How a family business website grew to 4M visitors per month

Consumer

Leuke Recepten is a classy Dutch cooking web site. Over 4 million individuals go to it every month to search out new recipes and study extra about cooking—that’s each fifth citizen within the Netherlands! Extra importantly, Leuke Recepten is a wonderful instance of how a small interest web site can develop into a profitable household enterprise with sufficient ardour and the appropriate instruments.  

The story behind Leuke Recepten began in 2011. At the moment, Sandra Koopmans and Eric Waterschoot labored on the publishing home. That is the place they met, fell in love, and married, but in addition the place they found a mutual curiosity in digital advertising. Instantly after Sandra and Eric moved in collectively, they determined to begin their very own web site collectively. 

The concept of Leuke Recepten appeared naturally. Sandra loved experimenting within the kitchen, whereas Eric photographed so much in his spare time. They determined to create a meals web site the place they may share their favourite recipes. They began cooking in Eric’s mother and father’ kitchen, the place they lived collectively for a while. Sandra didn’t have a lot cooking expertise on the time, so the concept behind their web site was easy: straightforward and enjoyable recipes for everybody. That’s how they got here up with the identify for his or her web site: Leuke Recepten — Beautiful Recipes. 

Sandra Waterschoot-Koopmans

Co-founder

On Leuke Recepten, I can categorical my creativity and keenness for meals. The great factor about cooking is that you’re by no means carried out, as a result of there are nonetheless so many concepts you may notice.

Within the evenings and on the weekends, Sandra and Eric labored collectively on the kitchen desk on Leuke Recepten. They barely had any data of web optimization on the time, although Google was much less superior then than it’s now. Nonetheless, Sandra and Eric loved engaged on their web site and content material. They’ve been utilizing SE Rating for the previous three years and proceed utilizing it to achieve extra perception and enhance their web site. Now their web site performs admirably and receives a number of visitors.

We met this stunning couple in Amsterdam throughout the Webwinkel web optimization convention. We have been so impressed by their story and keenness for web optimization (and meals, after all) that we couldn’t assist however ask them to share their insights into how Leuke Recepten grew to become so profitable. 

Are you hungry for some recent ideas? Get pleasure from!

Targets

Sandra and Eric wished their web site to succeed, so that they set the next targets:

• Improve search visibility and increase natural search visitors. 
• Obtain prime positions for goal key phrases, for instance ‘spruitjes stamppot’.
• Improve the variety of guests by 10% in comparison with the earlier 12 months.
• Retain current guests on web site for longer.
• Enchantment to potential purchasers and drive enterprise development.

Steps they took to achieve these targets

Eric and Sandra use SE Rating virtually every day, and so for this case examine, we requested them about their standard strategy to optimizing pages on their web site. You’ll discover that they apply comparable methods for creating new pages as they do for updating current ones. Their technique is so easy that you would be able to attempt it out for your self.

1. Web site construction optimization

Earlier than creating, updating, or optimizing their pages, Eric and Sandra fastened their web site construction. They realized at one level that they needed to begin bundling the various recipes they’d on their web site. 

This was the very first thing they did to enhance the web optimization of their web site. 

First, they created a ‘excessive tea recipes’ class web page with a brief intro textual content and hyperlinks to all associated pages throughout the web site. In 2012, this was thought of a novel strategy as a result of most weblog websites solely consisted of single weblog posts. Interlinking numerous content material items throughout the web site made it extra comfy and handy for customers. Because of this, inside just a few weeks, they have been on the prime of Google. Later, Eric and Sandra utilized this profitable technique to different classes and recipes. 

2. Key phrase Analysis

Step one inr each challenge is Key phrase Analysis. Each time Eric and Sandra give you a brand new recipe, they begin by researching key phrases and evaluating their search volumes. This permits them to determine key phrases with the very best search potential for his or her content material.

Eric Waterschoot

Co-founder

We use Key phrase Analysis so much. Each time we put a brand new recipe or weblog submit on-line, we first have a look at key phrases and examine totally different variants and titles. This fashion, we are able to discover an order of phrases with the very best search quantity and ensure that the submit will carry out nicely in Google.

Let’s check out the next instance. Eric used SE Rating to seek for ‘stamppot’ — a conventional Dutch dish in style in winter. After analyzing the outcomes, he settled on three variants with essentially the most search quantity: stamppot with endive, kale, and brussels sprouts. They then added these queries to their key phrase listing. 

Eric and Sandra came upon that they have been ranked among the many prime 3 on Google for a lot of stamppot recipes, however the one with brussels sprouts stamppot recipe was in place 12. After reviewing this web page, they realized it was partly as a result of this was already an previous recipe. So, they determined to work on optimizing this web page for higher rankings.

Eric and Sandra monitor a number of key phrases. In truth, they monitor so many key phrases that they should group them into classes, reminiscent of ‘casseroles,’ ‘salads,’ ‘pasta,’ and so forth. This fashion, they’ll hold an in depth eye on their rankings (whether or not they’re dropping or rising), and shortly reply. 

Grouping key phrases additionally allowed them to set their targets extra effectively. One in all their targets, for instance, was to “obtain a mean rating of 4 for ‘salads’ group in a single month”. Sensible targets like these will let you measure your present success, replace your roadmap if essential, and obtain your web optimization targets extra effectively.

3. Aggressive Analysis

Aggressive analysis is one other important step in the direction of having a top-performing web page. SE Rating’s set of instruments permits customers to investigate the aggressive panorama, discover direct rivals, and verify their efficiency. For Eric and Sandra, this software was useful for enhancing the standard of their content material.

They incessantly use Aggressive Analysis to get an outline of rivals, to see how their web site is doing in opposition to their rivals, and to fill doable content material gaps. For instance, they incessantly checked out different rivals to see in the event that they have been rating for high-volume key phrases that Eric and Sandra didn’t goal but or didn’t carry out significantly nicely for. For this challenge, they discovered that ‘stamppot with apples and bacon’ was a well-liked search question, so that they determined to publish their very own recipe for it.

4. On-page optimization

Eric and Sandra use the On-Web page web optimization Checker once in a while to run a fast check-up of their most vital pages that generate essentially the most visitors. On-page optimization is a crucial step if you wish to assess web page well being and discover areas for enchancment. 

Eric Waterschoot

Co-founder

We’re continually renewing previous recipes and content material on our web site. SE Rating reveals whether or not these enhancements are having an impact and whether or not your high quality rating and rankings are rising. Generally a phrase or one other image can drastically affect web page efficiency.

Proper after Eric and Sandra enter the goal web page URL in SE Rating’s On-Web page web optimization Checker, they’ll see the general high quality rating for the web page they analyze. They will additionally see a report with an inventory of all web page components that might be improved, such because the title, H1-H2 headings, backlinks, and pictures.

Let’s return to Sandra’s stamppot recipe web page. After working an on-page audit, they added new key phrases with excessive search quantity (stamppot with apple and bacon) to the web page title, up to date the first copy on the web page, and added new photographs. The standard rating elevated momentarily. This resulted in greater rankings, and inside just a few days, their brussels sprouts stamppot was in place 2.

Due to wonderful optimization, the web page additionally appeared as a wealthy snippet on Google.

Outcomes

All their efforts paid off! Sandra’s stamppot recipe ranked second in search outcomes due to SE Rating and a few web optimization magic. Many different recipes on her web site get prime positions every day. Some pages require extra time to rise in SERPs, however general natural visitors to their web site has almost quadrupled over the past two years. In different phrases, tens of millions of Dutch cooking lovers will virtually at all times come throughout Leuke Recepten when trying to find new recipes!

Takeaways

In the case of web optimization, Eric and Sandra use easy but efficient methods for his or her web site. The simple technique that they use consists of the next steps: creating distinctive, well-optimized and related content material; continually updating older pages; fixing on-page points; and reconsidering their web site construction because it grows. This system normally does the trick for them and results in nice outcomes. 

Do you know that the content material creation course of will be much more efficient in the event you use our new content material editor software? This AI-powered content material writing assistant helps you create web optimization and reader-friendly texts extra effectively. 

Eric and Sandra’s story additionally reveals that moreover important web optimization abilities, you want a excessive degree of dedication and keenness for what you do. Sandra and Eric reworked their interest right into a profitable on-line enterprise. They just lately revealed a cooking guide and created a cell app with personalized meal plans. Additionally, in case your tummy began rumbling whereas studying this submit, learn these festive New Yr’s snacks recipes on Leuke Recepten!