I’ve to confess that I did not begin with key phrase analysis. Firstly, as a result of I used to be simply writing about my journey experiences and did not assume loads about search engine optimisation. And secondly, I wasn’t very skilled again then. I used to be nonetheless a civil engineer and was simply beginning to get to know the search engine optimisation trade.
After a yr of running a blog with little site visitors, I made a decision to lastly conduct key phrase analysis — one thing I in all probability ought to have executed from the outset.
However it wasn’t straightforward. Because of COVID-19, no person was trying to find travel-related phrases. So, the search quantity in most search engine optimisation instruments was right down to zero. Many key phrases had been additionally lacking, with the one exception being “journey restrictions in XYZ.”
As an search engine optimisation supervisor, I needed to assume twice: Can I depend on this information? Is that this search quantity and key phrase set consultant of the longer term? As a result of there’ll come a time after we journey once more.
I made a decision to make use of the key phrases to generate a subject concept that I may deal with. However not closely depend on sure key phrases and their precise search quantity.
That is when I discovered the subject of Interrail. Considered one of my first massive journeys was touring Europe with Interrail, so the subject completely matched my previous travels. And I may nonetheless bear in mind all of the struggles we went by means of again then.
Interrail is a strategy to journey round Europe with a single practice ticket, however it may be extra complicated than it sounds. Each nation has completely different guidelines; some trains require additional reservations, and you have to be certain that a practice goes from level A to level B, all whereas making an attempt to decipher numerous completely different languages.
Since my weblog did not have a excessive Area Authority, my technique was to begin with long-tail key phrases, the place there can be much less competitors.
The primary article I needed to jot down was about routes you could possibly soak up Italy with Interrail. It might cowl about 5 completely different attainable plans for exploring Italy by practice. The primary key phrase for this text was “Interrail-Routen Italien” (German), which interprets to “Interrail routes Italy”.
It did not take lengthy to investigate the SERPs to seek out the primary issues I’d face:
With each key phrase round Interrail, the primary few outcomes had been pages from the corporate Interrail itself (the primary model). Then, there have been some common web sites about touring round Europe by practice. After that, there have been some well-established journey blogs that particularly centered on Interrail.
Each web site had a a lot greater Area Authority than mine did. My weblog had a Area Authority of round 2. And even much less. I hadn’t executed any hyperlink constructing and was simply beginning to get my weblog on the primary weblog directories in Austria and Germany, similar to Trusted Blogs and Blogheim.
Interrail is a well-established model and web site with a Area Authority of 66. The primary web sites rating for the phrases had a Area Authority of 30-40. Which sounds little, however in German-speaking nations, that is the usual for well-established websites.
On high of competing with excessive authority web sites, after I regarded on the key phrase “Interrail-Routen Italien,” I did not resonate with any of the top-ranking pages. I used to be in love with my thought of providing 5 attainable routes for anybody who needed to journey to Italy by practice, however I knew it was dangerous if nobody ranked for a key phrase like that.
I believed that perhaps my thought was too area of interest or perhaps the search intent wasn’t what I anticipated. Possibly I ought to follow what was working as an alternative of placing plenty of effort and time into one thing that may not repay.
I am unsure what I’d have really helpful to a shopper at the moment, perhaps to play it protected. However I’m my very own worst shopper, so I went for it anyway.
It turned out to be an incredible choice and the breakthrough my journey weblog wanted. It additionally modified my method to search engine optimisation ceaselessly.