Case Study: The Mallorca Insider – Full SEO & Website Build from Scratch
How relocating to Mallorca and using WPMU tools, VAST theme, and zero initial assets produced a top-ranking travel guide site in six months.
📘 Project Summary
- Client: The Mallorca Insider
- Sector: 🧳 Travel & Tourism (Mallorca)
- Duration: ⏳ 6 months
- Platform: WordPress with WPMU, VAST theme
- Starting Point: 🚫 No existing website, no content, no media
- Scope: 🛠️ Full-site build, SEO strategy, content writing, photography, and launch
🔍 1. The Challenge
The client had the domain but nothing else—no site, content, images, or SEO foundation. To do this properly, I moved to Mallorca for six months to immerse myself in the destination and build the platform from the ground up.
- ❌ No website structure
- ❌ Zero written content or photography
- ❌ No technical SEO or analytics
🧠 2. The Strategy
Built SEO into the core from day one, combining WordPress with WPMU plugins on the VAST theme.
📂 A. Site Planning & Architecture
- Designed navigation around user interests (Destinations → Things to Do → How to Get There)
- Built topic clusters to support internal linking and search intent
✍️ B. Content Research & Writing
- Travelled across Mallorca to gather authentic tips
- Authored guides to towns like Palma, Deià, Valldemossa, Alcúdia, Portocolom
- Focused on conversational, travel‑friendly tone
📸 C. Photography & Visuals
- Took original photos throughout the island
- Optimised media for mobile performance, SEO-friendly filenames and alt tags
⚙️ D. Technical SEO & WPMU Setup
- Used WordPress with WPMU DEV plugins (SmartCrawl, Hummingbird, Smush, Defender)
- Implemented clean URLs, structured metadata, lazy loading
- Configured schema for attractions and FAQ content
- Tuned performance using Hummingbird and Smush to reduce load time by ~45%
📊 E. SEO Tracking & Launch
- Installed Google Search Console & Analytics
- Monitored indexation, crawl errors, and search performance from week one
- Refined content and internal links based on real user data and keywords
📈 3. The Results
🔎 Search Visibility
- 350+ pages indexed within 90 days
- Ranked for 120+ Mallorca-specific keywords (e.g. “Valldemossa guide”, “Cap de Formentor itinerary”)
- Secured top 10 rankings for multiple destination pages
👥 Traffic & Engagement
- 85% of traffic from organic search within six months
- Visitors from Germany, UK, France, Spain, Netherlands
- Bounce rate under 40%, average session time over 3 minutes
📷 Content Performance
- Unique photography increased credibility and time on page
- Interactive maps and local “insider tips” drove engagement
📨 Conversions
- Contact form submissions began by Month 2 and grew 110% by Month 6
- Local tourism businesses approached for listings and partnerships
💡 4. Lessons for Entrepreneurs
| 📌 Lesson | 💬 Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Build SEO from day one | Retrofitting SEO is less effective and more work |
| WordPress + WPMU is powerful | Smart plugins make technical SEO easier |
| Content + performance go hand in hand | Speed and clarity boost rankings and engagement |
| Immersion brings authenticity | First-hand experience creates content that resonates |
| Localised content scales | Each cluster page drove topic authority and growth |
🧾 Final Thoughts
This project shows how combining real-world immersion, thoughtful structure, and WPMU-powered WordPress performance can create a sustainable, high-ranking travel resource from nothing.
Moving to Mallorca, writing everything from scratch, and using the VAST theme with the right plugins didn’t just create a website—it created a trusted guide for travellers and local partners alike.
