Muhammad Syahid⚡️
From 0 to 100K Clicks – The Journey of Building Info Jateng Pos

From 0 to 100K Clicks – The Journey of Building Info Jateng Pos


As someone who has worked in SEO for quite some time, I felt something was missing if I didn’t have a personal project that I could build and test from scratch. So in late April 2024, my colleague and I started a side project: Info Jateng Pos, a blog focused on delivering local information about Central Java.

The goal was simple: to build a digital asset that could generate extra income while serving as an SEO testing ground.

Initial Challenges

When we started, we encountered the usual obstacles:

  • Unclear content direction, and we made the mistake of choosing the domain before planning the content.
  • The website was brand new, with no authority in Google’s eyes—even though technically, infojatengpos.com was an aged domain.
  • Our early content was mostly thin, despite targeting the right keywords.

The Golden Keyword Ratio Strategy

On May 12, 2024, I began focusing on low-volume, low-competition keywords, known as golden keywords. These are keywords with low to moderate search volumes (typically under 1,000/month) but very few competitors targeting them effectively. Golden keywords are optimized by placing the exact match in the title, meta description, and body content.

To identify these keywords, I used the Keyword Golden Ratio (KGR) formula:

KGR = number of Google results using allintitle:“keyword” / monthly search volume

If the result is:

  • < 0.25 → very likely to rank on page 1
  • 0.25–1.00 → still worth targeting
  • > 1.00 → likely too competitive

Example keywords I used:

  • “biaya mutasi mobil dari jakarta ke jawa tengah” → 10 allintitle results and 150 monthly searches. KGR = 10 / 150 = 0.066.
  • “sejarah penyiksaan di lawang sewu” → 1 allintitle result and 100 monthly searches. KGR = 1 / 100 = 0.01.

These keywords were highly relevant locally, had clear search intent, and were easy to rank for. As a result, many of my articles ranked in the Top 10 quickly, even though the site was still new.

Interestingly, once these low-volume keywords began ranking, more competitive keywords in the same topic cluster also started gaining traction. For example, after publishing content around “Samsat Keliling” that ranked fast, a higher-volume keyword like “jadwal samsat keliling salatiga” (1,000 SV/month) began climbing into the Top 3 as well.

This is what made me confident that Info Jateng Pos had officially come out of the sandbox. In SEO, sandbox refers to a probationary period where new websites are prevented from ranking well while Google evaluates their trustworthiness and content quality.

The Problem

Initially, we experimented with various topics such as tourism, local history, and culinary content. However, results were inconsistent and difficult to rank. Surprisingly, it was the Samsat Keliling (mobile vehicle tax service) articles that ranked fastest and attracted the most traffic.

I then chose to double down on this topic. We first focused on Central Java, but eventually expanded our coverage to West and East Java. This strategy worked well those articles consistently landed in the Top 10 and contributed most of our daily traffic.

However, another challenge emerged. While golden keywords rank easily, their search volumes are often very low, which means they generate minimal clicks. To overcome this, I began targeting medium-volume keywords (200–1,000 searches/month) while still applying the Golden Keyword Ratio method. This way, I could broaden traffic reach without losing the low-competition advantage.

Scaling and Optimization

After reaching our first clicks, I focused on the following:

  • Increasing content production while exploring new topic angles.
  • Switching to a lighter, SEO-friendly WordPress theme → this significantly boosted AdSense revenue due to better ad placement.
  • I shifted focus to building high-quality backlinks through collaborations with other websites, primarily from the Daily SEO ID community. 

Insights and Lessons Learned

Here are the key takeaways from building Info Jateng Pos:

  • Golden keywords are the best entry point for new blogs.
  • Don’t delay technical optimization—theme selection can make a big difference.
  • Thin content can rank, but it’s risky for long-term sustainability.
  • Focusing on one local niche can be a strength, not a weakness.

Current Results and Performance

Here’s a snapshot of Info Jateng Pos’ performance over the past 16 months (from Google Search Console):

  • Total Clicks: 140,000
  • Total Impressions: 4.24 million
  • Average CTR: 3.3%
  • Average Position: 9.6

The chart shows consistent growth from August 2024 to June 2025. Although there was a minor dip in early 2025, the overall trend remained upward. The peak in April 2025 was likely driven by increased interest in tax amnesty articles.

Final Thoughts

Info Jateng Pos is still a relatively small site in terms of scale and content library. However, what began as a casual side project has evolved into a monetized platform with growing SEO authority. We’ve proven that by consistently applying data-driven strategies, especially focusing on golden keywords and continuous content refinement, a blog without strong initial backing can still attract meaningful traffic, generate income, and compete against more established players in the niche. With further effort and smart scaling, this project could evolve into a leading local information hub.