SEO Case Study: From Zero to 100,000 Visitors in 12 Months

You need more traffic.

Increasing visitors to your site means more impressions, more signups, more purchases, and ultimately more revenue.

But how can you capture more traffic from increasingly crowded, diverse, and evolving search results?

The answer: SEO.

Today, I’ll share a process developed at Siege Media to earn links, visibility, and increase web traffic. This process led a site from zero visitors to 100,000, and I’ll outline the key takeaways you can apply to your own strategy.

Our Strategy Outline:

1. Start slow and take advantage of “easy wins.”
2. Focus on securing a handful of strategic links to important pages.
3. Establish passive link acquisition channels to build momentum.
4. Be intentional about content creation and its impact on search.
5. Level up over time, and target higher-value opportunities.

Let’s dive into the case study.

Note: Full control over the site allowed us to accurately attribute organic gains to SEO work and make SEO recommendations throughout the process. Data has been anonymized to maintain confidentiality.

1. Starting Slow with a New Site

With a new site, we understood there were limitations. We focused on opportunities with low competition and decent traffic value using SEMrush for traffic value assessment and manual research for competition.

We examined search engine results pages for potential opportunities, looking for:

• Poor-quality exact-match domains
• Absence of big-name brands
• Low-quality or outdated content
• Pages with low link counts

After identifying such opportunities, we built best-in-class content targeting specific SERPs, using:

• Custom-built graphics
• Clear, concise, compelling copy
• Original photography
• Optimal formatting

2. Securing a Handful of Links to Important Pages

Pages need links to rank in search. The required number of links varies by page, site, niche, and query. Search engines now emphasize link quality over quantity.

For bottom-of-the-funnel pages, only a handful of quality links are needed. These pages rarely attract links on their own, but a few strategic opportunities can help.

Potential link opportunities for bottom-of-the-funnel pages include:

• Egobait: Mentioning specific individuals or brands
• Unique product or service: Listed on relevant resource pages
• Discounts or promotions
• Local resource pages
• Reviews

You can’t rely solely on these tactics for campaigns, but you can secure quality links to drive initial engagement.

3. Establishing Passive Link Acquisition Channels

Link building is challenging and labor-intensive. We established passive link acquisition channels to amplify efforts by using high-quality, original photography under a Creative Commons license, allowing use with attribution.

Potential organic link opportunities include:

• Sponsorships and community involvement
• Original data or research
• Interviews or quotes
• Building unique tools

The key is to create original content and make it easy for others to cite you as the source.

4. Strategic Content Creation

Content is crucial for SEO success. While securing links to bottom-of-the-funnel pages is possible, it’s essential to have middle and top-of-the-funnel content to capture sustained attention and links.

We planned content with a relentless focus on SEO and potential opportunities. By comparing traffic value and competition, we identified and targeted less competitive opportunities.

Using tools like Moz’s Keyword Explorer can estimate competition levels for various terms. We focused on strategic, SEO-impactful content creation to achieve success.

5. Leveling Up Over Time

Momentum is key in SEO. As campaigns gain traction, results build exponentially. With increased visibility, more visitors engage with your site, endorsing it through links and shares.

After six months, we raised our expectations, targeting more competitive spaces due to a solid foundation. Upgrading content with original design and interactive elements further boosted success.

Updating existing content also contributed to success, providing freshness, improving click-through rates, and showing audience relevance.

Recap

We didn’t use secret tricks to grow traffic. Instead, we invested in quality content and implemented link acquisition strategies tailored to each project stage. As the site grew, so did our goals.

In summary, our traffic growth process includes:

1. Start slow and capitalize on “easy wins.”
2. Secure strategic links to important pages.
3. Establish passive link acquisition channels.
4. Create content with SEO impact.
5. Level up and target higher-value opportunities.

This scalable, repeatable process can be tailored to fit unique needs. Apply these lessons to enhance your own strategy.