Case Study: How Solarity Credit Union Achieved SEO Success with Chimney Calculators

Solarity Credit Union set out to enhance its digital presence and attract more qualified mortgage leads through SEO-driven content marketing. By leveraging Chimney’s interactive financial calculators and implementing strategic optimizations, Solarity successfully climbed to the 5th result on Google’s first page for high-intent search terms like “Mortgage Calculator Washington State.”

This case study explores the tactics they used and how other credit union digital marketers can replicate their success.

Challenge

As a Washington-based credit union, Solarity wanted to capture local mortgage search traffic while competing with national lenders and aggregators like Bankrate and Zillow. They needed a strategy to:

• Improve SEO rankings for mortgage-related searches.
• Drive qualified traffic to their website.
• Increase member engagement with localized tools.
• Generate mortgage leads through their website.

With search engine algorithms prioritizing relevance and local intent, Solarity recognized an opportunity to optimize their online calculators and create hyper-relevant content tailored to Washington state homebuyers.

Solution

1. Leveraging Chimney’s Financial Calculators

Solarity embedded Chimney’s mortgage calculator into their website, offering an interactive tool for users to estimate loan payments. Unlike static content, Chimney’s calculators provide real-time, personalized results—improving user engagement and dwell time, key factors for SEO ranking.

2. Optimizing for Local Search Terms

Instead of using a generic title like “Mortgage Calculator”, Solarity localized the page title to “Mortgage Calculator Washington State.” This simple but powerful change aligned with search intent, allowing them to rank higher for geo-specific queries.

Additional localization tactics included:

• Updating meta descriptions and header tags to include Washington-specific keywords.
• Using structured data (Schema Markup) to help Google better understand the page content.
• Internally linking the calculator to other local mortgage resources on their site.

3. Tracking Performance with SEO Tools

Solarity used SEMrush to monitor keyword rankings and traffic changes. According to the SEMrush Organic Research Report​, their mortgage calculator page saw:

• 71 keywords driving traffic to the site.
• An increase in search volume for Washington-based mortgage terms.
• A top 5 ranking for the search term “mortgage calculator Washington state”.

4. Increasing Organic Click-Through Rates (CTR)

To further enhance engagement, Solarity:

• Updated meta titles and descriptions to make them more compelling.
• Used FAQs and rich snippets to increase visibility in search results.
• Added clear CTAs on the calculator page, encouraging users to explore mortgage options.

Results

SEO Performance Gains

✅ Ranked #5 on Google’s First Page for “Mortgage Calculator Washington State”
✅ Increased Organic Traffic to the calculator page​
✅ More Visibility for Mortgage-Related Searches in Washington

User Engagement & Lead Generation

✅ Higher Click-Through Rates (CTR) for targeted mortgage queries
✅ Improved On-Site Engagement, leading to longer session durations
✅ Increased Mortgage Application Inquiries

Key Takeaways for Credit Union Digital Marketers

1. Localize Your Content for Higher Rankings

• Identify high-value keywords with local intent (e.g., “home loan calculator Washington”).
• Optimize page titles, headings, and meta descriptions accordingly.
• Use structured data markup to help search engines understand content.

2. Leverage Interactive Tools Like Chimney Calculators

• Engaging, interactive content improves SEO performance.
• Calculators encourage longer session times, reducing bounce rates.
• More time on-site signals relevance to Google’s algorithm.

3. Monitor and Optimize Regularly

• Use SEO tools like SEMrush to track keyword performance.
• Update content periodically to stay relevant.
• A/B test meta descriptions and CTAs to improve CTR and conversions.

Conclusion

Solarity Credit Union’s SEO success highlights how credit unions can compete with larger lenders using smart, localized digital marketing tactics. By leveraging Chimney’s calculators, optimizing for local search intent, and tracking performance, Solarity achieved first-page Google rankings and increased mortgage engagement.

Want to See More Calculator Strategies

Here is another article on Calculator Best Practices.