5763

16-minute read

Author

[Bálint Somos](/content/news/author/balint-somos/index.html)

SEO consultant and founder at Somos Media. Specializing in building organic growth engines for e-commerce and content-driven brands through keyword research, site audits, and scalable content strategies.

Date

Jan 07, 2026

## Contents

- [Initial situation](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Initial-situation0/index.html)
  - [Website structure and technical setup before SEO](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Website-structure-and-technical-setup-before-SEO1/index.html)
  - [Traffic and visibility levels at the start](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Traffic-and-visibility-levels-at-the-start2/index.html)
  - [Key problems identified](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Key-problems-identified3/index.html)
- [SEO audit & strategy planning](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#SEO-audit--strategy-planning4/index.html)
  - [Technical SEO audit results](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Technical-SEO-audit-results5/index.html)
  - [Keyword research process](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Keyword-research-process6/index.html)
  - [Competitor analysis insights](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Competitor-analysis-insights7/index.html)
  - [Strategic goals and KPIs defined](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Strategic-goals-and-KPIs-defined8/index.html)
- [On-site optimization](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#On-site-optimization9/index.html)
  - [Meta title and description rewrites](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Meta-title-and-description-rewrites10/index.html)
  - [URL structure improvements](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#URL-structure-improvements11/index.html)
  - [Image optimization and alt-text strategy](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Image-optimization-and-alt-text-strategy12/index.html)
  - [Internal linking strategy](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Internal-linking-strategy13/index.html)
  - [Canonical tag implementation](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Canonical-tag-implementation14/index.html)
- [Content development](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Content-development15/index.html)
  - [Product description rewrites (SEO-focused)](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Product-description-rewrites-SEO-focused16/index.html)
  - [Blog posts and FAQ sections](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Blog-posts-and-FAQ-sections17/index.html)
  - [Category page SEO content](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Category-page-SEO-content18/index.html)
  - [Tone-of-voice and brand consistency in content](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Tone-of-voice-and-brand-consistency-in-content19/index.html)
- [Technical improvements](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Technical-improvements20/index.html)
  - [Site speed optimization (NitroPack, caching, etc.)](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Site-speed-optimization-NitroPack-caching-etc21/index.html)
  - [Mobile-friendliness enhancements](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Mobile-friendliness-enhancements22/index.html)
  - [Structured data and Schema Markup](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Structured-data-and-Schema-Markup23/index.html)
  - [Resolving crawl errors and broken links](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Resolving-crawl-errors-and-broken-links24/index.html)
- [Off-site SEO & link building](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Off-site-SEO--link-building25/index.html)
  - [Local citations and business directories](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Local-citations-and-business-directories26/index.html)
  - [Guest posting and content outreach](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Guest-posting-and-content-outreach27/index.html)
  - [Backlink quality and anchor text strategy](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Backlink-quality-and-anchor-text-strategy28/index.html)
- [Tracking, reporting & adjustments](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Tracking-reporting--adjustments29/index.html)
  - [Monthly reporting routine](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Monthly-reporting-routine30/index.html)
  - [Tools used](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Tools-used31/index.html)
  - [What we refined based on data](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#What-we-refined-based-on-data32/index.html)
- [Results](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Results33/index.html)
  - [Keyword ranking improvements](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Keyword-ranking-improvements34/index.html)
  - [Traffic growth (with screenshots/charts)](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Traffic-growth-with-screenshotscharts35/index.html)
- [Lessons learned & takeaways](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Lessons-learned--takeaways36/index.html)
- [Conclusion](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#Conclusion37/index.html)
- [About Somos Media](/content/news/beauty-brand-seo.html#About-Somos-Media38/index.html)

At [Somos Media](https://somosmedia.co/), we’ve helped dozens of brands grow through SEO – so we asked ourselves: _What if we applied our expertise to our own brand?_ That question sparked the idea behind [Melini.hu](http://melini.hu/), a niche beauty webshop built from the ground up with search engine optimization at its core.

From the very beginning, our goal wasn’t just to build an online store. We wanted to create a **strong, self-owned beauty brand** that would leverage our digital marketing know-how, especially in SEO and content-driven growth. Unlike typical e-commerce projects, this wasn’t a client request – this was our own initiative, and that gave us full control over every detail.

## Initial situation

Before any design, content, or development work began, we started Melini.hu with the same mindset we apply to all client projects: **SEO first**.

### Website structure and technical setup before SEO

Melini.hu didn’t start with a legacy platform — we had the rare opportunity to build from scratch. That meant no technical debt, no broken structures — but also, no organic traffic and no authority.

We set up **WordPress** with **WooCommerce** and used **Elementor Pro** as the visual builder, alongside **Yoast SEO** to optimize dynamic product pages.

### Traffic and visibility levels at the start

Since the domain was brand new and had no backlinks or history, our visibility score (as tracked in **Rank Tracker**) was practically **0%**. We had **no indexed keywords**, no impressions in Search Console, and no incoming traffic.

### Key problems identified

Even with a new site, the first audit highlighted potential issues that could harm long-term performance if left unaddressed:

- **Indexing structure**: Yoast SEO settings needed to be manually adjusted to avoid duplicate content and noindex bloat from tag/category pages.
- **Keyword cannibalization risk**: Several overlapping product and category URLs would target the same terms (e.g. "Hada Labo Tokyo" had a brand page, category page, and product pages).
- **Speed optimization**: NitroPack and image compression were implemented early to avoid performance issues as the catalog grew.
- **Thin content alerts**: Several placeholder pages (e.g., product categories) triggered content quality warnings in Website Auditor — these were prioritized for proper copywriting later.
- **Missing structured data**: Products lacked schema markup for reviews, prices, and availability — a quick win we addressed early with a WooCommerce-compatible plugin.

## SEO audit & strategy planning

Once the initial technical setup was in place and we had baseline visibility data, it was time to build the SEO strategy that would guide Melini.hu's growth over the coming months.

### Technical SEO audit results

Using [SEO PowerSuite’s Website Auditor](/content/website-auditor/index.html), we conducted a full technical audit of the site before any large-scale content upload began. This audit helped us catch several subtle but critical issues early:

- **Duplicate meta tags and titles** for WooCommerce category pages (caused by auto-generated templates)
- **Broken internal links** due to placeholder product pages that were later removed
- **Improper canonical tags** — some category pages were set to self-canonical when they should have pointed to parent landing pages
- **Slow-loading scripts** from Elementor widgets that weren’t in use, identified via the Page Speed section
- **Missing alt attributes** on brand logos, banners, and homepage sliders

### Keyword research process

Since this project was SEO-first, **keywords came before products**.  
**We created a seed list using:**

- Google Ads Keyword Planner
- SEO PowerSuite’s **Rank Tracker** keyword suggestions
- Autocomplete and "People Also Ask" analysis
- Hungarian e-commerce competitor site scans
- Keyword clustering based on user intent and funnel stage

**We focused on:**

- Long-tail commercial keywords with specific intent (e.g., “pigmentation spot whitening cream”, “snail mucin face cream”)
- Brand-driven searches (e.g., Hada Labo Tokyo, ANUA, Beauty of Joseon)
- Category-level terms (e.g., Korean cosmetics, anti-aging face cream, SPF 50 moisturizer)

### Competitor analysis insights

We analyzed competitors using [SEO PowerSuite’s SEO SpyGlass](/content/seo-spyglass/index.html) and [Rank Tracker](/content/rank-tracker/index.html) tools. The key findings included:

- Most local competitors had **weak on-page SEO**, with few of them optimizing meta titles or product descriptions for long-tail queries.
- Larger competitors (DM-drogerie, Notino) dominated high-volume brand searches, but often lacked depth in niche product content or educational material.
- Many competitor sites had **slow mobile experiences** or lacked structured product data — which we saw as an opportunity.
- Backlink profiles of top competitors were relatively weak in relevance. Instead of high-quality content links, most had mass directory submissions.

## On-site optimization

### Meta title and description rewrites

We manually rewrote the **meta titles and descriptions** for all key landing pages, categories, and product pages. While default WooCommerce titles often follow a rigid format (e.g., _“Product Name – Shop Name”_), we knew that wouldn’t cut it for SEO.

### URL structure improvements

Before adding hundreds of products, we implemented **a clean, SEO-friendly URL structure** that would scale with the site.

### Image optimization and alt-text strategy

Given that the beauty niche relies heavily on visuals, we prioritized [image SEO](/content/news/image-optimization.html) to improve both page speed and search relevance.

### Internal linking strategy

We created a **scalable internal linking structure** to help spread authority across the site and guide users intuitively through categories and related products.

### Canonical tag implementation

Given the potential for **duplicate content** in a WooCommerce store (e.g., product variations, filtering URLs, tag archives), we carefully applied **canonical tags** to consolidate indexing signals.

## Content development

While technical SEO laid the foundation, it was **content** that truly brought the Melini.hu SEO strategy to life. We focused on writing content that was not only optimized for search engines but genuinely **valuable for users**, helping build both trust and visibility.

### Product description rewrites (SEO-focused)

Most supplier-provided product descriptions were either too short, duplicated across dozens of other stores, or lacking in useful detail. We made it a priority to rewrite every **key product description** in-house, with SEO front of mind.

### Blog posts and FAQ sections

To support top-of-funnel discovery and target long-tail queries, we launched a **content hub** featuring:

## Technical improvements

Even the best content won’t perform well if a website is slow, clunky, or difficult to crawl. That’s why, in parallel with our content work, we invested in **technical SEO enhancements** to improve performance, accessibility, and indexability.

## Off-site SEO & link building

### Local citations and business directories

Although Melini.hu is primarily an online store, we wanted to build **local SEO signals** that would boost trust and increase visibility in Hungarian search results.

### Guest posting and content outreach

We launched a **content-driven outreach campaign** focused on earning links from relevant blogs, lifestyle platforms, and beauty industry websites.

### Backlink quality and anchor text strategy

We carefully monitored our link profile growth using **SEO PowerSuite’s SEO SpyGlass**. This strategy included:

## Tracking, reporting & adjustments

### Monthly reporting routine

From launch, we established a **monthly reporting cycle** to track both technical and performance metrics. This routine allowed us to stay accountable, communicate milestones, and make data-informed decisions.

## Results

By combining technical precision, strategic content, and a focused link-building approach, Melini.hu achieved measurable SEO success in a relatively short time.  
### Lessons learned & takeaways

Every SEO project is a learning process — and launching Melini.hu taught us more than any theoretical case ever could.

## Conclusion

Launching Melini.hu wasn’t just another e-commerce project — it was **a real-world demonstration of what focused, data-driven SEO can achieve**. With zero prior traffic, no existing brand recognition, and a highly competitive niche, we built an organic growth engine from the ground up.

## About Somos Media

**Somos Media** is a performance-focused [digital agency](https://somosmedia.co/) specializing in **SEO, content strategy, and e-commerce growth**. Based in Hungary, we help brands of all sizes turn search visibility into real business results — whether through launching new platforms or scaling existing ones.