As part of our initiative to build a portfolio of niche sites, we conducted intensive research to identify promising niches with less competition and more traffic potential. The goal was to launch 30 niche sites within 30 days. Our expert teams achieved this, and we launched 30 niche sites with 5 to 10 content for each in a month.
One particular niche site that focuses on computer keyboards, saw tremendous growth within the very first year. After just 16 months, the site was generating over 2,800 visitors per month. Here are a few key details about the site:
Key Metrics
Domain Registered: 16 February, 2023
Domain Age: 11+ months
Total Contents: 111
Daily Traffic: 71+ (Avg of last 15 days)
Traffic in Last 3 Months: 7,093+
Traffic in Last 16 Months: 14,700+
Monetization: Not Applied Yet
This case study provides a detailed analysis of the specific strategies and milestones for this successful niche site. Tracking the site’s progress month-by-month illustrates how substantive keyword targeting and optimization can quickly grow a new site in a competitive space.
Niche Site Selection
When setting out to build a portfolio of niche sites, our team conducted extensive research to identify promising niches that are underserved but have high traffic potential.
We evaluated niches based on criteria including search volume, competition levels, non-commercial intent, and content depth opportunities. This led us to select a specific computer keyboard niche for one site.
Keyword Research
Comprehensive keyword research was the foundation for the rapid growth and success of this niche site. We drafted a list of search terms, and related seed keywords to conduct our research We leveraged both free tools like Google auto-complete, and related search, and paid tools like Ahrefs, and Semrush to build a list of over 500 target keyword opportunities.
We filtered these down to select 30 primary keywords to form the core of our initial site launch and content plan. We used criteria like low to medium competition, non-commercial intent, identifying keyword opportunities from a wide variety of sources and forums, etc.
Content Creation
In the first month, we created 5 authoritative, in-depth, SEO-friendly articles between 1500-2,500 words optimized specifically around our target keywords. Our in-house writing team focused on extensively covering every topic aspect through detailed guides and comparisons, adding relevant entities, and matching searcher intent.
All our content went through extensive scrutiny from our in-house editorial team. We focused on publishing thoroughly revised articles that are checked for quality, industry-standard formatting, and semantic optimization.
In total, after 11 months we had published 100+ meticulously-researched, semantically optimized pieces all centered around shaping the site’s informational core with SEO-friendly, intent-matching content that contains relevant entities.
Total Contents: 111
Content-Type: 33 Manual + 78 AI with Human Touch
Later we settled for 5 high-quality content publications on a monthly basis.
On-Page SEO Optimization
On-page optimization was a core focus for improving our keyword rankings on the keyboard niche site. We thoroughly optimized all on-page elements to ensure search engines could easily crawl, index, and understand our content.
Page Titles and Meta Descriptions – We crafted compelling, keyword-optimized titles and meta descriptions for every page.
URL Structure – We implemented a semantic, user-friendly URL structure using keywords where appropriate.
Headings – Heading tags (H1, H2, etc.) were incorporated to highlight important topics and improve scannability without over-optimization.
Image Alt Text – Alt text was added to all images to describe the content. We optimized with secondary keywords where relevant.
Internal Linking – We interlinked related content extensively using contextual anchor text for better crawling and establishing authority.
Structured Data – We implemented schema.org structured data for products, articles, and more. This enriched our snippets and enabled rich results.
Technical Audits – We continuously monitored site crawling and indexing with Search Console to quickly fix any technical SEO issues.
Result of First Month
Compared to that, in the last 28 days alone, we got over 2k traffic with 109k impressions.
Last 28 Days Traffic: 2,053+
Last 3 Months Traffic: 7,093+
Last 16 Months Traffic: 14,746+
First 3 Month Initial Results with Articles
In the initial 3 months after launching with our first 5 core content articles, we saw moderate growth in organic search based on our target keywords. Key metrics included:
- 10.6K impressions
- 325 total page views
- 3.1% Average CTR
This validated the quality of our initial keyword research and content. However, it was clear more content would be needed to improve rankings and drive more significant traffic growth.
Month 4-6 Results with 5 Additional Articles
In months 4-6, we published 5 more articles, bringing our total to 10. These new pieces expanded on our initial core content through related topics and keywords.
Adding this supplemental content helped improve our search visibility and performance for target terms. After months 4-6, key metrics were:
- 3.58K organic visitors
- 124K impressions
- Average position of #11 for target keywords
The additional content contributed to increased impressions and a lower average ranking position.
Performance Monitoring
Comprehensive performance monitoring and reporting allowed us to track the ongoing progress of our SEO efforts. We implemented robust tracking to monitor key metrics and identify opportunities.
Search Traffic – Search traffic was tracked to evaluate the overall organic growth of the site.
Impressions – Impression volume showed how visible we were in the search for target keywords.
Clicks – The click-through rate from organic search was monitored to optimize content for increased engagement.
Rankings – We tracked keyword rankings weekly using automated rank checkers.
Analytics – Website analytics provided insight into visitor behavior, conversions, and ROI.
Ongoing monitoring provided the crucial visibility we needed to directly correlate SEO activities with bottom-line results. By tracking key data points, we could fine-tune our approach to increase organic search performance.
Extending Keyword Research
We utilized Search Console and Google Analytics data to continuously uncover new relevant long-tail keyword opportunities with lower competition that we could target.
Our initial keyword research identified our core focus keywords. Later on, we focused on finding more long-tail keyword potential.
We added these extended keywords to our research tools to gather volume and competition data. We focused on longer-tail keywords with high search volume but relatively low competition.
Identifying these additional long-tail keywords enabled us to significantly expand the site’s reach and search visibility over time.
More Content Creation
In addition to the first 10 articles published within the first six months, we expanded our publications to 10 contents per month.
Targeting these extended long-tail keywords allowed us to dramatically increase the site’s overall search presence and traffic potential.
We made sure to provide thorough, detailed information for those extended keywords to offer value for visitors across the world and establish expertise around the new topics.
Internal Linking
Over time, we significantly strengthened internal linking to enhance topical coverage on our site and improve rankings.
We organized all of our content into logical clusters and categories based on the topic to create a topical map. Within these content clusters, we extensively interlinked related articles contextually within the body content.
The refined internal linking strategy significantly opened up our initial content reach on broader topics.
Technical SEO
We made continual improvements to important technical SEO factors to maximize performance.
Site Speed – Page speed was optimized through image compression, minification, caching, and code optimizations.
Crawling and Indexing – We monitored site indexing in the Search Console to ensure new pages were being properly crawled and added to the index.
Mobile Optimization – The site was fully responsive with a mobile-friendly design.
Fixing Errors – We tracked site errors like 404s in the Search Console and implemented 301 redirects as needed so no pages were unreachable.
Search Console Insights – Search Console data found room for technical optimizations like fixing structured data, improving meta descriptions, and enhancing image alt text.
Continually improving these technical SEO factors removed roadblocks to maximize our content’s potential and avoid any penalties.
Penalty: No
Off-Page SEO
Although off-page SEO tactics like link-building is important, for our niche website portfolio project, we didn’t do any manual outreach or link-building. However, our authentic high-quality content earned us several great backlinks.
Backlinks: No Links Built Yet
- DR: 7
- DA: 12
These high-value backlinks increased our authority significantly.
Maintaining E-E-A-T
We took care to ensure our website exhibited strong levels of expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) to meet Google’s quality guidelines.
Expertise: Our writers had a deep knowledge of the keyboard niche, as confirmed by their backgrounds and credentials in technology and computer hardware. The content displayed mastery of each topic covered.
Experience: Writers actively used the keyboards and accessories they reviewed. They provided real-world testing data and hands-on impressions from first-hand experience.
Authoritativeness: Content referenced reputable external sources like technology publications and keyboard enthusiast communities. Writers were active members in niche forums.
Trustworthiness: Company info was transparent. Multiple contact methods allowed user engagement. The site had no history of practices harming users. Content focused on helping readers learn.
Last 16 Months
In the last 16 months, our efforts focused heavily on expanding both the depth and breadth of content on the site. We continued to optimize and enhance the existing informational structure while identifying new keyword opportunities.
We also refined our processes for technical SEO, internal linking, and link-building outreach. Leveraging what worked well during the initial growth phase allowed us to scale up results over time.
And all these ongoing maintenance and publications brought stellar results. We saw a huge boost in impressions and organic traffic.
Results Analysis
After 16 months, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the niche site’s performance to evaluate growth trends over time and guide future optimization.
We analyzed traffic analytics to identify growth trends. Total organic traffic, impressions, and keyword rankings all showed steady upward momentum over the 16-month period.
We assessed traffic volumes against our initial goals. Our 12-month goal was 1000 visitors per month. Our actual results hit more than double that amount, surpassing objectives.
We were able to steadily hold our top position in organic keywords with good search volume, earning some backlinks along the way.
Overall, growth rate goals were achieved or exceeded each milestone. This validated our strategic approach.
Summary
Within 11 months we grew this site from 0 to over 14,400 monthly visitors, validating our strategic approach. This case study demonstrates how in-depth keyword research, optimized evergreen content, and technical excellence can drive niche site growth quickly. Tracking progress over time illustrates the impact of strategic focus.