WAshing-Line
This website is unique in that I built it purely as a training exercise for myself to learn more about how Google’s algorithm works and how to create high-quality keyword-targeted content. The website was built at the beginning of 2020 with a view to fully explore the application of different content-based SEO strategies.
Why was washing lines the chosen subject?
The reason that washing lines as a product type were selected for the target of this website is simply due to noticing a gap in the market. From analysing a range of keywords using ahref’s, I noticed there were relatively large search volumes and many longtail keywords that could be targeted. There was also a low amount of competing domains for these keywords – so achieving higher rankings using a content-based strategy would be easier.
What was used to build the website and why?
I built this website using Elementor as oppose to Divi as I wanted it to be as light as possible without any extra unnecessary CSS. This tactic is clear to see based on the very simplistic design of the website to minimise the excess coding and speed up load times. The design of the website very much took a back seat during construction with a key focus on making the technical side of the website as streamline as possible.
The website is also purposely not the easiest to navigate. This is because I wanted to make it as easy as possible to monitor the levels of organic traffic for each page, especially when targeting longtail keywords. Around half of the content pages are targeted to answer search queries that are with direct questions or based on product faults. I did not want these users to then venture on to other pages and skew the traffic figures, so this way I could safely say that at least 90% of the traffic to each page was the result of direct clicks from organic searches. I was also interested in maximising the users time on page and measuring how this differed from general content to specific query responses.
What SEO tactics have been tested on the Washing-Line website?
I experimented with many different SEO tactics in order to gain an understanding of how Google prioritises content on search engine result pages. At present Washing-Line is receiving 250+ traffic a month with no backlinks or referring domains and a domain rating of 0. This demonstrates how targeting keywords and writing high-quality content to pick-up easy wins can build up a healthy amount of traffic to a website. I have also applied SEO strategies based around key pages often referred to as ‘Pillar Posts’. On Washing-Line the two key pillar pages are ‘Rotary Washing Line’ and ‘Retractable Washing Line’. I have also differed my tactics for the supporting content around each pillar in order to measure the effectiveness of different types of content.
What is Washing-Line used for now?
At present, I use Washing-Line in order to measure the effectiveness of solely using content in order to rank websites. When providing free consultations to potential clients, I often use this website to explain how different SEO tactics work. For example, for some clients, I have used Washing-Line to demonstrate how keywords with only 10-20 search can accumulate to direct a reasonable amount of traffic to your website. In addition, it shows clients how high-quality content is never a waste of time due to the way that it builds relevancy and the SEO rankings of other pages through links.
For small businesses or sole traders that don’t have unlimited marketing budgets, content-based SEO strategies can be an affordable way to build traffic to a website. One of the easiest strategies you can use is location-specific content in order to target longtail keywords and link these back to a pillar post specific to that service.
The main pages are called pillar posts and the supporting content boosts relevance. This works in two folds, by sending more traffic to your website from appearing top of longtail specific keywords and also helping to boost the relevancy ranking of the main service pages through in-text links.
Demonstrating the benefit of writing content to target extra longtail keywords in order to pick up a few easy wins helps show how I intend to increase the volume of traffic to their new or existing website. Finally, I use it to show clients not only the importance of writing high-quality content but also the importance of content pages containing 600 or more words. Pages with more content will naturally outrank low content pages, a common issue with existing websites from small businesses is an extremely low amount of content on service pages.
What is the plan for Washing-Line in the future?
Moving forward, I will continue to tinker with the site in order to test new theories and experiment with different SEO strategies. Keyword planning and content writing is a time-consuming process and at present, with no monetisation of the website, this is not feasible.
I do have a complete redesign planned at some point but again this will most likely be when there is a plan to monetise the site. There is scope for the site to possible become an affiliate website in the long term or possibly an E-Commerce website if the traffic dramatically increases and logistics suit.
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