How Bankrate Captures $716.24M in Traffic Value Monthly - A Marketing Strategy Breakdown

By Team Inblog ⋅ March 19, 2025

Bankrate, a trusted independent publisher and advertising-supported comparison service since 1976, empowers consumers by offering insights and side-by-side comparisons on mortgages, high-yield savings accounts, and other key financial products. bankrate has successfully generated $716.24M in traffic cost value through its SEO strategies as of March, 2025. This growth is driven by a combination of keyword targeting, content optimization, and on-page SEO improvements.

In this article, we’ll dive into the key marketing strategies that contributed to their success.

Keyword Strategies

A well-planned keyword strategy helps connect your content with the right audience by aligning it with their searches.

Boost SERP Rankings by Understanding Search Intent

The key to this strategy’s success is bankrate's deep understanding of search intent. Search intent isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the reason people type queries into search engines and a major driver of search traffic.

There are four main types of search intent:

• Informational: When someone is looking to learn more (e.g., “What is bankrate?”)
• Navigational: When someone is trying to find a specific page or site (e.g., “Personal CRM Template”).
• Commercial: When someone is comparing options (e.g., “bankrate vs. Competitors”).
• Transactional: When someone is ready to buy, use, or download something (e.g., “bankrate Pricing”).

As search intent moves from Informational to Navigational, Commercial, and Transactional, users become more specific and action-driven. Initially, users seek general information, but as they move down the funnel, they get closer to making a decision or purchase.

Considering various keyword variations that users might search for in areas like UX or template solutions, bankrate's top 1,000 organic keywords have been categorized into these intent types.

Notably, informational keywords are displayed using examples such as "mortgage calculator", "high yield savings account", "mortgage rates", "mortgage", "compound interest calculator", "cd rates", "roth ira calculator", "amortization calculator", "30 year mortgage rates", "wells fargo", and they account for the largest share, contributing $8.05M in traffic cost.

Optimizing Content for Search Intent

To rank well on Google, it's important to create content that aligns with what users are actually searching for. Google aims to provide answers by using advanced algorithms to understand the intent behind each query. Understanding search intent helps ensure your content meets users’ needs.

Below are the top five pages on bankrate that generate the most organic traffic through content optimized for keyword intent:

bankrate's SEO success is rooted in a traditional content marketing strategy, where long-form guides rank for a wide range of keywords. The selected keywords are high-traffic, non-branded, and long-tailed phrases that address specific financial queries. From a tool helping homeowners estimate payments to calculators that shed light on compound interest and the cost of living, each keyword taps into a real user need. This structured approach to content not only boosts rankings but also ensures that searchers find exactly what they're looking for.

Choosing the Right Keywords to Attract Quality Traffic

The more organic keywords you rank for—the words and phrases drawing visitors from search engines—the higher your website’s visibility and authority. bankrate ranks for 1681891 organic keywords, demonstrating a broad reach that captures quality traffic by targeting high-intent queries.

On-Page SEO: Keeping a Consistent URL Structure

On-page SEO involves optimizing individual pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. This encompasses a range of measures, including effective title tags, meta descriptions, proper header use, and thoughtful URL structures that clearly indicate the content of the page.

Bankrate utilizes a well-organized URL system that reflects its content hierarchy. By assigning a distinct subfolder to each major topic, the site instantly communicates the primary subject matter to both users and search engines. The first segment after the domain serves as a broad category, making it easy to identify key sections of the website.

Furthermore, the nested URL structure allows for finer categorization where a main topic is followed by a specific keyword or topic statement. This systematic arrangement simplifies navigation, enhances user experience, and improves crawlability—contributing significantly to Bankrate’s overall technical SEO strategy.

Examples of URL Structure:

bankrate/[subfolder]

• https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages
• https://www.bankrate.com/banking
• https://www.bankrate.com/loans

bankrate/[subfolder]/[keyword]

• https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/mortgage-calculator
• https://www.bankrate.com/loans/loan-calculator
• https://www.bankrate.com/retirement/401-k-calculator

Conclusion

This report outlines Bankrate’s comprehensive marketing strategy that has driven a monthly traffic value of $716.24M. Key components include a deep understanding of search intent evidenced by a well-distributed keyword strategy, content optimization that aligns with user queries, and targeting high-quality, high-intent organic keywords. Additionally, Bankrate’s effective use of a uniform URL structure plays an essential role in its on-page SEO, enhancing navigation and crawlability.