Fanbyte launched with no domain authority or search history, while well-funded competitors already dominated search results. The challenge, then, was to find the best opportunities for us to capitalize on, not just make good content. My strategy was to identify the games, topics, and approaches that our much larger competitors weren’t covering. Over 4 years, I built the content strategy from the ground up, hired and managed a team of two full-time writers and 12+ freelancers, and turned the guide section into the site’s primary growth engine.
The Brief
A media company set out to build a premier gaming website from the ground up. A flagship, homegrown property with premium branding and the editorial credibility to compete with the biggest gaming websites. I was brought in to lead the SEO optimized content program end-to-end: developing the strategy, building the SEO team, and growing organic traffic into a primary acquisition channel.
Project Description
Key Results
- 180M+ pageviews across 5,000+ pages
- 4+ min average time on page
- One evergreen piece alone: 10M+ pageviews, 7+ min avg time on page over 5 years
Strategy
Since Fanbyte was a brand-new site with no history or domain authority, targeting the same keywords and using a strategy similar to that of established sites would have been a losing battle. Instead, I used search data and competitive research to identify the games and topics the major players were underserving. Games with active audiences but thin coverage or real audience needs that weren’t getting met. From there, I built a rapid iteration loop: track what drives traffic, double down on what works, cut what doesn’t. That discipline, applied across thousands of pages, is what compounded into the final numbers.
My Role & Scope
- End-to-end SEO content program ownership
- Editorial team leadership (FT writers + 12 freelancers)
- Cross-functional collaboration (designers, engineers, ad ops, leadership)
Related Media
Dillon is one of the absolute sharpest minds in the business, steering the ship that is one of the fastest-growing games publications with his unparalleled SEO insights. He understands numbers and systems in a way that few people out there do, with an unmatched speed and a mindset geared to optimize a site’s potential.
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