The online dating industry is on the rise. With 366 million users in 2022 and a projected 440 million by 2027, this market shows no signs of slowing down.

But with only a handful of companies dominating the scene, how does a smaller app stand out against the competition?

In this case study, we’ll explore how one dating app leveraged its website to grow organic traffic by 823% year-over-year (YoY) and boost brand awareness.

We’ll share the strategies behind sosyncd.com so you can learn how to mirror their growth on your site. No swiping required.

About So Syncd

So Syncd is a dating app based on the Myers-Briggs personality types. The company is headquartered in London and boasts an international customer base.

The So Syncd website explains the match-making process and how to sign up. Naturally, they include links to download their app on iOS and Android.

Their website also features a personality test, a “love calculator” (you enter two personality types), and blogs.

Overall, the user experience is light and playful, catering to individuals eager to try a new style of dating.

Historical Performance

So Syncd was founded in 2019 by sisters Jess and Lou.

According to Semrush, the site started getting traffic in January 2020. Although, visits were rather low during its first year.

Here, we see a natural progression of So Syncd’s traffic over the years:

In 2023, traffic has almost tripled over the previous year. And that’s only through September.

So, what did So Syncd do to catapult its organic traffic to unprecedented heights?

You’re about to find out.

The Catalyst: How So Syncd Achieved 823% Growth YoY

Sosyncd.com grew organic traffic by performing the following:

1. Adding new content
2. Leveraging programmatic SEO
3. Optimizing for SERP features
4. Acquiring more backlinks

Let’s look at each item in detail to understand its significance and how it contributed to So Syncd’s success.

1. Adding New Content

In the past 12 months, So Syncd has added 10,563 new pages to its website.

This new content covers a variety of topics. However, we’ll focus on the following two categories:

• Zodiac Signs Explained
• Celebrity Database

Let’s start with the former.

In May, So Syncd started adding zodiac blogs to the site.

Here is a screenshot of one of them:

There is a zodiac blog for every day of the year.

And while these 365 pages only make up a mere 3% of the total website pages, this new category generates 35% of September’s US traffic.

We get a similar story with the addition of new pages in So Syncd’s Celebrity Database. These pages share celebrities’ and fictional characters’ personality types and fun facts.

This category already existed the previous year but only had 1K pages in September 2022.

Fast forward to September 2023, and this category has 5,860 pages. And it brings in almost 19% of September’s US traffic.

Meaning zodiac and celebrity pages are responsible for 54% of total site traffic.

Why this matters:

By tapping into a new category (zodiacs) and adding to an existing category (celebrities), So Syncd has boosted its reach and visibility. These two categories have become the site’s main traffic drivers and resonate with their target audience.

How to identify a new category for your site:

Finding a new category, or room to expand on existing content, starts with keyword research.

Keyword research is the process of locating words and phrases that your audience types into search engines. Understanding their language allows you to tailor your content to their needs and capture targeted traffic.

This keyword research guide shows you how to do it using tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, and more.

We also recommend reading this article on topic clusters.

Topic clusters can help you organize your keywords and identify themes for new categories. They’re easy to learn and a powerful way to strategically build out your content.

Tools for keyword research:

All in One SEO (AIOSEO) helps you do keyword research in WordPress.

Once you’ve set a focus keyphrase, we’ll connect to your Semrush account and fetch relevant keywords.

Here’s an example of keyword suggestions for a patio furniture page:

You can then Add Keyphrase, and our TruSEO tool will check your optimizations for the new keyword. It’s as simple as that.

Now, let’s check out how So Syncd added over 10,000 unique pages to its site in 1 year.

2. Leveraging Programmatic SEO

Growing your content portfolio by 10K+ is no easy feat. Especially for a small team that, according to LinkedIn, has only 8 employees.

That’s why they turned to programmatic SEO.

Programmatic SEO is a data-driven approach to automating the content creation process. It relies on a template, data set, and automation to generate thousands of unique pages.

And it does it fast.

So Syncd has tell-tale sales of using programmatic SEO on its site.

When comparing zodiac pages for each day of the year, they follow an identical format.

The same goes for celebrity pages.

Why this matters:

By creating a comprehensive template, So Syncd has capitalized on programmatic SEO to aid in content creation. Otherwise, this output level wouldn’t have been possible with such a small team. This strategy allowed them to scale their efforts and reach their audience faster.

How to do programmatic SEO on your site:

For a tutorial on programmatic SEO, this Zapier article walks you through the steps.

It’s also worth noting that programmatic SEO isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, nor does it work for every business. The above article addresses the pros and cons of this strategy.

The good news is that you can take elements of programmatic SEO to streamline your content creation process.

For example, you may want to automate the following tasks while keeping hand-written content:

• Leveraging AI to write meta titles and meta descriptions
• Using image smart tags to generate image alt text and title tags automatically
• Redirecting 404 pages to your homepage (or any custom page)
• Installing an SEO plugin to get internal linking suggestions in WordPress

Tools for programmatic SEO:

AIOSEO can help you automate SEO processes to make your workflow more efficient.

We have a tool for each task in the above bullet point list:

• For writing metadata: Our AI Generator crafts unique and click-worthy meta titles and descriptions in a single click.
• For image SEO: Turn on Image SEO to add smart tags and generate image attributes automatically.
• For 404 redirects: Redirection Manager helps users and search engines navigate your site and avoid page not found errors. This provides a seamless user experience even when you move or delete content.
• For linking: Link Assistant suggests internal linking opportunities directly in the WordPress editor. No more scouring your site for the right link; we’ll bring them to you.

3. Optimizing for SERP Features

SERP features include rich results (enhanced search results) and featured snippets (the top result on the SERP). They’re eye-catching and improve metrics like clickthrough rate (CTR) and organic traffic.

In the past 5 months, So Syncd has more than doubled its SERP features (16K to 39K).

Most of these SERP features are for Google’s people also ask (PAA) section.

The PAA section is near the top of the SERP and gives users relevant questions to the original search.

Here’s an example of one:

And here’s an example of a featured snippet, which So Syncd is also getting a lot of. These results appear at the top of the SERP in position 0.

Why this matters:

These types of search results are extremely valuable to website owners. They boost brand awareness and help establish authority in your niche. They can also grow your CTR due to their prominent position on the SERP.

How to optimize for SERP features on your site:

So, how did So Syncd get all these attention-grabbing search results?

There are a few elements that go into winning these, so we’ll recap each one here:

1. Implementing schema markup: So Syncd uses schema markup to categorize its content for search engines. This makes it easier for Google to understand your content and serve it as a rich result on the SERP.
2. Optimizing for content readability: An organized content structure aids search engines in understanding the hierarchy of your page. So Syncd uses appropriate subheadings to help humans and bots navigate the content.
3. Writing with a people-first approach: High-quality content is at the heart of SEO. By crafting content that speaks to your audience, you’ll improve rankings and establish trust with your readers.

Here are some additional resources on optimizing your website for SERP features.

How To:

• Get Featured Snippets
• Optimize for Google’s People Also Ask
• Add Schema Markup Without a Plugin
• Improve Content Readability

Tools for SERP features optimizations:

AIOSEO has a suite of tools to help you rank higher on the SERP.

Our rich result schema makes it easy to implement structured data on your website. We have a catalog of schema types; you just have to pick the one you want. We’ll format it properly for search engines, so you never have to touch code.

As for readability and content optimizations, our TruSEO Analysis has you covered.

TruSEO runs your content through a series of checks to provide you with a comprehensive score and checklist. You’ll know what you’re doing well and get actionable tips for anything needing improvement.

Here’s an example of TruSEO Readability recommendations for a WordPress blog:

Next, we’ll look at the final contributing factor to So Syncd’s explosive growth: backlinks.

4. Acquiring More Backlinks

So Syncd grew its backlinks by five times between May and September.

They went from 36K to 183K backlinks in just 4 months.

Why this matters:

Backlinks are integral to a robust SEO strategy. They act like votes of confidence for your site, communicating your credibility to search engines. They’re also considered one of the top two Google ranking factors.

How to do link building on your site:

This backlinking guide explains how to find and acquire good backlinks. It emphasizes quality over quantity and the importance of relevancy.

It’s also worth noting that an effective linking strategy doesn’t stop at backlinks.

You should also optimize for the following:

• Internal links (from one page on your site to another page on your site)
• Outbound links (from your site to another external site)

This link-building guide has everything you need to know to optimize for all three.

Tools for link building:

Link Assistant can help you find internal linking opportunities quickly. With linking suggestions that populate in the WordPress editor, it’s as easy as clicking Add Link.

Standout SEO Wins

Before we conclude, there’s an additional technique we’d like to highlight at sosyncd.com:

1. They embrace their niche to boost brand awareness.

So Syncd’s content strategy demonstrates a keen understanding of its audience and niche. The addition of zodiac and celebrity pages attracts a wider audience and remains relevant to their niche.

This approach serves a dual purpose. Not only does it expand the website’s reach, but it boosts brand awareness for their app.

So Syncd leverages its content to help more people discover their platform, enhancing the app’s visibility. This will be a driving tool in expanding their user base.

Tool: AIOSEO empowers you to make the right optimizations for reaching your target audience. Our user-friendly tools streamline SEO, enabling you to focus on engaging your audience and delivering value. Check out some of our favorite features here.

Takeaways

In our analysis of sosyncd.com, we’ve uncovered the strategies that led to their recent organic success.

Now, let’s review which ones you can apply to your website and strategies to reconsider.

Top 3 Strategies to Emulate

1. Create fresh, relevant content. Follow So Syncd’s lead and publish niche-relevant content that resonates with your audience. This approach drives high-quality traffic to your site while boosting brand awareness.
2. Leverage automation to streamline SEO processes. While So Syncd used programmatic SEO, your website may benefit from a more tailored approach to automation. Streamlining certain processes can make your workflow more efficient and effective.
3. Optimize your content to win SERP features. So Syncd harnessed a few tactics to win more rich results on the SERP, specifically in Google’s PAA section. By making smart optimizations, you, too, can boost your site’s visibility on the SERP.

Bottom 3 Strategies to Reconsider

1. Using multiple H1s on a single page. Every page should have a single, unique H1. This helps avoid duplicate content issues and entices users to read your content. A headline analyzer can help you write catchy H1s that grab their attention and boost user engagement.
2. Not checking metadata lengths before publishing. Some of So Syncd’s meta titles and descriptions are too long for the SERP. Running metadata through a SERP snippet tool can prevent text from getting truncated in search results.
3. Using underscores instead of hyphens for some URLs. Google recommends using hyphens in your URL structure to separate words. WordPress also prefers hyphens. TruSEO can then help ensure your URL is SEO-friendly by checking for your primary keyword in the permalink structure.

Steal Our SEO Winning Strategy: A Checklist for Your Website

Are you ready to join the millionaire’s traffic club alongside So Syncd? Our SEO checklist has the steps to get you there.

Boost Your Rankings & Dominate the SERP With AIOSEO

When content is king, we’ve got the tools you need to outrank the competition.

All in One SEO is the most powerful WordPress SEO plugin to catapult your website’s presence on the SERP.

Trusted by over 3 million website owners and with thousands of 5-star reviews, AIOSEO has everything you need to take your WordPress site to the top of the SERP. We simplify SEO so you can focus on what matters most: growing your business.

Here are some of our favorite features:

• Semrush Keyphrase Suggestions: Perform keyword research without ever having to leave WordPress. AIOSEO connects with your Semrush account to fetch keyphrase suggestions and serve them to you in the WordPress editor.
• TruSEO On-Page Analysis: Get a snapshot view, or go into detail, of your content’s on-page SEO with a dynamic TruSEO Score. We’ll let you know where you’re on target and give you actionable items to hit the bullseye.
• AI Title & Description Generator: Our newest feature makes writing metadata faster than ever. This revolutionary tool uses AI to craft unique and highly clickable metadata for you.
• Image SEO: Save time on manual optimizations by turning on automatic image alt text and title attributes. It only takes 1 click.
• Link Assistant: Boost content discovery with the help of Link Assistant. This tool suggests linking opportunities in the WordPress editor, plus the anchor text to go with it. You can also run reports to find and fix orphan pages.
• Schema Generator: Our schema catalog lets you pick and embed structured data without touching code. Websites with schema markup get more rich results on the SERP, a proven way to drive more traffic to your site.
• SERP Snippet: See how your metadata looks before publishing with the help of a SERP snippet preview. You’ll see if your content is the optimal length or needs tweaking.