MakeMyTrip is a BEAST at SEO!
- $303M revenue in FY22,
- 64% traffic from Google and,
- 34M SEO users each month!
Buildd your next startup using MakeMyTrip’s brilliant marketing strategy 🧵
- $303M revenue in FY22,
- 64% traffic from Google and,
- 34M SEO users each month!
Buildd your next startup using MakeMyTrip’s brilliant marketing strategy 🧵
1/ What is MakeMyTrip?
MakeMyTrip is an online travel booking platform.
You can book flight tickets, train tickets, or a stay in a hotel, villa or apartment.
So, MakeMyTrip is basically a platform where you can add filters and choose the best travel or stay option for you!
MakeMyTrip is an online travel booking platform.
You can book flight tickets, train tickets, or a stay in a hotel, villa or apartment.
So, MakeMyTrip is basically a platform where you can add filters and choose the best travel or stay option for you!
2/ SEO numbers!
MakeMyTrip gets amazing SEO results.
- Traffic = 34M
- Keywords = 2.6M
- Backlinks = 897K
Top subfolders:
- /hotels - 8.7M
- /railways - 4.5M
- /flights - 3M
- /bus-tickets - 1.2M
Let's learn how these subfolders bring so much traffic!
MakeMyTrip gets amazing SEO results.
- Traffic = 34M
- Keywords = 2.6M
- Backlinks = 897K
Top subfolders:
- /hotels - 8.7M
- /railways - 4.5M
- /flights - 3M
- /bus-tickets - 1.2M
Let's learn how these subfolders bring so much traffic!
3/ MakeMyTrip's SEO strategy
So, MakeMyTrip's strategy is a simple programmatic SEO strategy.
Here's how it goes.
At the core of MakeMyTrip's website is this "search" tool.
Through this tool, you can select the bucket you want to explore — hotels, flights, trains.
(contd.)
So, MakeMyTrip's strategy is a simple programmatic SEO strategy.
Here's how it goes.
At the core of MakeMyTrip's website is this "search" tool.
Through this tool, you can select the bucket you want to explore — hotels, flights, trains.
(contd.)
Once you select the bucket and insert all the filters, MakeMyTrip will automatically display a bunch of options matching your preference.
Sounds simple, right?
But the real question is how does this simple tool rank for 2M keywords? Let's find out!
(contd.)
Sounds simple, right?
But the real question is how does this simple tool rank for 2M keywords? Let's find out!
(contd.)
1) Suppose we consider the "hotel" bucket.
2) Apart from the obvious inputs MakeMyTrip also has a bunch of location-specific and general filters.
3) These include filters like:
- Beachfront hotels
- North Goa
- Price filters
- 5/4/3 star hotels
(contd.)
2) Apart from the obvious inputs MakeMyTrip also has a bunch of location-specific and general filters.
3) These include filters like:
- Beachfront hotels
- North Goa
- Price filters
- 5/4/3 star hotels
(contd.)
4) Now, what's really cool is that some of these filters have a unique URL that targets a very specific keyword. For example, these keywords can be:
- 5-star hotels in goa
- hotels with swimming pools
- cheap hotels in Mumbai
(contd.)
- 5-star hotels in goa
- hotels with swimming pools
- cheap hotels in Mumbai
(contd.)
5) So, when a user enters a very specific search query, like "hotels in south goa with swimming pool", the MMT page appears at the top.
You can see both the filters are already selected!
This feature of creating "unique URLs" allows MMT to rank for long-tail keywords.
You can see both the filters are already selected!
This feature of creating "unique URLs" allows MMT to rank for long-tail keywords.
4/ How to implement this strategy?
What's really interesting about this strategy is that the entire platform essentially is built on a database of hotels, flights, buses, etc.
Each item in the database has all the filter details & all you have to do is match them.
(contd.)
What's really interesting about this strategy is that the entire platform essentially is built on a database of hotels, flights, buses, etc.
Each item in the database has all the filter details & all you have to do is match them.
(contd.)
This is basically programmatic SEO at a huge scale that alone had the potential to bring $300M in revenue 😉.
So, unlike BankBazaar, which implements this strategy just for a simple tool, MakeMyTrip uses this for the entire platform.
(contd.)
So, unlike BankBazaar, which implements this strategy just for a simple tool, MakeMyTrip uses this for the entire platform.
(contd.)
You can see the same strategy implemented by a bunch of different startups in different industries — Nomad List, Naukri .com, Tripadvisor and more!
Here's a simplistic explanation of how you can buildd a similar tool for your startup:
(contd.)
Here's a simplistic explanation of how you can buildd a similar tool for your startup:
(contd.)
1) You first figure out a domain of keywords that a huge number of users search for.
In the case of Naukri .com, one of the keywords can be ➝ "best backend jobs".
2) Once you have these keywords, you separate them into different buckets based on their specificity.
(contd.)
In the case of Naukri .com, one of the keywords can be ➝ "best backend jobs".
2) Once you have these keywords, you separate them into different buckets based on their specificity.
(contd.)
For example, the keyword "5-star, 2 bedroom apartments in south Mumbai" is much more specific than say "apartments in Mumbai".
3) After segregating these keywords, name all the different filters.
(contd.)
3) After segregating these keywords, name all the different filters.
(contd.)
4) Once you are done with the basic research, start building the database with different filter details and the search tool!
5) Make sure each filter query has a unique URL and then you are pretty much ready.
5) Make sure each filter query has a unique URL and then you are pretty much ready.
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