📈0-10K Views in 6 Months: A RankIQ Case Study

When I started my blog in April 2024, I had a clear goal: to grow my traffic quickly and secure acceptance into the premier ad platform Journey by Mediavine. Fast-forward six months, I achieved over 10,000 monthly views—9,000 from Google and 1,000 from Pinterest.

What made this possible? RankIQ’s keyword research library.

In this article, I’ll share how I used RankIQ to create content clusters, map out my blog’s content, and grow from 0 to thousands of sessions—all while focusing solely on one powerful feature: RankIQ’s keyword library.

View RankIQ Keyword Library

Starting With a Plan: Content Clusters

RankIQ’s keyword library made discovering keywords tailored to my niche easy. I leveraged the sub-libraries to explore topics I was genuinely interested in and set out to create a structured blog.

Here’s how I did it:

Identified 5 Pillar Categories: My blog is built on 5 major pillars, each representing a broader topic.
Created 5-10 Subcategories per Pillar: Each pillar was further divided into smaller, specific subcategories.
Mapped 10 Keywords per Subcategory: Using RankIQ, I filled each subcategory with around 10 blog post ideas.

This gave me a roadmap for 200 articles, ensuring I was never short on content ideas. It also allowed me to focus on clusters of related content, which helped Google understand my site’s structure.

Why Content Clusters Matter

Content clusters help your site build authority in specific areas. By focusing on one subcategory at a time, I could quickly cover related topics that linked naturally. This strategy allowed me to:

Increase internal linking opportunities.
Signal topical relevance to Google.
Drive faster rankings for competitive keywords.

Writing and Scheduling in Batches

One of the most important lessons I learned was to work in batches. I created an entire content subcategory (10 posts) before moving on to the next.

I then scheduled these posts over a few weeks, ensuring consistent publishing without overwhelming myself.

Once each of the five pillars had completed its first subcategory, I went back and added a second subcategory for each pillar.

By the time I hit 80 posts, my site had gained traction—most of my traffic came from Google, with Pinterest contributing the rest.

Why I Didn’t Worry About Keyword Difficulty

Unlike traditional SEO, I didn’t obsess over keyword difficulty or search volume. I trusted RankIQ’s recommendations and wrote knowing that some posts would rank quickly while others would take time. When my site started gaining traffic and trust signals, even competitive keywords began to rank.

Graphics That Build Backlinks

Another key component of my strategy was creating unique graphics. As Brandon Gaille suggests, custom graphics help grow backlinks and domain authority passively. Using RankIQ’s content ideas, I identified topics where visuals would add value, making my site stand out.

The Results: Growth in Traffic and Earnings

Here’s a breakdown of my progress:

From 0 to 10K Monthly Views in 6 Months: Consistent publishing of cluster-based content drove steady growth.
🎉Accepted to Mediavine’s Journey Ad Program: My site qualified earlier than expected, opening new revenue opportunities.

Key Takeaways for New Bloggers

Start With a Plan: Use RankIQ to map out your blog’s first 200 posts.
Focus on Content Clusters: Build topic authority by covering subcategories in-depth.
Don’t Overthink Keywords: Trust the process; some posts will take time to rank.
Create Graphics: Unique visuals can passively build backlinks over time.

Final Thoughts

RankIQ’s keyword library made it easy to turn my blogging idea into a scalable project. I didn’t use advanced tools or features—just the keyword library keywords to guide my posts. By following a strategic content clustering approach, I was able to grow my traffic quickly and achieve my blogging goals in record time.

If you’re a new blogger looking to grow your site, I highly recommend RankIQ as a starting point. It’s an investment in your success.

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