Keyword Success Taught Me a Valuable SEO Lesson
Just getting lots of traffic isn’t the only thing to be thinking about.
Earlier this year, I started an experiment with an SEO-driven directory site for a side hustle.
The idea was simple: target a specific, in-demand keyword and see what kind of traffic I could generate.
I’ve now realised a mistake in my thinking. You live and learn.
At the time, I wasn’t too concerned about the commercial side — it was more of a learning experience and experiment.
Fast forward to now, and the directory is doing very well in terms of traffic (7K/mo). It’s getting lots of organic Google clicks too (2.5K/mo), bringing in thousands of monthly visitors.
But there’s the catch: it’s not making any revenue yet.
It may do one day (I have some ideas up my sleeve) and even if it doesn’t I don’t mind. As they say with side hustles, you often have to make lots of mistakes before you start to find success.
So what was my mistake? The keyword I built the site around includes the word “free,” which doesn’t exactly attract people looking to spend money — neither users or sponsors.
While the traffic numbers are great, the commercial potential is limited.
So I’ve learned a valuable lesson — if you want to generate revenue one day, targeting keywords with commercial intent is just as important as driving traffic. If you’re only experimenting and learning, it’s not such a big deal.
I don’t regret the experiment. It’s taught me a lot about balancing SEO goals with business goals, and that’s something I’ll take into my future projects.
For more like this, you might like to follow Tiny SEO Lessons on Medium.
I’m Mark, a creator and solopreneur in the UK. I write on Medium and create resources to help others get their own ideas started.
