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How a Learning App for Students Grew Site Traffic by 295% YoY

https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/

Stats

1.8M to 7M Monthly Visits

Industry

Web & Tech

Niche

Mobile App

Reporting Date

March 2024

StudySmarter is a mobile learning app for students. It uses AI to tailor the experience to each user's educational needs and learning style.

The company is also known as Vaia in the U.S. and Spain.

StudySmarter was founded in 2017 in Germany and caters to each of its regional audiences with a unique website. To achieve this, it uses country code top-level domains (ccTLDs).

Recently, their U.K. domain (studysmarter.co.uk) experienced dramatic organic growth.

Monthly traffic skyrocketed to an incredible 7 million visits in just 1 year.

Join me as we dive into an SEO case study of StudySmarter’s U.K., revealing why and how they achieved such impressive results.

The Catalyst: How StudySmarter.co.uk Reached 7M Monthly Visits

1. Content Expansion: U.S. Rankings Grew From 50.3K to 859K

Between March 2023 and March 2024, StudySmarter more than doubled the content on its U.K. website.

The page count went from 6.8K to 15K URLs.

The chart below recaps this growth over the last 6 months, demonstrating a steady pace.

Naturally, the more pages you have, the more chances you have to rank.

And for StudySmarter, that’s exactly what happened. Their global rankings exploded to 2.9M keywords by March 2024.

Interestingly enough, U.S. traffic experienced the most dramatic growth despite being a ccTLD targeting U.K. traffic.

Here, we see how U.S. rankings rose to an impressive 859K keywords in March 2024. This was a significant increase over the 50.3K rankings just the year prior.

Its effect on U.S. traffic makes this growth even more impressive.

StudySmarter went from 13.1K visits in March 2023 to 1.4M in March 2024.

That’s a 10,735% year-over-year (YoY) increase!

This new content created a ripple effect across global traffic, bringing 295% more organic traffic than the year prior.

As for the type of content produced, StudySmarter published thousands of new pages in its Explanations subfolder.

This section houses study materials on a range of subjects.

99% of pages generated between March 2023 and March 2024 live under this subfolder.

Why this matters:

StudySmarter's surge in rankings traffic shows the power of a robust content strategy.

By doubling their website pages, they tapped into an underperforming market (the U.S.) and grew traffic from other countries, such as the U.K. and India.

This ultimately helped them achieve the following:

• Increased visibility in target markets
• Greater brand awareness globally
• Higher-value content for its audience

How to create a content strategy:

A content strategy aligns content ideas with your target audience and business goals. It also gives you a plan for creating your content and measuring its performance.

This guide shows you how to develop a content strategy, but here’s an overview of the process:

1. Define your business goals.
2. Determine your target audience.
3. Create a big-picture sketch of your strategy.
4. Match each content type to a distribution channel.
5. Measure your results and adjust accordingly.

Tools for your content strategy:

Having great content is half the battle.

Now, you've got to make sure users and search engines can find it.

That's where content optimization tools come in.

All in One SEO (AIOSEO) is the leading WordPress SEO plugin for content creators and website owners. Its suite of tools streamlines SEO to get your content in front of your audience’s eyes.

Personally, I'm a big fan of the TruSEO tool.

It’s extremely beginner-friendly and makes on-page SEO a breeze. You get a checklist that tells you if any opportunities slipped through the cracks and how to fix them.

Here’s an example of the Focus Keyphrase Checklist, which includes a reminder to use your focus keyword in more subheadings:

Now, let’s see what StudySmart is doing with this new content to boost its visibility.

2. Strategic FAQs: PAA Results Shot Up to 93.5K Rankings

StudySmarter includes FAQs at the end of each Explanation page.

Here’s an example:

FAQs are a great way to help users get quick answers to some of the most common questions.

For StudySmarter, an educational platform, they typically address the main points about a specific topic.

However, for other sites (like eCommerce), FAQs can help alleviate user concerns and support conversions.

In addition to being helpful for users, StudySmarter uses FAQs to get noticed by search engines.

Specifically, they implement FAQ schema markup to help search engines easily understand their content.

Schema markup is a specialized code on the back end of your website.

There are several types, and each should accurately reflect the content on your page.

For StudySmarter, the screenshot below shows FAQ schema in action:

Ok, so here’s the big deal about FAQs and schema markup:

They can help you rank in Google’s People Also Ask (PAA).

The PAA section of the SERP is prime real estate.

It appears near the top of the search results and aims to answer users' questions directly on the SERP.

Here’s what one looks like, with a ranking from StudySmarter:

If you revisit the third question in the earlier list of StudySmarter’s FAQs, you’ll notice it’s an exact match.

It’s not magic.

Just smart SEO.

And for StudySmarter, the results couldn’t have been better. They ranked for 93.5K keywords in Google’s PAA box in March 2024.

Why this matters:

Earning a spot in Google's People Also Ask (PAA) box offers a potent blend of SEO and user engagement benefits.

Here's why ranking in this coveted position should be a key focus of your content strategy:

1. Increased Visibility: Appearing in the PAA box puts your content in prime real estate on the SERP, boosting its visibility above other organic listings.
2. Targeted Traffic: PAA questions are directly related to the main search query, so users clicking on your answer are highly likely to be interested in your content.
3. Authority Boost: Being featured in the PAA box indicates that Google recognizes your website as a relevant and trustworthy source.
4. Content Insights: Analyzing the PAA questions reveals valuable user intent and helps you tailor your content to their needs.

How to rank in People Also Ask:

Follow these tips for ranking in Google’s PAA box:

1. Write the best piece of content on a topic.
2. Answer the right questions (keyword research will help you find them).
3. Decipher and fulfill search intent.
4. Implement FAQ schema markup.

Tools for PAA rankings:

You can use AIOSEO’s FAQ blocks to add questions and answers in WordPress. What’s unique about this feature is that the plugin automatically adds FAQ schema for you. No coding required.

Next, I’m going to reveal how StudySmarter earned more than one point of entry in its search results.

3. User-Friendly Sitelinks: Won More Points of Entry on the SERP

Have you ever noticed search results with multiple links to various pages on a website?

(And wondered how they got them?)

These handy features are called sitelinks.

You’re probably most familiar with this type, which is common for branded keywords:

But they can also look like this:

Sitelinks are like mini navigation systems. They offer users quick access to relevant sections of the website or a web page based on their search.

StudySmarter does a few things to get them:

1. Write relevant, descriptive page titles and subheadings.
2. Use a clear and simple site structure.
3. Link internally with natural anchor text.
4. Implement breadcrumb schema markup.
5. Optimize the content structure.

These optimizations have proven fruitful in 2024. StudySmarter won sitelinks for 25.1K keywords in March. (They only had 73 the previous year!)

Why this matters:

Sitelinks come with a range of benefits for users and website owners:

1. Stronger Brand Awareness: Sitelinks take up more space on the SERP, making your website stand out.
2. Enhanced User Experience: Users can find what they're looking for faster and more easily.
3. Higher Clickthrough Rates (CTR): They give users more targeted entry points, increasing the relevancy of your content to their unique needs.
4. Improved SEO Performance: While not a direct ranking factor, sitelinks can indicate a well-structured and relevant website. This can indirectly contribute to higher rankings.

How to get Google sitelinks:

While you can't control which pages appear as sitelinks, there are SEO best practices for getting them.

Here are some sitelinks tips straight from Google:

• Write page titles and headings that are relevant, informative, and concise.
• Use a site structure that’s simple to navigate.
• Link to important pages from other related content. You’ll also want to use descriptive anchor text for your internal links.
• Avoid duplicate content.

In addition to Google’s recommendations, I also commend StudySmarter’s use of breadcrumbs.

Breadcrumbs show users where they are within your website's hierarchy. They also help search engines understand your site structure.

Tools for breadcrumbs and sitelinks:

A breadcrumbs plugin can easily add breadcrumbs to your WordPress site.

AIOSEO enables breadcrumbs by default and automatically adds breadcrumb schema markup.

You’ll also get complete control of how they’re displayed.

And should you ever wish to disable them, it’s as simple as switching the toggle off.

Finally, let’s see how backlinks play a role in StudySmarter’s recent growth.

4. Natural Backlinks: Gained Credibility and Trust From Search Engines

StudySmarter’s backlinks have increased significantly over the last year.

In March 2024, they reached a then-record-high of 98.1K backlinks. (April is currently estimated to surpass it.)

Backlinks are links from other websites to yours. They act like votes of confidence, telling users and search engines you have something they should see.

They’re also one of the top Google ranking factors.

When I analyzed StudySmarter’s backlink profile, it appeared natural.

They have a higher share of nofollow links (which are more common than follow links but less valuable) and come from a wide range of domains. Their referring domains also come from several countries.

Why this matters:

Backlinks are an integral component of a strong linking strategy.

But quality matters.

Your backlink profile should be natural. Aim for quality over quantity and avoid excessively high follow rates, which can look suspicious to search engines.

A well-thought linking strategy can help you achieve this.

How to create a linking strategy:

There’s a lot that goes into linking, but this article covers all the bases: Ultimate Link Building Guide.

I’ll share just a few of the highlights here:

1. Optimize for all three types of links: internal, outbound, and backlinks.
2. Identify your most important pages and build relevant content around them (and link to them.)
3. Use outbound external links when they’re genuinely helpful to your audience.
4. Create link magnets.
5. Use automation tools to streamline linking.

Tools for link building:

Link building can be time-consuming and repetitive.

But with Link Assistant, it's fast and supported by automation.

Link Assistant streamlines your internal linking by suggesting relevant links directly within the WordPress editor. You just have to click Add Link.

Standout SEO Wins

Before wrapping up, I’d like to point out one of StudySmarter’s most impressive SEO achievements.

Knowledge Panels: StudySmarter’s Crowning Achievement

StudySmarter secures coveted knowledge panels on the SERP.

Knowledge panels appear on the right-hand side of search results. They provide a quick overview of key information for people, places, organizations, or things.

For example, in the image below, we get a snapshot of essential details about Virginia Woolf's book, “The Death of the Moth.”

Earning a knowledge panel is a significant SEO accomplishment.

It indicates that Google recognizes a website as a highly authoritative and trustworthy source.

Users also pick up on this, enhancing your brand’s perception in the eyes of your audience.

Tool: Knowledge panels are an allusive rich result. With that said, certain SEO best practices can support your quest to get them.

AIOSEO's Schema Generator can help you properly set up your Knowledge Graph data. This feature helps Google understand important details about your website.

You can also use it to add any of the schema markups covered in this case study, like FAQs or breadcrumbs.

Takeaways

StudySmarter's U.K. website reveals specific SEO strategies that fuel organic growth.

Now, let's break down the key takeaways and translate them into actionable steps for growing your website's organic traffic.

Top 3 Strategies to Emulate

1. Develop a content strategy that gets results. A winning content strategy involves creating high-quality content that resonates with your audience. Keyword research will help you identify specific topics that interest your users. You can then examine the search intent behind these keywords and tailor your content accordingly. This strategy ensures your time and efforts go to high-reward content that speaks to your audience.
2. Put users first. StudySmarter's approach to SEO prioritizes user experience. From FAQs that address common questions to breadcrumbs that make it easy to navigate the site, users are at the core of every optimization. You, too, can mimic this positive user experience by integrating FAQs and breadcrumbs within your content. Both elements can lead to rich results on the SERP, increasing your clickthrough rate and traffic.
3. Build trust with backlinks. Focus on creating valuable content that naturally attracts backlinks. You should avoid manipulative link-building strategies, which can lead to Google penalties. Instead, try to build genuine connections with other creators in your niche and give users what they're looking for.

Bottom 3 Strategies to Reconsider

1. Avoid missing meta descriptions. Meta descriptions are crucial for getting users to click on your search results. Every page should have a unique and compelling meta description that entices users to your site. You'll also want to include your keywords in it. If you're short on time, an AI metadata generator can write them for you.
2. Eliminate overly long meta titles. Search engines truncate meta titles that exceed character limits. Keep your meta titles concise and informative, ensuring they represent your page within the allotted space. This will help users understand what your content is about and potentially entice them to click. The aforementioned AI metadata generator can also do meta titles for you.
3. Don’t neglect readability. A handful of StudySmarter's pages are flagged for readability. This metric measures how easily users can read and understand your content. Long, complex sentence structures can make your readability score go down. Instead, aim for clear and concise writing. You can use shorter sentences with minimal jargon to enhance the user experience. The TruSEO tool measures readability for you and gives you tips for improving it.

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Unleash Your Website’s Potential With AIOSEO

What if you could skip the guesswork and enjoy a direct route to replicating StudySmarter's winning SEO formula?

AIOSEO, the leading SEO plugin for WordPress, can help you do just that.

AIOSEO is trusted by over 3 million website owners and has thousands of 5-star reviews. You’ll get a comprehensive toolkit that gives your site the boost it needs to climb the SERP. Plus, they’re beginner-friendly, making you an SEO pro without all the hours that typically go into website optimizations.

Here are some tools you’re sure to love:

• TruSEO Score: Level up your content and go beyond a simple pass or fail. TruSEO analyzes your on-page SEO, giving you actionable insights to maximize your content's reach.
• FAQ Blocks: Add FAQs to your content to increase the likelihood of appearing in Google’s People Also Ask box. These results help boost brand awareness and increase clickthrough rates.
• Breadcrumbs: Create a breadcrumb trail that shows users where they are on your site in relation to the homepage. You can customize the look and show them exactly where you want on your site.
• Link Assistant: Get link suggestions, edit anchor text, and add internal links to your content in just 1 click. Link Assistant helps you effortlessly build a better linking strategy.
• Rich Snippets Schema: Win more rich results with AIOSEO’s user-friendly schema generator. Just pick the schema type you want, and we’ll format the structured data properly for Google.
• AI Title & Description Generator: This time-saving tool creates compelling metadata for any page on your site. With the click of a button, you’ll harness the power of AI and get options for unique meta titles and descriptions.

Gabriela Jhean SEO Specialist

Gabriela is a creative and results-driven SEO specialist dedicated to helping small businesses stand out online. She contributes in-depth SEO case studies at AIOSEO Trends to reveal the winning strategies of top-ranking websites. In her downtime, Gabriela enjoys treasure hunting for antique jewelry.

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