Local, national and international keywords in Ibiza water experiences

Organic traffic
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Organic traffic grew by 250% during peak season 2023, especially on related searches

Keywords in Top 3
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The site reached Top 3 in local, national and international searches in Spanish, Italian and French.

Booking increase
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A 40% increase in bookings thanks to improved user experience and segmentation.

In 2023 we took on the challenge of optimising the organic visibility of a business specialising in exclusive water experiences in Ibiza. The goal was a significant increase in qualified traffic through a local, national and international keyword strategy.

The client offered water activities designed for tourists looking to experience unique adventures along the Ibiza coast, from guided routes to personalised experiences. But they faced the challenge of competing both with local businesses and large international platforms dominating search results in key markets like Spain, Italy and France. Our strategy focused on improving their ranking for water-activity searches across three levels:

1. Local: focusing on specific Ibiza areas like Es Vedrà, Cala Bassa and Playa d'en Bossa.
2. National: capturing the attention of tourists within Spain planning their holidays.
3. International: ranking the business on relevant searches in languages like Italian and French.

Our experience in local SEO and multilingual SEO let us design a strategy that adapted to the specifics of the sector and the target audience.

Strategic approach

To optimise the site's presence, we developed an approach across three levels:

1. Local keywords:

   • We identified sector-specific terms.
   • We created specific pages for each activity and area, optimised with relevant content and clear calls to action.

2. National keywords:

   • We focused on high-relevance searches by users within Spain.
   • We designed compelling content highlighting the destination's advantages and the activities offered.

3. International keywords:

   • We worked keywords in Italian and French relevant to the sector.
   • We implemented hreflang tags and rich snippets to guarantee content was served correctly in each language.

2. Challenges identified

Before implementing improvements, we ran a thorough site audit to spot the main obstacles we needed to get past. The key challenges were:

2.1. Low visibility on high-intent keywords

The site wasn't ranking for relevant results in local, national and international searches.

The lack of optimisation for these keywords limited the site's ability to attract qualified traffic. You can check our guide on how to select strategic keywords for similar projects.

2.2. No geographic segmentation

The site lacked pages dedicated to key Ibiza areas like Cala Bassa, Es Vedrà and Playa d'en Bossa. This hurt its relevance in specific local searches, where users tend to look for activities by location.

2.3. Saturated competition

The Ibiza water activities market is dominated by large international platforms and well-positioned local companies, which made a differentiating approach necessary to compete in organic search.

2.4. Technical and content gaps

• Technical:
  • The site didn't have hreflang tags implemented, which hurt its visibility in foreign markets.
  • Load speed was insufficient, affecting mobile users in particular.
• Content:
  • Descriptions were generic and didn't contain specific keywords or useful information for tourists.
  • There was no blog or informational resources to attract organic traffic through evergreen content.

3. Solutions implemented

To get past the challenges, we designed a strategic plan that included the following actions:

3.1. Technical optimisation

• We implemented hreflang tags to guarantee search engines showed the right content based on the user's language and location.
• We improved site load speed, cutting times by 30% through image compression and script optimisation.
• We adapted the web design for mobile devices, improving user experience.

3.2. Geographic segmentation and local pages

• We designed dedicated landing pages for Ibiza's main tourist areas.
• Each page included optimised descriptions, attractive imagery and clear calls to action like "Book your adventure now".

3.3. Multilingual content strategy

• We created content in Spanish, Italian and French, adapting keywords and messaging to each market.
• We published articles on the blog.
• This content helped attract qualified traffic and improved the site's relevance on long-tail searches.

3.4. Backlinks and PR

• We partnered with travel and tourism blogs to generate quality backlinks to the local pages.
• We listed the business in local directories and platforms specialising in tourist activities.

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4. Results achieved

Implementing these strategies generated outstanding results:

1. Organic traffic growth:

   • Organic traffic grew 250% during peak 2023 season, especially on searches related to specific Ibiza areas like Cala Bassa and Playa d'en Bossa.

2. Keyword rankings:

   • The site reached Top 3 on more than 30 local, national and international searches in Spanish, Italian and French.

3. Booking increase:

   • Bookings generated from the site increased 40% thanks to the improved user experience and content segmentation.

5. Key success factors

The project's success came from a combination of technical, content and geo-localised SEO strategies. Here are the key factors that made the difference:

5.1. Focus on local SEO

Creating specific pages for popular Ibiza areas like Cala Bassa, Es Vedrà and Playa d'en Bossa let the site rank on high-intent local searches. This approach captured users interested in specific activities and drove a direct increase in bookings.

5.2. Relevant multilingual content

Content designed for international markets (Spanish, Italian and French) strengthened the business's presence in key markets, ranking on relevant searches.

On top of that, the blog brought a steady flow of organic traffic through articles like "The best water routes in Ibiza" and "How to enjoy water activities safely", which captured users looking for practical information.

5.3. Technical optimisation

Improvements in load speed and implementing hreflang tags guaranteed that content was served correctly in each language and that users enjoyed a smooth experience, especially on mobile — which accounted for more than 75% of total traffic.

5.4. Backlink strategy

Registration in local directories and collaborations with travel blogs specialising in Ibiza increased domain authority and improved the site's ranking on relevant searches. Links from Italian and French travel blogs drove international traffic.

This case shows how a strategic focus on local, national and international keywords can transform a business's online visibility in a competitive sector like Ibiza water experiences.

Thanks to technical optimisation, geographic segmentation and multilingual content creation, the site achieved 250% organic traffic growth, reached Top 3 for several high-intent keywords and secured a 40% increase in direct bookings.

This project reaffirms the importance of adapting SEO strategies to the specifics of the target market, combining advanced techniques and relevant content to achieve sustainable results.

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