The pet space is a competitive one online, but when it comes to ranking on Google’s front page, you can achieve great results by targeting strategic keywords.
While many sites focus on competing for obvious (and high volume) search terms like “how to train your dog to sit” you can get ahead by thinking outside of the box and pursuing lower volume keywords.
In this case study, we’ll take a look at how I used this strategy to achieve hundreds of page views every month with one offbeat article, the topic of which I will reveal at the end.
Like many of my articles, this piece was inspired by my own dog’s behavior. Seeking an explanation, I turned to Google and typed in “why is my dog [dog’s action]?”
While I did find my answer, the articles I came across were not as thorough as I would have liked. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands.
I pitched the topic to my client and upon receiving approval, I got to work.
First, I performed keyword research to identify the most competitive keyword for this topic. Then I found additional, related keywords that I could try to incorporate naturally throughout the piece.
Next, I analyzed the articles currently ranking on page one for my chosen keyword.
I made notes on areas where I thought they could be more thorough or more effective in covering the topic.
Then, I started writing.
I developed an article that provides a thoughtful and thorough answer to this question that I was sure fellow pet owners would appreciate upon noticing this behavior in their own dogs.
The Results?
This article now ranks for over 150 separate keywords and is ranking on the first page for over 50 of those keywords. While many of the keywords in question are low-volume keywords (under 500 searches each month) the fact that I was able to capitalize on so many of them adds up to a significant amount of traffic.
This article generates over 850 visits a month to my client’s site.
The article in question? Why is My Dog Licking His Bum?
The subject matter may not be glamorous, but the results certainly are!
If you think your business could use a boost with some SEO-guided content, get in touch!
Hello Janine, I found your article at https://scratchpay.com/blog/worst-dog-breeds-for-cats while doing some research for a post in my own blog. The title of the one that I am working on presently is: Are Australian Cattle Dogs Good With Cats? You can see why I found your article interesting. (I do plan to link to it as a source.) My plan is to increase the number of posts to about 30 and hopefully pageviews to near 30,000 per month before trying to monetize. I only have about 18 posts right now as I have written all of it myself, and traffic is only around 5000-6000 views per month. This is my first attempt at blogging and the learning curve has been a tremendous hurdle! Well, I just wanted to say “Hello” and wish you well. Ron Frey
Thanks for your comment, Ron. It sounds like you’ve already made great progress with your blog. I’m sure you’ll hit your goal before long!