How Seoul National University Captures $79.87K in Traffic Value Monthly - A Marketing Strategy Breakdown

By Team Inblog ⋅ April 2, 2025

Seoul National University, one of South Korea's premier institutions in higher education, offers a diverse range of interdisciplinary undergraduate programs and specialized research opportunities across its 15 distinguished colleges, empowering future global leaders. snu.ac has successfully generated $79.87K in traffic cost value through its SEO strategies as of November, 2024. 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 snu’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 snu?”)
• 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., “snu vs. Competitors”).
• Transactional: When someone is ready to buy, use, or download something (e.g., “snu 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, snu.ac's top 1,000 organic keywords have been categorized into these intent types.

Notably, navigational keywords are displayed using examples such as "seoul", "seoul university", "journal of policy studies", "gsis", "binel", "snu library", "snu university", "nu admission", "universidad nacional de seúl", "affinely independent", and they account for the largest share, contributing $14.47K 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 pages on snu that generate the most organic traffic through content optimized for keyword intent:

snu's SEO success is rooted in a traditional content marketing strategy, where long-form guides rank for a wide range of keywords. The keyword “korean language program in korea” is a prime example of a long-tailed query that attracts prospective students searching for comprehensive language education options, ensuring that the page resonates with real user intent. Similarly, the “nayoung kim” page appeals to readers interested in academic profiles and insights, thereby generating targeted attention. Lastly, the “project scheduling example pdf” keyword caters to professionals and students in need of practical, downloadable resources, turning a niche search into valuable traffic. 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—that is, the words and phrases that draw people to your site from a search engine results page (SERP)—the better. snu ranks for 5328 organic keywords. One of the biggest contributors to snu’s organic success is their ability to rank for high-value keywords with strong search intent.

On-Page SEO: Keeping a Consistent URL Structure

On-page SEO involves optimizing individual webpages to improve their ranking and attract more relevant traffic. An important element of this optimization is a clear, consistent URL structure that immediately communicates the page’s topic and context to both users and search engines.

At snu, the URL strategy is built around two primary formats. The simple structure, represented as snu/[subfolder], is used for major segments like language-specific homepages or dedicated sections (for example, “en” or “sugang”). Meanwhile, the nested structure—formatted as snu/[subfolder]/[keyword]—is employed for more targeted content where a specific keyword deepens the context, such as “admission/language” or “academics/library”.

This hierarchical URL approach not only improves user navigation by clearly defining content categories and subtopics, but it also aids search engine crawlers in indexing the site efficiently. By structuring URLs in a uniform and keyword-relevant way, snu reinforces its technical SEO efforts, making it easier for both users and search engines to understand and access the site’s content.

Examples of URL Structure:

Seoul National University/[subfolder]

• https://snu.ac.kr/en
• https://snu.ac.kr/sugang
• https://snu.ac.kr/jps

Seoul National University/[subfolder]/[keyword]

• https://snu.ac.kr/admission/language
• https://snu.ac.kr/academics/library
• https://snu.ac.kr/admission/summer

Conclusion

Seoul National University has implemented a well-rounded SEO strategy that has resulted in capturing $79.87K in monthly traffic value. By understanding different types of search intent and optimizing keywords accordingly, snu.ac drives a significant portion of its organic traffic through both navigational and long-tailed queries. Their content strategy, focused on matching user queries with detailed, long-form guides, enhances visibility and relevance on Google. Additionally, the university’s targeted approach to high-quality traffic is evident in their strong performance in faculty profiles, which boosts engagement and reinforces its academic reputation. Finally, a consistent and hierarchical URL structure aids both user navigation and search engine indexing, solidifying the technical foundation of snu’s SEO efforts.