What we did

First things first, we began compiling huge-scale keyword research in all five languages. Your average keyword research project might cover something like 3,000 to 5,000 keywords, whereas we collated over 1 million keywords for this project. We provided keywords in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, and covered a huge range of travel topics related to over 100 destinations.

The scope of the keyword research was only feasible thanks to our unique process for conducting keyword research at scale. Where traditional keyword research involves intensive manual effort, we do things a little differently. Through close consultation with the Expedia team, as well as our own travel industry expertise, we started by defining and categorising a comprehensive seed keyword list. We then used our machine learning-assisted process to generate a usable output list of more than 1 million keywords covering a huge range of topics.

This keyword list then formed the basis for both content strategy and wider SEO strategy, with far-reaching possibilities for ranking analysis and more.

Outcome

Using the keyword data we began defining a coherent content strategy that went beyond simple target topics. Data sent Expedia in a new direction and provided methodology for publishing inspirational content as well as more commercial content.

This content strategy then resulted in the creation of five separate content calendars.

We developed a calendar for each territory, to reflect the differences in search behaviour across the languages, but each calendar followed the same overall strategic vision, with common formats and titles to enable efficient localisation where possible.

Finally, we moved into production, with hundreds of titles written and delivered over the course of the year, and hundreds more set for future development.

Due to the success of the ongoing project, Expedia engaged us to carry out the same process at a smaller scale in the US.