The SEO Content Strategy Behind AbroadCost

When I started AbroadCost, I set an ambitious goal: reach 1 million visitors in 90 days through SEO. Here's the complete strategy I'm executing.

The Math

1,000,000 visitors in 90 days = ~11,111 visitors/day

At typical SEO conversion rates:

• 2% click-through from search
• Need ~555,555 impressions/day
• Or ~16,666,667 impressions/month

This requires ranking for high-volume keywords. Here's how I'm approaching it.

Keyword Strategy

The Hub and Spoke Model

Hub Pages (High competition, high volume):

• "Cost of living [city]" - 10,000+ monthly searches
• "Study in [country]" - 50,000+ monthly searches
• "How to study abroad" - 20,000+ monthly searches

Spoke Pages (Lower competition, long-tail):

• "Cost of living in Tokyo for students"
• "Proof of funds for UK student visa"
• "Cheapest universities in Germany"

Keyword Research Process

1. 1Seed Keywords: Start with broad terms
2. 2Expand: Use Google Autocomplete, AnswerThePublic, Ahrefs
3. 3Filter: Volume > 100, KD < 40 (for new sites)
4. 4Cluster: Group related keywords into content pieces
5. 5Prioritize: High volume + low competition first

Target Keywords (First 30 Days)

Content Production System

The 4-Part Article Template

Every piece follows this structure:

1. 1Hook (First 100 words)

• Address the search intent directly
• Promise specific value
• Establish credibility

1. 1Quick Answer (Next 200 words)

• Direct response to query
• For featured snippets
• Bold key facts

1. 1Deep Dive (Main content)

• Comprehensive coverage
• Subheadings with keywords
• Data, examples, tables

1. 1Next Steps (Conclusion)

• Clear call-to-action
• Related articles
• Email capture

Production Schedule

Week 1-2: Foundation

• 4 pillar articles (2,000+ words each)
• Focus: Cost of living guides

Week 3-4: Expansion

• 8 spoke articles (1,000+ words each)
• Focus: Visa guides, country-specific

Week 5-8: Volume

• 2 articles per day (500-800 words)
• Focus: Long-tail keywords

Week 9-12: Optimization

• Update existing content
• Internal linking
• Conversion optimization

Technical SEO Setup

Site Architecture

/
├── /blog/
│   ├── /cost-of-living/
│   ├── /visa-guides/
│   ├── /country-guides/
│   └── /university-guides/
├── /tools/
│   └── cost-calculator
├── /about
└── /contact

On-Page Optimization

Every page includes:

• Title tag with keyword (50-60 chars)
• Meta description with CTA (150-160 chars)
• H1 with main keyword
• Semantic HTML structure
• Internal links (3-5 per article)
• Image alt text
• Schema markup (Article, FAQ, HowTo)

Page Speed

Current targets:

• LCP < 2.5s
• FID < 100ms
• CLS < 0.1

Achieved through:

• Static site generation
• Image optimization
• Minimal JavaScript
• CDN (Cloudflare)

Content Quality Standards

E-E-A-T Signals

Experience: Personal anecdotes from consulting work

Expertise: Cite credentials, show deep knowledge

Authoritativeness: Link to official sources, statistics

Trustworthiness: Transparent about limitations, update dates

Content Checklist

Before publishing, every article must have:

• [ ] Original insight (not just regurgitated)
• [ ] Specific data and numbers
• [ ] Actionable takeaways
• [ ] Updated information (check dates)
• [ ] Visual elements (tables, lists)
• [ ] Internal links to related content
• [ ] External links to authoritative sources

Link Building Strategy

Phase 1: Content First (Days 1-30)

• Focus on creating link-worthy content
• No active link building
• Let content attract natural links

Phase 2: Outreach (Days 31-60)

• Guest posts on education blogs
• HARO responses
• Scholarship directories
• Resource page outreach

Phase 3: Partnerships (Days 61-90)

• University partnerships
• Agent collaborations
• Influencer mentions

Measuring Success

Leading Indicators (Weekly)

• Articles published
• Keywords ranking (top 100)
• Indexed pages
• Core Web Vitals

Lagging Indicators (Monthly)

• Organic traffic
• Keyword rankings (top 10)
• Click-through rate
• Domain rating

Conversion Metrics

• Email signups
• Tool usage
• Consultation requests
• Revenue

Tools Stack

Research: Ahrefs, AnswerThePublic, Google Keyword Planner

Content: Notion, Grammarly, Hemingway Editor

Technical: Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, Screaming Frog

Analytics: Google Analytics 4, Plausible

Rank Tracking: Ahrefs, SERPWatcher

Current Results (Day 30)

• Articles published: 12
• Keywords ranking: 47 (top 100)
• Organic traffic: ~50 visits/day
• Backlinks: 3 (natural)

Not exactly on pace for 1M visitors, but that's expected. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint.

Adjustments

Based on first month data:

1. 1More Long-Tail: High-volume keywords are too competitive. Focusing on specific queries.

1. 1Faster Publishing: Reduced editing time. Ship then improve.

1. 1More Visuals: Adding calculators, infographics for linkability.

1. 1Email Capture: Prioritizing newsletter growth for owned audience.

The 90-Day Projection

Revised realistic targets:

• Day 30: 50 daily visitors ✓
• Day 60: 500 daily visitors
• Day 90: 2,000 daily visitors
• Month 6: 10,000 daily visitors
• Month 12: 50,000+ daily visitors

1 million in 90 days was ambitious. 1 million in 12 months is achievable.

Lessons So Far

1. 1Quality over Quantity: 10 great articles beat 50 mediocre ones
2. 2Patience is Required: Rankings take time, even with good content
3. 3Technical Foundation Matters: Fast, clean sites perform better
4. 4User Intent is Key: Match content exactly to what searchers want

Final Thoughts

SEO is simple but not easy:

• Create great content
• Optimize technically
• Build authority over time
• Wait

The waiting is the hard part. But when it works, it really works.

I'll share another update at Day 60 with revised projections and what's working.