How I helped Stackify increase monthly blog traffic by 500k by building a structured SEO content strategy

Background & Challenge:

Stackify had started a blog with the goal of ranking for various developer-related keywords. When I joined in March 2019, the blog was already publishing content, but the SEO strategy needed refinement to improve rankings, drive more organic traffic, and turn the blog into a key channel for lead generation. The challenge was not just increasing traffic but ensuring that visitors were the right audience of developers and DevOps professionals who would be interested in Stackify’s solutions.

Role & Objective:

My role encompassed owning the blog’s SEO and content strategy, overseeing content production, and ensuring the quality and relevance of the posts. The primary goals were:

  • Increase organic search traffic by improving keyword rankings.

  • Ensure content aligned with what developers, DevOps, and IT professionals were actively searching for.

  • Convert blog readers into leads by optimizing CTAs and content pathways.

Strategy & Approach:

To achieve these goals, I developed a structured and scalable content strategy that involved:

  • Keyword Research & Optimization: Used tools like Ahrefs and Google Search Console to identify high-intent keywords and topic clusters that aligned with Stackify’s product offerings.

  • Content Calendar & Production Process: Worked closely with independent writers, agencies, and internal subject matter experts to ensure content was both technically accurate and engaging.

  • SEO Best Practices: Focused on internal linking, structured headers, meta descriptions, and schema markup to improve rankings.

  • Content Updates & Refreshes: Identified older, high-potential posts and optimized them for better performance rather than only focusing on new content.

  • Technical SEO & Performance Monitoring: Regularly audited site health and page load speeds, ensuring our content ranked well without technical barriers.

Execution & Adaptation:

The blog’s strategy evolved as we learned more about what performed best. I:

  • Developed SEO guidelines and best practices to ensure consistency across all content.

  • Continuously refined keyword targeting based on performance data, pivoting when necessary.

  • Deepened my knowledge of SEO tools and analytics to improve reporting and data-driven decision-making.

  • Addressed technical SEO issues that could have impacted rankings, such as duplicate content or slow page load times.

Results & Impact:

  • 2.5x Growth in Blog Traffic: Organic search traffic more than doubled over my tenure.

  • Increased Conversions: The blog became Stackify’s highest-performing marketing channel for lead generation.

  • Improved Keyword Rankings: Ranked in the top 3 positions for over 16k competitive search terms.

Lessons Learned & Future Application:

  • SEO is a long game. Investing in structured, high-quality content and consistently optimizing it over time delivers compounding benefits.

  • Updating old content is just as important as creating new content. A strong refresh strategy can significantly boost traffic without constantly publishing new articles.

  • Scaling content production without sacrificing quality is crucial. Balancing in-house expertise with external content production partners helped maximize output while maintaining technical accuracy.

This project reinforced my belief that content is a long-term growth asset. By combining SEO, content strategy, and lead generation, we built a sustainable marketing engine that delivered value well beyond my time at Stackify.

Mitchell Salva