How I grew a travel blog to 1.7 Million SEO users

Wesley van der Hoop, from Sandals Resorts International, discusses the strategies behind growing a travel blog to over 1.7 Million SEO users. He delves into the importance of understanding SEO dynamics and creating content that resonates with a global audience. Wesley shares insights on leveraging analytics to refine content strategies and enhance user engagement.
About the speaker

Wesley van der Hoop

Sandals Resorts International

 - Sandals Resorts International

Wesley is Marketing Specialist at Sandals Resorts International

Show Notes

  • 05:10
    Leveraging keyword research to boost organic traffic.
    The discussion focused on the strategic use of keyword optimization to drive significant increases in blog traffic.
  • 08:45
    Role of content marketing in successful SEO strategies.
    Explained how targeted content creation is crucial for engaging readers and enhancing search engine rankings.
  • 12:30
    Importance of backlink building for SEO success.
    Detailed how acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable sites can dramatically improve search visibility.
  • 15:20
    Utilizing local SEO to attract targeted blog audiences.
    Talked about the effectiveness of local SEO in drawing in a geographically specific audience to the travel blog.
  • 18:55
    Strategies for optimizing website speed and performance.
    Discussed technical SEO tactics to enhance site speed and user experience, which are vital for retaining visitors and improving SEO rankings.

Quotes

  • “It's very easy to find people passionate on the top of the funnel, building the brand and telling stories.” - Wesley van der Hoop

  • “At the time, the blog was doing 40,000 SEO users per year. [...] Within three years, we grew the blog to 1.7 million users a year.” - Wesley van der Hoop

  • “It's easy to generate a lot of topics, especially now with AI, which we didn't have back then.” - Wesley van der Hoop

  • AI content creation, definitely not there yet, but it sets the bar a lot higher. [...] For me, the strategy is to make the content more human.” - Wesley van der Hoop

About the speaker

Wesley van der Hoop

Sandals Resorts International

 - Sandals Resorts International

Wesley is Marketing Specialist at Sandals Resorts International

Up Next: