How I Scale New Websites From 0 To 1,000 Daily Visitors

In this article, I’m going to teach you how I scale new websites from 0 to 1,000 daily visitors.

I’ve repeated this process for Health VI which I grew from 0 to 23,700 monthly visitors in less than 8 months (that went on to get 1,500 daily visitors):

And I’m currently using this for my brand new agency, Expert SEO.

It’s less only 6-weeks-old and I’m already ranking #1 for a few of my target keywords and beating competitors who’ve been in the game for 5+ years:

On 25th of July (just a few days after buying the domain), my average search position was 76.5

On 7th of September, it’s 34.6:

And it’s already getting mentioned in ChatGPT searches, too:

These results are the by-product of a very simple yet effective process that covers:

Empathetic market research. How to both understand what your audience wants and crafting a message that resonates with them.
Competitor analysis. How to gain information about your competitor’s, where they’re dropping the ball, and using that for your content strategy.
Keyword research and content strategy. Identifying keywords related to your business and crafting the content that puts you in a league of your own.

And much more.

Let’s begin.

Step 1: Empathetic Market Research

As an SEO guy, it’s super easy for me to want to jump straight into the cool “nerdy SEO stuff” like keyword research, link building, etc.

However, doing that right away is a disservice not just to your own business, but more importantly, to the market you’re entering and the people you’re trying to help.

If you’re really serious about growing your website and your business, you need to start with putting yourself in the shoes of your target market and asking those nitty’ gritty’ questions that make your tummy squirm a tad.

(The same questions they’re probably already asking themselves, even if only subconsciously)

It’s just like golf.

If you’re not lined up correctly when you swing, the ball is going to end up in a place you don’t want it to, and your golf club may “magically” snap in two.

Slow down and take the time to get your stance right.

When you hit it, it’ll go exactly where you want it to go.

If you had your “perfect customer” sitting in front of you, these are just a few questions you’d want to ask:

What does this person actually want?
What will their life look like if you help them get it?
What are the negative emotions they feel if the problem stays unsolved?
Why should they trust you?
Why should they choose you over the endless competitors fighting for the same attention?
How can you show them, not just tell them, that you can deliver what they want?
What offers, advantages, or angles separate you from everyone else?
What image do you want to project to this market?
What is the customer’s journey from stranger to paying customer?

Why This Step Is So Important

At the end of the day, you can’t talk to a market you don’t understand.

If you want people to listen, trust, and eventually buy, you need to be able to talk with them in a way that makes sense to them.

And you can’t do that unless you know their problems, their feelings, their desires, and their frustrations around the problem your business exists to solve.

Once you have that, you can create messaging that cuts through the noise and speaks directly to what they care about most.

When I ran Health VI in the weight loss space, this was my secret weapon.

We were targeting busy people who wanted to lose weight but didn’t have much time.

So I went straight to the source:

I spoke with real people in that exact situation.

I drove to a few friends of my house that were our “target market.”

Some were moms with four kids.

They’d wanted to lose weight for years, but convenience kept winning; it was easier to eat what the kids and the husband were eating than to make a separate meal.

Others were simply exhausted.

By the time they’d taken care of the kids, cleaned the house, handled everything else, the idea of prepping special meals or hitting a workout was just too much.

I didn’t guess. I asked. I talked to them.

I even emailed past customers who had already trusted us enough to buy and asked what life was like before, during, and after.

I wanted to know exactly how they felt, what they wanted, what they feared, and what had finally pushed them to take action.

And here’s the key: once you know all of that, crafting your market message gets as easy as pie.

Step 2: Competitor Groundwork

Once I know who I’m serving and how I want to show up in the market, it’s time to look at who I’ll be going up against.

This step is about research.

Not just SEO research, but competitive intelligence.

You’re studying the landscape so you can find the gaps and build real advantages.

Here’s what I look at:

What type of content are they creating?
Where is that content lacking?
What’s their branding and positioning?
What’s their story and core message?
What does their buyer’s journey look like?
What kind of sales funnel do they use?

I want to know what’s working for them and, more importantly, what isn’t.

Because the goal here is to spot opportunities; the places where you can do better, be clearer, build more trust, and deliver more value.

How I Used This With My Own Business

When I ran Health VI in the weight loss space, this step became one of our biggest edges.

Most of our competitors were affiliates for everything.

Their goal was the quick dollar.

A dash of honesty and transparency weren’t in their morning coffee whatsoever.

Every review ended the same way: “This product is amazing, you should buy it.”

We used this against them.

We knew that even if it meant sacrificing a few dollars up front, we’d build something better by telling the truth.

We wanted to earn trust, not just traffic.

So when we reviewed a product, 95% of the time we said no.

We explained:

why it wasn’t worth the money,
why the claims didn’t hold up, and
what actually would help instead.

Side by side, the difference was obvious:

One business lied to get a quick sale while the other told the truth, even when that meant saying “don’t buy this.”

Take a guess which one people trusted.

Here’s How to Do It

This part is simple.

You don’t need fancy tools.

You need curiosity and a few browser tabs.

Take the most important keywords in your niche.
For each one, open the top three results.
Spend five to ten minutes on each site.
Read their content. Ask yourself: how can I make something better? What’s missing?
Click around their site. Look at their branding, their story, their funnel, their offers.
Note what works, what doesn’t, and where you can stand out.

Do this across the key terms in your market, and patterns will start to pop out.

You’ll see what everyone is doing the same, what no one is doing at all, and where the gaps are wide open.

This resource offers a detailed walkthrough of performing SEO competitor analysis, complete with a downloadable template for practical application.

Step 3: Keyword Research and Content Strategy

Now that you know your market, your audience, and your competitors, it’s time to identify the keywords you actually want to target.

This step isn’t about creating content yet: it’s about finding the right topics, understanding intent, and setting up a content strategy that makes sense for you and your business.

Here’s how I approach it:

First, pick a core keyword related to your business.
Second, use a VPN tool + incognito browser to clear all the search history. Throw your keyword in there and see what comes up.
Third, study the top 3-5 results. Look at their content and see what you need to create in order to put yourself in a league of your own.

For example:

Part of my agency-work is providing SEO help for small Businesses.

I wanted to target “SEO Hamilton” because it’s a local keyword with commercial intent.

Using a VPN search and incognito tab, I clicked the top five results and studied them.

Here’s what I found:

None of them used video.
None had a personal brand attached, just faceless companies.
Most had terrible formatting and no images.
The content had no personality, no flair, and felt dry and boring.
They didn’t highlight the real benefits of SEO or showcase past experience to prove credibility.

All of this is an opportunity.

If you bring a personal brand, show your face, add video, create better visuals, and inject personality and style into your writing, you immediately stand out.

That’s how I use this process to not only find keywords but also figure out exactly how to position my content so it beats what’s already out there.

Step 4: Content Creation

By this point, you’ve done the groundwork:

You know your audience and what really matters to them.
You’ve mapped out your competitors and spotted the gaps.
You’ve identified the keywords you want to target.

Now it’s time to create content that leverages all of that.

This isn’t just writing for SEO or stuffing keywords on a page.

This is about building content that solves problems, delivers value, and sets you apart from everyone else.

Here’s a few tips I use when creating the content:

Answer the what, why and how of your keyword.
Infuse your own authentic “spin” in your post.
Take the list of competitive advantages you created previously and include all of them in your content.
Go back to your list of questions you asked yourself previously and make sure those concerns and included in your content.
Look at your piece of content from the user’s perspective. Can you confidently say it’s the best piece of content on your target keyword?
Make sure you use videos, images, and clean formatting for your post including descriptive H1,H2,H3 + tags.
Write like you speak. Don’t write like R2D2’s second-cousin.
Use as much proof as possible. Showcase your previous results to build trust, expertise and authority.

Related article: How to Write SEO-Friendly Content with AI SEO Tools

Here’s How I Did It: The SEO Hamilton Page Example

When I created my SEO Hamilton page, I applied everything from Steps 1 through 4:

I included a quick video of myself to stand out from competitors who had none.
I showcased previous brands and clients I’ve worked with.
I explained why SEO services matter specifically for Hamilton businesses.
I highlighted what makes our services different.
I shared past results and successes to build credibility.
I added an SEO guarantee: if there are no measurable improvements from any key metrics, I’ll continue working for the same amount of time you’ve engaged with us.
I included client reviews.
I added a personal message from myself to humanize the page.
I included a fact section to back up claims and educate readers.

If someone compared my page side by side with the competition, there would be no question that mine is leagues above the others.

Everything a searcher could want is there.

And here’s the important part: if your content isn’t at that level yet, that’s okay.

It’s a continuous game. You can always update, improve, and refine your posts. The goal is to keep thinking like the searcher and raise the bar over time.

Step 5: Consistency Wins

Once you’ve nailed the process for one keyword, the next step is simple:

Rinse and repeat.

Apply the same research, analysis, and content creation process to every keyword you want to target.

Think of it like going to the gym.

You don’t get results from one session. You get results from consistent effort over time.

The same thing is true for SEO and content.

Traffic grows, authority builds, and your website gradually moves from zero to 1,000 daily visitors and beyond.

Consistency is key.

The more you understand your audience, outsmart your competitors, and create content that truly stands out, the faster your growth compounds.

Wrapping It All Together

Scaling a website from zero to 1,000 daily visitors isn’t about hacks or shortcuts.

It’s about doing the right thing (all the “stuff” mentioned in this guide) over and over again.

Truly think about your target market, your perfect customer, and what they need help with.

Put yourselves in their shoes and ask the questions that will bring value to both of you.

Once you’ve done that, THEN begin creating the content and SEO strategizing.

Every step builds on the last. Every page, video, or guide is another opportunity to deliver value, earn trust, and strengthen your presence.

Do this consistently, and the results compound.

Traffic grows, authority builds, and your website will become a go-to resource your audience can rely on.