Asbestos.com — Organic Summary: February 2026¶
Executive Summary¶
- Google organic traffic (GA4) increased 9% MoM (74,573 sessions in Feb vs. 68,610 in Jan), reversing the 1% decline from January. Non-paid traffic (organic + direct) also rose, with direct sessions up 13% MoM (465,792 vs. 411,841).
- GSC clicks totaled 62,371 over the trailing 28 days with an average position of 5.8 and CTR of 0.66%. Clicks trended upward throughout the month, with the strongest performance in the Feb 17–26 window.
- All-traffic MQLs were up 11% MoM (312 in Feb vs. 279 in Jan). SQLs were up 27% (28 in Feb vs. 22 in Jan). The biggest MQL driver continues to be Mesothelioma Packet (144 MQLs, +31% MoM).
- Key ranking wins include stage 4 lung cancer (moved from pos 3.6 → 2.1) and asbestos insulation (pos 3 → 2). The J&J talc verdict news drove a traffic surge to product pages.
- In March, our focus remains on on-page entity optimization testing, CRO improvements to the legal hero modal, and expanding the "Best Of" content strategy to treatment and doctor pages.
Sales Funnel Performance¶
MQL volume increased across nearly all service lines in February. The largest gains came from Mesothelioma Packet (+34 MQLs MoM) and General Inquiry (+12 MQLs MoM). SQL volume also improved.
All-Traffic MQL Volume MoM
| Service | Jan | Feb | Difference | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesothelioma Packet | 110 | 144 | +34 | +30.9% |
| Nutrition Guide | 45 | 37 | -8 | -17.8% |
| Financial Assistance | 41 | 45 | +4 | +9.8% |
| General Inquiry | 22 | 34 | +12 | +54.5% |
| Legal Assistance | 21 | 19 | -2 | -9.5% |
| Doctor Match | 13 | 14 | +1 | +7.7% |
| Webinar | 7 | 11 | +4 | +57.1% |
| Veteran Assistance | 1 | 2 | +1 | +100.0% |
| Total MQLs | 279 | 312 | +33 | +11.8% |
All-Traffic SQL Volume MoM
| Service | Jan | Feb | Difference | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesothelioma Packet | 6 | 9 | +3 | +50.0% |
| Financial Assistance | 4 | 8 | +4 | +100.0% |
| Doctor Match | 3 | 4 | +1 | +33.3% |
| Legal Assistance | 2 | 3 | +1 | +50.0% |
| Nutrition Guide | 3 | 0 | -3 | -100.0% |
| General Inquiry | 2 | 1 | -1 | -50.0% |
| Webinar | 0 | 2 | +2 | N/A |
| Veteran Assistance | 0 | 1 | +1 | N/A |
| Total SQLs | 22 | 28 | +6 | +27.3% |
Note: Lead/MQL/SQL events are tracked server-side and include all traffic sources. Non-paid breakdowns require CRM cross-referencing.
Traffic¶
Google organic traffic (GA4) increased 9% MoM — 74,573 organic sessions in February vs. 68,610 in January. This is a notable recovery from the January decline and represents the strongest organic month since November 2025.
Key organic session metrics (GA4, Feb 2026): * Sessions: 74,573 (+8.7% MoM) * Users: 61,150 (+8.7% MoM) * Pageviews: 89,682 (+5.6% MoM) * Engagement rate: 79.4% * Avg. session duration: 3m 54s
Google Organic Traffic by Site Section (GSC Clicks, Feb vs. Jan)¶
- Asbestos (/asbestos): Up ~8%. /asbestos/ saw +183 clicks (+8.4%). Position improved from 5.0 → 4.8. "What is asbestos" clicks rose 18%.
- Mesothelioma (/mesothelioma): Stable to slightly up. /mesothelioma/worldwide/ was the biggest gainer (+338 clicks, +68%), driven by international news coverage. /mesothelioma/ main page saw a modest +3.9% increase in clicks.
- Treatment (/treatment): Mixed. /treatment/cancer-centers/high-tech-centers/ surged +47%, and /treatment/alternative/herbal-medicine/ gained +34%. However, /treatment/nutrition/lung-healthy-foods/ dipped -13%.
- Legal (/mesothelioma-lawyer): Stable. The legal section's combined February clicks totaled ~1,290. The main /mesothelioma-lawyer/ page saw 83 clicks with an avg. position of 18.4, indicating continued SERP volatility for head terms.
- Veterans (/veterans): Stable. /veterans/top-cities-veteran-health-care/ was the standout with 502 clicks. "Veterans affairs benefit changes" emerged as a new query driving 64 clicks.
Biggest Page Winners (GSC MoM)¶
| Page | Jan Clicks | Feb Clicks | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| /cancer/lung-cancer/stage-4/ | 3,321 | 4,860 | +1,539 | +46.3% |
| /products/makeup/ | 1,006 | 1,571 | +565 | +56.2% |
| /companies/johnson-johnson/ | 321 | 809 | +488 | +152.0% |
| /cancer/state-cancer-rates/ | 2,605 | 3,063 | +458 | +17.6% |
| /mesothelioma/worldwide/ | 498 | 836 | +338 | +67.9% |
| /world-trade-center/ | 302 | 519 | +217 | +71.9% |
The J&J verdict news on 2/18 ("Jury: J&J Liable for Talc Baby Powder-Linked Ovarian Cancer") drove a significant traffic spike to product-related pages — /products/makeup/ (+56%), /products/talcum-powder/ (+50%), /products/cigarette-filters/ (+60%), and /companies/johnson-johnson/ (+152%). The news article itself generated 319 clicks from zero. The Vanderbilt Minerals bankruptcy filing (2/23) also contributed 94 clicks.
Biggest Page Declines (GSC MoM)¶
| Page | Jan Clicks | Feb Clicks | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| /exposure/home/ | 3,194 | 2,495 | -699 | -21.9% |
| /exposure/short-term/ | 6,282 | 5,855 | -427 | -6.8% |
| /treatment/nutrition/lung-healthy-foods/ | 2,173 | 1,899 | -274 | -12.6% |
| /mesothelioma/related-diseases/ | 818 | 596 | -222 | -27.1% |
| /blog/2023/04/03/movies-used-toxic-asbestos/ | 694 | 530 | -164 | -23.6% |
The /exposure/home/ decline (-22%) is the most notable drop — this page answers "what does asbestos look like" queries. Despite position improving from 6.5 → 5.2, click volume dropped, suggesting increased SERP competition or AIO displacement for this query.
Rankings (Ahrefs, Feb 17 Snapshot)¶
Domain Rating: 79 (stable) Organic Keywords (US): 12,078 Keywords in Top 1–3: 4,379 Estimated Organic Traffic: 98,404 Estimated Organic Traffic Value: $1,182,207
Key Keyword Positions¶
| Keyword | Position | Volume | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| best mesothelioma lawyers near me | 1 | 22,000 | /mesothelioma-lawyer/ |
| mesothelioma class action lawsuit | 1 | 1,200 | /mesothelioma-lawyer/class-action-lawsuit/ |
| mesothelioma claims | 1 | 1,200 | /mesothelioma-lawyer/claims/ |
| mesothelioma life expectancy | 1 | 1,800 | /mesothelioma/life-expectancy/ |
| what is asbestos | 1 | 29,000 | /asbestos/ |
| asbestos insulation | 1 | 10,000 | /products/insulation/ |
| how to identify asbestos | 1 | 700 | /exposure/home/ |
| compensation mesothelioma | 1 | 1,000 | /mesothelioma-lawyer/compensation/trust-fund/ |
| best mesothelioma attorneys | 1 | 1,600 | /mesothelioma-lawyer/ |
| top mesothelioma lawyers | 1 | 2,400 | /mesothelioma-lawyer/ |
| dallas mesothelioma lawyer | 1 | 1,400 | /mesothelioma-lawyer/texas/dallas/ |
| lawsuit mesothelioma | 1 | 900 | /mesothelioma-lawyer/lawsuit/ |
| asbestos removal | 2 | 6,000 | /exposure/handling-disposing-asbestos/ |
| mesothelioma chemotherapy | 2 | 1,400 | /treatment/chemotherapy/ |
| sarcomatoid mesothelioma | 2 | 1,300 | /mesothelioma/malignant-sarcomatoid/ |
| mesothelioma settlements | 2 | 900 | /mesothelioma-lawyer/settlements/ |
| mesothelioma litigation | 2 | 1,100 | /mesothelioma-lawyer/lawsuit/ |
| mesothelioma lawyers | 4 | 4,300 | /mesothelioma-lawyer/ |
| mesothelioma treatment | 4 | 7,300 | /treatment/ |
| asbestos tile | 4 | 6,300 | /products/flooring/ |
| mesothelioma | 5 | 58,000 | /mesothelioma/ |
| mesothelioma symptoms | 5 | 6,900 | /mesothelioma/symptoms/ |
| mesothelioma law firm | 5 | 6,400 | /mesothelioma-lawyer/ |
| asbestos exposure | 5 | 13,000 | /exposure/ |
| what does asbestos look like | 5 | 12,000 | /exposure/home/ |
| asbestos | 7 | 204,000 | /asbestos/ |
Winners (GSC Position Gains MoM)¶
- stage 4 lung cancer: Position 3.6 → 2.1 (+1.5 positions); clicks nearly doubled (+91%)
- stage 4 lung cancer survival rate: Position 5.1 → 3.2 (+1.9); clicks +180%
- asbestos insulation: Position 3.0 → 2.0 (+1.0); clicks +45%
- what is asbestos: Position 3.4 → 2.5 (+1.0); clicks +18%
- asbestos in makeup: Position 5.7 → 2.7 (+3.0); clicks +178%
- stage 4 lung cancer life expectancy: Position 4.6 → 1.6 (+3.0); clicks +38%
- how dangerous is asbestos: Position 3.4 → 2.0 (+1.4); clicks +44%
- cancer rates by state: Position 2.9 → 1.5 (+1.4); clicks +81%
Losers (GSC Position Declines MoM)¶
- best mesothelioma lawyers near me: Position 6.8 → 6.7 (stable) but clicks dropped -71% (491 → 142) — likely seasonal/SERP layout change
- tremolite asbestos: Position stable at 1.6–1.7 but clicks -53% — trending news from Q4 has subsided
- mesothelioma insurance claims: Position 1.0 → 1.4 (-0.4); clicks -58%
- best mesothelioma insurance policy: Position 1.1 → 1.0 but clicks -65%
- pleural plaques: Position 2.1 → 1.6 (improved) but clicks -34% — possible impression/demand decline
What's Working¶
- News-driven traffic capture: The J&J talc verdict and Vanderbilt bankruptcy articles generated 400+ clicks from zero and amplified traffic to related product pages by 50–150%. Our news publishing speed is a clear competitive advantage.
- Stage 4 lung cancer content: This page has become our second-highest click page, nearly doubling MoM. Position improvements across multiple stage-4-related queries suggest strong topical authority gains.
- Informational asbestos queries: "What is asbestos," "how dangerous is asbestos," and "asbestos insulation" all saw meaningful position and click improvements — our /asbestos/ hub continues to strengthen.
- MQL pipeline recovering: Total MQLs up 11% and SQLs up 27% MoM — a positive reversal from the January conversion dip.
What's Not Working¶
- "Best mesothelioma lawyers near me" volatility: Despite holding position ~6.7, clicks dropped 71%. This high-value query is being impacted by SERP layout changes (more sponsored results, local pack variations). We need to monitor whether this is a seasonal blip or structural shift.
- /exposure/home/ declining: This was our #2 traffic page in January but dropped 22% in February. The query "what does asbestos look like" is seeing more AIO/featured snippet competition. On-page optimization needed.
- Legal section CTR remains low: The main /mesothelioma-lawyer/ page has an avg. position of 18.4 and 0.11% CTR. While secondary legal pages perform better, the main legal landing page continues to struggle for head terms.
- Nutrition Guide MQLs down: After being a consistent MQL contributor, Nutrition Guide MQLs dropped 18% MoM (45 → 37). The /treatment/nutrition/lung-healthy-foods/ traffic decline is likely a contributing factor.
In-Progress Projects / Projects on the Horizon¶
- Best Of Strategy: Reworking treatment and doctors pages with a "best of" approach — unique data, methodology, and differentiated design/layout.
- Entity Optimization Testing: Targeted on-page tests to improve entity recognition and ranking stability for key terms.
- AIO Testing: Continued testing to improve citation rate in AI Overviews — monitoring the impact of Google's new AI Mode on click-through.
- CRO Improvements: Focused on improving conversion rate from the legal hero modal, inline CTA testing.
- Pop-Up Slider Test: Launched ~Feb 18 — results pending.
- Local Legal Content Expansion: Rolling out 5 city-level legal pages.
- Product Page Updates: Capitalizing on talc/J&J news momentum with content freshness updates.
- Nemeroff SEO Improvements
- Backpage Design & Component Standardization
- Social/Branding Expansion (Behind the Scenes videos, forum engagement)
- YouTube Channel & Video Expansion/Optimization
- Asbestos.com Podcast
- Image Audit