User-centered content: How EnableMe reached over 1 million users with a single article
In 2023, EnableMe aimed to improve the organic visibility of their platforms enableme.de and enableme.ch. Together, we set an ambitious goal—to increase organic traffic by an additional 70,000 clicks per year.
EnableMe, operated by the MyHandicap Foundation, already offers a wealth of resources: informative articles, genuine stories from people with disabilities, and direct access to a large, supportive community.
Their content aims not just for clicks, but rather to further EnableMe's mission:
To enhance the quality of life for people with visible and invisible disabilities, as well as chronic conditions, and foster inclusion across all life spheres.
Therefore, dry SEO content or AI-generated fluff had no place in our shared project.
To our and EnableMe’s surprise, our strategy proved far more successful than we had ever imagined possible.
We didn't just meet our original traffic goal—we shattered it, exceeding it by 16 times.
Let me walk you through the process that led our strategy to this success, using a practical example.
1. Understanding the patient journey to uncover relevant topics
To identify the biggest lever for EnableMe, we looked beyond traditional SEO metrics, focusing instead on understanding the patient journey. Working closely with our client, we gained insights that would be almost impossible to gather otherwise, uncovering relevant and sometimes unexpected topics that truly matter to their audience.
A particularly important discovery was the topic "Grad der Behinderung" (disability rating scale). With a monthly search volume of 10,900, this keyword alone indicated a high level of interest among users, making it a priority for content creation.
2. Going beyond a single keyword to find content gaps
Yet, we wanted to dig deeper. Since the topic "Grad der Behinderung" (disability rating scale) is already widely covered, we aimed to find an angle where our content could stand out.
We therefore sought to create more comprehensive content than basic definitions—content that would provide concrete guidance to the audience. Targeting related long-tail keywords allowed us to zero in on niche areas where we could address a specific search intent that broader keywords often miss.
Even without sophisticated SEO tools, there's an effective method for uncovering variations and related search terms: using Google autocomplete.
Typically, head terms have higher search volumes than related long-tail keywords. However, in this case, we discovered something unusual: the long-tail keyword “grad der behinderung tabelle” (disability rating table) showed a higher search volume, proving that users seek detailed, organized information.
Driven by what we found, we further analyzed top-ranking competitor pages. Once again, we wanted to uncover niche opportunities that serve a clear intent and face less competition.
In examining other sites, we found that while some pages ranked for hundreds of keywords, they often failed to consistently appear on the first page. This presented a significant opportunity for us to target relevant long-tail keywords with lower competition and for which no one had yet provided matching content.
For instance, we noticed that the page ranking #1 for “grad der behinderung" (disability rating scale) only ranked #10 for "welcher grad der behinderung bei welcher krankheit tabelle" (disability rating table by illness). This finding literally cried out to be explored further!
As we delved deeper, we realized we'd struck gold. Many competitors only partially addressed users' search intent: people were specifically looking for a table detailing disability ratings by illness—a valuable resource that didn't yet exist.
3. Building on keyword clusters that align with business and audience goals
Being the Sherlocks we are, we uncovered thousands of relevant keywords but needed to narrow down our focus. Using clustering tools, we organized high-potential keywords into groups that tackled various aspects of the disability rating scale, all aligned with the same search intent.
With these keyword clusters in hand, we set priorities based on a blend of SEO potential, audience relevance, and business fit.
SEO fit: Which keyword clusters have high search volume and relatively low competition?
Audience fit: Do these keywords match the interests of EnableMe’s target audience?
Business fit: Can EnableMe create content on this topic that genuinely reflects their expertise and mission?
Only keywords that met all three criteria—SEO, audience, and business fit—were chosen for content development. This ensured each piece aligned with EnableMe’s goals, met user intent, and held the potential to drive substantial traffic.
Clusters like “gdb tabelle” (disability rating table) then guided our content roadmap.
4. Going the extra mile by delivering information gain
As mentioned, many users were searching for a disability rating table by illness—something no other resource offered.
We made it our mission to fill that gap, creating a resource that met users’ exact needs. Our goal was to provide something unique and genuinely helpful—a concept known in the SEO industry as information gain.
This wasn’t easy; gathering unique data took hours of research and close collaboration with EnableMe’s team. But in the end, we succeeded in producing a “never-before-seen” table with real value.
Finally, EnableMe’s experts reviewed and validated the content to ensure accuracy, adding a final layer of credibility and setting it apart as a high-quality, trustworthy resource.
Result: surpassing all expectations
Our efforts paid off! Since the release of the article at the end of 2023, it has seen a rapid rise in both visibility and traffic.
In just 12 months, enableme.de gained over 1 million users through this content piece alone!
Currently, the article generates over 95,000 organic clicks per month—more than the entire project's original annual goal.
In addition, the article gained 7 backlinks without any extra outreach. These links not only boosted its ranking, but also strengthened the authority of the entire domain.
How I'd replicate this
Topic discovery: Critical, user-centered thinking beats SEO metrics. Listen to people who know your audience well, dig deep, and challenge the status quo. Try to act as the audience would, and you’ll find the magic ingredient to your SEO success.
Topic prioritization: Don't just go by search volume or difficulty—focus on topics that align with your audience and business goals. If it doesn't meet both criteria, it's not worth pursuing in most cases.
Content angle: Don't just copy what's already ranking. Find the gaps in current content, and think about how you can fill them with something truly valuable. You don't have to reinvent the wheel; it's enough to inquire a question that hasn’t been answered yet.
Writing style: Keep it simple but engaging. Match your audience's tone and level of knowledge. Write as if you were talking to them directly, in a way they'll understand and connect with.