How an AI Writing Tool Grew Traffic by 1,811% in 6 Months
https://www.engram.us/
Stats
40.3K to 770.5K Monthly Visits
Industry
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Niche
Writing Tool
Reporting Date
March 2024
Engram is an AI writing tool designed for non-native English speakers. It helps users check grammar, rephrase sentences, and translate into English.
While the company debuted in 2021 under the name Pcanpi, it rebranded to Engram in January 2023. This also meant the launch of a new website at engram.us.
Now, in 2024, Engram has experienced a sensational rise in organic traffic. In just 6 months, monthly traffic catapulted to 770.5K organic visits.
Although, it didn't come from the domain migration like one might expect.
Instead, Engram has been up to some strategic content creation that has made all the difference in its visibility.
Join me as we dissect Engram’s content to see what they're doing, how it impacted their online presence, and what website owners can learn from their wins.
In This Article
The Catalyst: How Engram Reached 770.5K Monthly Visits
1. Fresh Content Fuels New Rankings
Fresh content is at the core of Engram's recent explosive growth.
Between September 2023 and March 2024, Engram quadrupled the content on its website. This increase brought the total page count to around 2.7K URLs.
The majority of these new pages are housed on the site's blog subdomain. There are also about 100 “versus” articles on the root domain.
We’ll focus on the blogs because in addition to being the focal point of Engram's content strategy, they're also generating the most traffic.
Blogs generated 93.5% of all site traffic in March 2024. They also rank for 96.6% of the month’s ranking keywords.
The chart below shows just how dramatic of an effect blogs have had on Engram’s rankings.
As for the blog itself, Engram uses three content types:
- A or B: These “versus” blogs compare closely related words or misspellings to reveal which version is correct.
- How to: These tutorials explain how to use certain phrases and writing styles to sound more like a native English speaker.
- Lists: This series covers a range of topics, from business idioms to the best writing tools for second-language learners.
Users can navigate to these pages easily from the blog’s main page, as shown below.
Why this matters:
Engram's explosive growth didn't occur by accident. It's a direct result of targeting relevant topics to its audience.
By focusing on content that interests their customer (non-native English speakers), they were able to create a steady stream of valuable content that users find helpful.
Google rewarded this approach with high search rankings, which increased their organic traffic.
This strategy translates to your website, as well.
When you prioritize content that brings value to your target audience and addresses their specific needs, you'll attract more qualified traffic to your site. This can ultimately help you achieve your site's goals, whether that's increasing your visitors, growing brand awareness, or boosting conversions.
How to create a content strategy:
The key to replicating Engram’s success lies in a well-defined content strategy.
A content strategy is like a roadmap. It guides your content creation efforts to align with your target audience and achieve your business goals.
Here's how to get started:
- Determine your business goals.
- Get to know your target audience.
- Create a bird’s-eye view of your strategy.
- Match each content type to a distribution channel.
- Measure your results and adjust as necessary.
For an explanation of each step, visit this content strategy guide.
Tools for your content strategy:
Keywords are the backbone of your content strategy, and on-page SEO is how you’ll rank for them.
After all, for your audience to enjoy your content, they need to be able to find it first.
On-page SEO helps you improve your content’s performance and visibility in search results. There are a lot of elements that go into it (this on-page SEO checklist discusses many of them), but content optimization tools can streamline the process.
Take All in One SEO’s TruSEO Analysis, for example.
TruSEO runs a series of checks on your content to identify on-page opportunities for improving its reach. You’ll get action-oriented checklists that tell you exactly what changes need to happen for better results.
Here’s an example of the Focus Keyphrase Checklist, which tells me to use my focus keyword in more subheadings.
It’s a powerful tool that provides real-time updates, making your on-page SEO more efficient and effective.
Now, let’s see what else Engram is doing to gain the trust of Google and its users.
2. Author Bios Establish Google E-E-A-T
On each of its blogs, Engram features the author of the post.
And if you scroll to the end of the article, you’ll find the author’s bio.
This simple addition can make a big impact on users and search engines.
Author bios are a great way to feature the talent on your team and create a personal connection with your audience.
Especially now, with so much AI-generated content available, users like to see articles from real people.
And for search engines, they’re a creative way to send signals about your experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. Google refers to this as E-E-A-T.
If your website is part of a your money or your life (YMYL) niche, E-E-A-T signals are even more important.
YMYL websites can impact users' health, safety, and financial wellness. This means search engines are stricter about who they consider qualified to disperse information on these topics, which ultimately affects how they rank them.
And even though Engram doesn’t fall into the YMYL category, it’s still smart to practice E-E-A-T on all websites.
Why this matters:
While E-E-A-T isn't a direct ranking factor, it is a qualitative signal that Google human raters can use to assess how well the algorithm works.
That means it's important to include them in your SEO content strategy.
Here are some benefits of using author bios:
- Boosts your content’s credibility.
- Cultivates transparency and trust with users.
- Highlights your team’s talent and expertise.
- Puts a person behind your brand.
- Gives you a competitive edge over generic content.
How to write author bios:
This tutorial shows you how to write author bios that send E-E-A-T signals.
Here are some of the key points to include:
- Demonstrate your experience and expertise.
- Include keywords related to your niche.
- Write in the third person.
- Let your personality shine.
- Add relevant credentials.
Tools for author bios:
All in One SEO (AIOSEO) has made it easier than ever to create and add optimized author bios in WordPress.
You can use the Author SEO tool to showcase your experience, expertise and authority, earning the trust of users and search engines.
Author SEO has user-friendly fields for credentials, topics you know about, a photo, and more.
For a full tutorial, follow this guide on adding Author SEO to WordPress.
Next, let’s see how Engram leverages its content to win rich snippets on the search engine results page (SERP).
3. Clarity Conquers the SERP
Engram optimizes for content readability in its blogs.
Content readability measures how easily users can read and understand your content. It plays an important role in user engagement metrics, like bounce rate and time on page.
To keep users on a blog post, they use the following readability best practices:
- Use simple language. (This is particularly important for Engram’s audience, which is learning English.)
- Write clear, concise sentences.
- Opt for short paragraphs.
- Use subheadings to organize your content.
This writing style not only keeps readers engaged, but also translates seamlessly to rich snippets on the SERP.
Let me show you what I mean.
Here’s a blog comparing three variations of a word. The title is in the form of a question, and the introduction gives an immediate, clear answer. There’s no fluff.
Then, when I googled the word “pediatrist,” I got the following rich result in the People Also Ask (PAA) box:
The PAA box follows the same question-and-answer format, making it easy for search engines to use Engram’s copy on the SERP.
Featured snippets are another type of rich result that do particularly well with clear and concise writing.
They feature the answer to a user’s query directly on the SERP in position zero. (This means it appears under ads and sponsored posts but above any organic listings.)
Let’s look at another example of how Engram’s blog post introduction is used for a featured snippet.
Here’s the blog intro:
And here’s the SERP with a featured snippet:
In addition to clear content, Engram also implements schema markup on its website.
Schema markup is specialized code that makes it easy for search engines to understand your web page. Search engines can then use this information to generate a rich snippet. (It’s not guaranteed, but it is an SEO best practice to include it.)
Overall, Engram’s optimizations have been wildly successful in winning rich results.
PAA results went from practically non-existent to 2.2K keyword rankings in March.
Their featured snippets are also up at 668 keywords.
Why this matters:
According to SEO statistics, rich results get 58% of all clicks.
This makes them a powerful means of generating more organic traffic for your site.
Plus, content readability is just a natural component of creating a positive user experience. Writing with it in mind will improve your content and keep users coming back for more.
How to optimize for rich snippets:
We discussed two key components for Engram’s rich snippets: (1) content readability and (2) schema markup.
Here’s a tutorial on how to do each:
Spoiler alert: AIOSEO has a tool for both, making these optimizations a breeze.
Tools for rich snippets:
For content readability, TruSEO gives you a Readabiity Checklist. This will help you create engaging content that’s easy to read.
And for schema markup, the Schema Generator is as simple as picking your desired schema from a catalog. You don’t have to worry about coding because the tool automatically formats the schema markup for you.
In fact, schema markup has been a leading contributor to Engram’s fourth and final SEO strategy.
Let’s look at how they’re using ImageObject schema next.
4. Image Optimizations Win More Clicks
The fourth strategy and third most frequent rich result are images.
Engram includes a featured image on each of its blog posts. They’re simple and follow the brand’s orange-and-white color scheme.
As for behind-the-scenes, Engram uses ImageObject schema to markup its images. This increases the chances of them appearing in search results.
When an image appears next to your search listing, it’s considered a rich result. Google refers to these graphics as “text result images.”
And in March 2024, Engram got an impressive amount of them.
They ranked for 600 keywords with text result images.
Why this matters:
Images grab user attention on the SERP and help you stand out from the competition. They can:
- Boost your clickthrough rate (CTR).
- Improve the user experience.
- Provide more ranking opportunities.
Regarding that last point, images can help you rank in traditional search results and Google Images.
There are over 1 billion searches every day on Google Images, making it huge opportunity to grow your traffic.
How to do image SEO:
Image SEO is the process of optimizing your images to rank in search results.
This image SEO guide shows you how to do it, but here’s a quick recap of key points:
- Write natural alt text.
- Optimize the image filename.
- Use image title tags.
- Implement schema markup.
- Write captions when appropriate.
Tools for image SEO:
The Image SEO feature minimizes the manual work of image SEO for faster optimizations and rankings. You can use smart tags to automate tasks like writing image titles or alt text.
Standout SEO Wins
Before we wrap up, I’d like to point out a final technique Engram uses on its product pages.
FAQs Anticipate User Needs and Pave the Way for Branded Searches
Engram includes FAQs on each of its product pages. They address common customer concerns and provide further explanations of product features.
This approach offers a two-fold benefit:
- Reducing Roadblocks to Conversion: By anticipating user questions and addressing them in FAQs, Engram creates a seamless user experience. Imagine a potential customer on your product page, hesitant about a specific feature. An FAQ could help them overcome that hesitation and any confusion. This approach supports the buyer's journey and encourages users to convert.
- Laying the Groundwork for Branded Search Success: Well-structured FAQs with relevant keywords can help you win rich snippets on the SERP. While Engram isn't ranking yet for branded keywords (meaning searches about Engram), its product FAQs set it up for success for future branded searches.
Tool: With AIOSEO, you can address user concerns and product questions (or any type of question) with FAQ blocks. The plugin will automatically add FAQ schema for you, which can increase the likelihood of winning a rich snippet.
Takeaways
Want to replicate Engram's organic traffic growth on your website?
Let's translate their SEO strategy into actionable steps.
These are key takeaways to mimic their strategies and improve others.
Top 3 Strategies to Emulate
- Focus on content that resonates with your target audience. Engram's success hinges on creating content that connects with its target audience. This means going beyond basic keyword targeting and delving into the “why” behind user searches. By understanding search intent and crafting content that addresses their specific needs and pain points, you can establish your site as a trusted resource by users and search engines.
- Highlight your team’s experience and expertise with author bios. Engram uses author bios to build a personal connection and trust with its audience. By highlighting your team's qualifications and strengths, you can boost the overall credibility of your content and domain. This strategy sends E-E-A-T signals, which ultimately can impact rankings and brand perception.
- Use technical optimizations to win rich snippets. While high-quality content is crucial, Engram also understands the importance of technical SEO. Follow some of their best practices, such as implementing schema markup and using a search-friendly URL structure. These optimizations make it easier for search engines to understand your content and navigate your site, potentially boosting rankings.
Bottom 3 Strategies to Reconsider
- Don’t forget FAQ schema on your FAQs! Even though Engram does a great job using schema markup on its blog, I was surprised to see that it was less thorough on its product pages. For example, the product FAQs should have FAQ schema, but they don't. SEO is a long game, and details make a difference. It's important to stay consistent over time for the best results. Plus, schema markup is super easy to implement with a schema generator.
- Stop overlooking image title tags. Image titles appear when users click or hover over an image. They add additional context for users and search engines. And even though Engram doesn't employ them, you should. You can use AIOSEO's smart tags to write them automatically for you, making them an effortless optimization.
- Don’t exceed metadata character limits. Some of Engram's meta titles and descriptions surpass SERP character limits. This leads to truncated copy that provides a less-than-optimal user experience. You can fix this issue by running your metadata through a SERP snippet tool before publishing. It will show you what your page will look like on the SERP, so you can fix any mishaps before they occur.
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SEO Made Simple: Win Higher Rankings With AIOSEO
Engram's SEO strategy offers a powerful roadmap for success.
It highlights the importance of audience-focused content, leveraging team expertise, and technical SEO.
But replicating these strategies can feel overwhelming, especially for website owners without a dedicated SEO team.
Enter AIOSEO, the best SEO plugin for getting results without the complexity.
AIOSEO is trusted by over 3 million website owners to improve their site's search performance. With beginner-friendly tools and actionable insights, you can transform your SEO strategy from guesswork to growth.
Here are some of our favorite features:
- 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.
- Author SEO: Create powerful author bios that showcase your experience and expertise. This addon aligns your content with Google E-E-A-T guidelines and helps readers trust what you’re sharing.
- 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.
- Image SEO: Turn on automatic image alt text and title attributes with a single click. You’ll save time from manual entries while helping users and search engines understand your images.
- 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.
- Cornerstone Content: Mark your most important pages as cornerstone content to make internal linking a breeze. This tool works with Link Assistant to streamline your link-building strategy.
