We’d all love to rank #1 for the very best, high-volume, high-intent keywords in our industries, but if you’re just starting out, chasing those white whales can waste time and investment while stunting business growth.
White Whale (noun) – Something that someone pursues obsessively and with little chance of success. – Macmillan Dictionary
Let’s say a competitive, high-intent keyword averages 25,000 monthly searches. You craft a detailed, long-form, value-packed blog post designed to help you rank. Then, crickets.
Why?
You don’t have enough authority to move the needle.
Your competitors have the advantages of time, probably backlinks and, likely, hundreds of pages of related content that help search engines recognize their topical authority.
A better approach would be to explore less competitive, related keywords that match search intent for the same target audience. Create a series of posts and link each to the “white whale” page.
If you execute this strategy well, your less competitive posts will begin to rank within a few months (or even a few weeks), and you’ll start to drive traffic – one of the most important SEO metrics.
You’ll get real results fast, rather than investing all your effort into an uphill battle that yields no results.
As you post more content, you’ll begin to earn topical authority, and eventually, you’ll stand a chance of ranking for that white whale.
Here’s a real-world example using SEMrush search data:
There are 27,100 monthly searches in the U.S. for the term “guitar lessons.” However, SEMrush puts its ranking difficulty at 88%, which is considered “very hard.” You might be the best guitar instructor on the planet, but if you’re just starting out, you’re not going to rank for this keyword anytime soon.
However, there are opportunities to rank easier and faster for terms your target audience searches. Here are a few examples:
| Keyword | Monthly Volume | Ranking Difficulty |
| Guitar lessons | 27,100 | 88 |
| Beginner guitar lessons | 2,900 | 52 |
| How to play electric guitar | 1,900 | 49 |
| Guitar lessons for kids | 1,600 | 47 |
| How to play f on guitar | 880 | 50 |
| How to play slide guitar | 590 | 40 |
| How to sing and play guitar at the same time | 590 | 41 |
| How to play jingle bells on guitar | 390 | 34 |
| How much do guitar lessons cost | 390 | 29 |
| Zoom guitar lessons | 210 | 17 |
Measured individually, these topics don’t get as much search volume as your white whale, but they will rank faster and start driving targeted traffic to your site. Create enough content, and they could collectively drive even more traffic than the white whale could – without putting all your eggs in one basket – and over time, they’ll lend authority to increase your chances of ranking for “guitar lessons.”
This strategy not only helps you achieve more, faster, and establish topic relevance and authority, it also futureproofs your content – at least to some degree. If you do rank for a white whale keyword, then the algorithm tanks your rankings, you could essentially lose your entire organic revenue stream overnight. However, with a strong content portfolio, even a major hit like that won’t harpoon your business. You’ll still get plenty of targeted traffic to keep you afloat while you address the ranking drop.
Stop chasing white whales. Instead, invest in a school of fish that can help you grow your business faster and, eventually, enable you to rank for the biggest catch of all.