• November 2018: Started at #23 (page 3)
• December 2018: Jumped to #15 (+8 positions)
• February 2019: Reached #14

This happened in roughly 3 months with no heavy link building.

That movement alone proved the diagnosis was correct. I removed friction, and Google responded immediately.

Phase 2: Strategic Backlink Acquisition (Months 4-5)

Once the site stabilized and Google clearly understood which page should rank:

• March 2019: Broke onto page 1 at #6
• April 2019: Reached #4
• May 2019: Peak position #3

Phase 3: Sustained Performance (Months 6+)

• Maintained #3-7 range on page 1
• Most common position: #4-5
• Held for 2+ years while I was managing the account

The Traffic Value

At position #4 for “penny stocks”:

• • 150,000 searches/month
  • ~3% CTR = 4,500 clicks/month

• At $10 CPC (conservative for finance) = $45,000/month in traffic value
• Annual value: $540,000

What Happened After I Left

The rankings held for 3’ish years while I was there. In 2021, they decided to go with a cheaper overseas agency.

The rankings decayed.

That’s not a criticism of the agency or anyone who worked on it later – it just proves that this level of SEO requires ongoing strategic maintenance, not just initial setup.

You can’t just “set it and forget it.” Rankings at this level require:

• Ongoing monitoring of internal linking as new content is published
• Consistent intent alignment as search behavior evolves
• Strategic thinking about architecture changes
• Someone who understands the diagnosis, not just the tactics

Why This Matters for Real Estate Agents

If you’re a real estate agent struggling to rank for your key terms – “luxury homes [city],” “homes for sale [neighborhood],” or “[city] real estate” – there’s a good chance you have the same problem this finance site had.

Common Real Estate Cannibalization Issues

Problem 1: Multiple pages targeting the same keyword

You have a “Homes for Sale in Newport Beach” landing page. You also have a blog post titled “Newport Beach Real Estate Guide.” Plus a neighborhood overview page. And an old IDX page still indexed.

Google doesn’t know which one to rank, so it ranks none of them well.

Problem 2: Inconsistent internal linking

Your homepage links to one page. Your blog links to a different page. Your navigation points to yet another page.

Google sees conflicting signals and gets confused.

Problem 3: Old content competing with new content

You wrote a “Best Neighborhoods in [City]” post in 2019. You created a better version in 2024. But the old one is still indexed and internally linked.

Now both are competing, and neither ranks well.

The Good News: This is Easier to Fix in Real Estate

This is actually easier to fix in real estate than it was in finance.

Why?

• Real estate sites are typically smaller (fewer pages to audit)
• The competition, while tough, isn’t Investopedia-level
• The fixes are straightforward once you know what to look for
• Results come faster (often 60-90 days vs. 4-6 months)

The Process

1. Audit your site for cannibalization (using tools like Screaming Frog + Google Search Console)
2. Identify the single best page for each target keyword
3. Redirect or consolidate competing pages
4. Update all internal links to point to the target page
5. Monitor rankings and adjust

This is exactly what I do in the first 30 days when I work with a new client.

The Honest Assessment: This Wasn’t Magic

This wasn’t a lucky win. It also wasn’t magic backlinks or content volume.

It was:

• Correct diagnosis of a hidden structural issue
• Willingness to clean up legacy mess instead of publishing more noise
• Understanding how Google interprets internal signals at scale

Most SEOs would have written another “Ultimate Guide to Penny Stocks” and called it a day.

I fixed the thing that actually mattered.

The Real Lesson

More content isn’t always the answer. More backlinks aren’t always the answer.

Sometimes the answer is: Stop confusing Google.

Make it crystal clear which page should rank for which keyword. Consolidate your authority. Remove friction.

Then – and only then – add content and backlinks.

This is the approach I bring to every client engagement, whether you’re in finance, real estate, or any other competitive industry.

Is Your Real Estate Website Confusing Google Right Now?

If you’re stuck on page 2 or 3 for your key terms, there’s a good chance you have the same cannibalization issues I found with this finance site.

The frustrating part? You might be creating great content, building backlinks, and doing everything “right” – but still not ranking because of hidden structural problems.

Here’s How to Find Out

I offer a comprehensive SEO Audit & Strategy for $1,500 where I:

• Audit your entire site for cannibalization and technical issues
• Analyze your top 3 competitors in your market
• Identify your biggest keyword opportunities
• Diagnose exactly what’s holding you back from page 1
• Create a 90-day action plan with specific priorities
• Walk you through everything in a 90-minute strategy call

If you decide to move forward with full implementation, the $1,500 is credited toward your first month.

If you don’t move forward, you still have a comprehensive roadmap you can implement yourself or hand to another consultant.

I work exclusively with agents doing $20M+ in annual volume. If that’s you, and you’re serious about owning page 1 in your market, let’s talk.

Get Your $1,500 SEO Audit →

Currently accepting 1 new client per quarter. 

About the Author: Jeff Lenney has 15+ years of enterprise SEO experience. He’s worked with 8-9 figure businesses in highly competitive markets and currently serves as Enterprise SEO Manager at Delta Defense. Contact Jeff to discuss your real estate SEO needs.