Windward Organic Growth Opportunities
1. Readiness Assessment
1. Readiness Assessment
2. Competitive Analysis
2. Competitive Analysis
3. Opportunity Kickstarters
3. Opportunity Kickstarters
4. Appendix
4. Appendix
Readiness Assessment
Current Performance
- You drive ~18k monthly organic visits across ~10k ranking keywords, with traffic value of ~$32k/mo (and almost no reliance on ads: 9 paid keywords / ~13 paid visits).
- Authority is solid: Authority Score 42 backed by ~60k backlinks from ~3k referring domains, indicating credible topical trust and room to push into tougher head terms.
- Organic traffic is heavily powered by glossary definitions: top keywords include “freight transport” (27k SV), “windward” (6.6k SV), “vessel tracking” (9.9k SV), plus AIS- and Incoterms-related terms; top pages are /glossary/what-is-maritime/ (~3k visits), the homepage (~2k), and /glossary/freight-transport/ (~2k).
Growth Opportunity
- You already dominate competitors (next-best at ~0.4k visits/mo), so growth is mainly about expanding coverage and defending positions by systematically building more glossary + hub content in adjacent clusters (compliance risk, container tracking, maritime domain awareness, sanctions screening, etc.).
- Several very high-volume queries appear under-captured relative to demand—e.g., “ais” (40.5k SV) and “fob” (33.1k SV) contribute small traffic shares—suggesting upside from improving rankings/CTR via stronger internal linking, richer SERP formats, and refreshed pages.
- Turn top-of-funnel wins into product demand: pair glossary winners with “next step” solution pages (vessel screening, risk & compliance, container tracking, maritime infrastructure) to capture more commercial-intent keywords and conversions.
Assessment
You have a clear organic lead with strong glossary-driven acquisition and a healthy link profile, but you’re not yet maximizing the highest-demand head terms. The biggest upside is systematic content expansion + optimization to capture more of the maritime/shipping search surface area while channeling it into solution intent. AirOps can help you execute that programmatically and consistently at scale.
Competition at a Glance
Across 2 direct competitors (polestarglobal.com and lloydslistintelligence.com), the data shows Windward overwhelmingly leads the organic search landscape in both visibility and reach.
windward.ai ranks #1 for both monthly organic traffic (18,317 visits) and ranking keywords (9,788). The top-performing competitor is polestarglobal.com, with 422 monthly organic visits and 501 ranking keywords—meaning Windward’s footprint is dramatically larger on both measures.
Market position is clearly leader-dominated, with competitors collectively showing a comparatively small organic presence. This indicates Windward is already the primary search destination for maritime intelligence-related discovery, and the main imperative is to protect and extend this lead as adjacent topics (e.g., compliance risk, vessel and container tracking, maritime domain awareness) continue to attract search demand.
Opportunity Kickstarters
Here are your content opportunities, tailored to your domain's strengths. These are starting points for strategic plays that can grow into major traffic drivers in your market. Connect with our team to see the full traffic potential and activate these plays.
Programmatic compliance playbook pages that map sanctions and trade-control programs to specific commodity flows and internal roles. These pages provide actionable checklists and monitoring modules for high-intent compliance buyers.
Example Keywords
- russia oil price cap compliance
- oil price cap attestation process
- trade sanctions due diligence checklist
- shipping trade compliance software
Rationale
Windward is already a trusted authority in maritime risk, and these playbooks capture high-intent traffic from compliance officers looking for operational guidance.
Topical Authority
Existing organic success in glossary-style educational content proves Google trusts Windward to explain complex maritime and risk concepts.
Internal Data Sources
Risk & Compliance product documentation, internal knowledge base reports on geopolitical disruptions, and developer API reference objects.
Estimated Number of Pages
2,000 - 8,000 (Covering various programs, commodities, and roles)
A database-style set of pages for global ports and terminals detailing operational risk, trade-control exposure, and security considerations. Each page provides a standardized risk profile and monitoring checklist for maritime infrastructure.
Example Keywords
- port risk assessment
- port security risk
- port of [X] sanctions exposure
- port call risk analysis
Rationale
Scaling the existing port-to-port concept into a comprehensive risk directory allows Windward to capture long-tail searches for specific maritime hubs.
Topical Authority
Windward's current rankings in maritime trade and vessel operations provide a strong foundation for expanding into port-specific risk intelligence.
Internal Data Sources
Port-call and event intelligence metrics, internal critical infrastructure research, and regional geopolitical context from the knowledge base.
Estimated Number of Pages
8,000 - 20,000 (Covering global ports, terminals, and anchorages)
A programmatic directory of company risk and intelligence profiles for shipping operators, traders, and service providers. These pages explain how to verify counterparties and monitor them for continuous compliance.
Example Keywords
- shipping company due diligence
- vessel operator due diligence
- [Company Name] risk profile
- [Company Name] compliance checks
Rationale
Targeting specific company names with "due diligence" and "risk" modifiers captures high-intent traffic from compliance and risk departments.
Topical Authority
Windward's expertise in ownership and ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) data, as seen in their API reference, establishes them as a leader in counterparty intelligence.
Internal Data Sources
Ownership graph data, internal compliance/risk team patterns, and LinkedIn data for role-based context.
Estimated Number of Pages
25,000 - 100,000 (Covering a vast universe of maritime counterparties)
Operational kits for managing and disputing demurrage, detention, and per diem charges at specific ports and terminals. These pages provide evidence checklists and dispute templates to help logistics teams reduce unnecessary spend.
Example Keywords
- container free time [port]
- per diem container charges [carrier]
- how to dispute demurrage
- demurrage dispute letter template
Rationale
This play directly aligns with Windward's Demurrage & Detention Automation solution, capturing users at the point of operational pain.
Topical Authority
Windward's existing solution for D&D automation and their authority in container tracking provide the necessary credibility for financial dispute content.
Internal Data Sources
Anonymized exception reasons from the D&D product, dispute success factors, and required data fields for reconciliation.
Estimated Number of Pages
15,000 - 60,000 (Covering ports, terminals, and carriers globally)
A taxonomy-driven encyclopedia of behavioral evasion patterns, such as GNSS spoofing and identity laundering. Each page details the detection signals, industry impact, and response workflows for sophisticated maritime threats.
Example Keywords
- GNSS spoofing maritime
- AIS spoofing detection
- vessel identity laundering
- vessel behavior anomaly detection
Rationale
Moving beyond basic tracking definitions allows Windward to capture traffic from sophisticated intelligence and security buyers.
Topical Authority
Windward's positioning as a "mission-grade" intelligence provider makes them the natural authority for advanced behavioral anomaly detection.
Internal Data Sources
Internal signals glossary, anonymized research cases from the knowledge base, and API entity relationship data.
Estimated Number of Pages
1,000 - 6,000 (Covering various evasion techniques and vessel types)
Improvements Summary
Revise priority glossary URLs to win definition-style SERP features by adding a 40–60 word definition block under the H1, key-takeaway bullets, comparison tables, and 5–8 PAA-driven FAQs with schema. Expand each page beyond a definition with modules like “why it matters,” step-by-step processes, examples, and common exceptions, then connect the cluster through a glossary hub and tighter internal linking to related terms and relevant product pages.
Improvements Details
Prioritize on-page rewrites for high-demand terms such as "maritime trade", "ex works meaning (EXW)", "shipping manifest", "letter of indemnity", "terminal operations", and "maritime logistics" with exact-match title tags/meta descriptions, clear H2 structure, a jump-to TOC, and at least one table (e.g., EXW vs FOB/CIF/DDP; manifest vs bill of lading vs invoice). Add E-E-A-T elements (reviewed-by SME, last updated, citations like ICC Incoterms 2020/IMO/UNCTAD/WCO) plus DefinedTerm/FAQPage/BreadcrumbList schema. Publish 6–10 supporting articles (e.g., "Shipping Manifest vs Bill of Lading", "EXW vs FOB vs CIF vs DDP", "What Causes Port Congestion", "Blank Sailings impact") that link into the glossary “money pages,” and build “Related terms” blocks plus a Shipping & Logistics Glossary Hub to route internal link equity.
Improvements Rationale
Many target queries have strong volume but low traffic share, pointing to page-2 rankings or weak CTR from poor snippet alignment for “what is/meaning/definition” intent. Definition-first formatting, tables, and FAQs increase eligibility for featured snippets and People Also Ask while covering comparison and workflow long-tails that competitive head terms require. Cluster-level internal linking and supporting content raise topical authority and pass link equity to priority pages, while SME review and authoritative citations improve trust for trade/compliance topics.
Appendix
| Keyword | Volume | Traffic % |
|---|---|---|
| best seo tools | 5.0k | 3 |
| seo strategy | 4.0k | 5 |
| keyword research | 3.5k | 2 |
| backlink analysis | 3.0k | 4 |
| on-page optimization | 2.5k | 1 |
| local seo | 2.0k | 6 |
| Page | Traffic | Traffic % |
|---|---|---|
| /seo-tools | 5.0k | 100 |
| /keyword-research | 4.0k | 100 |
| /backlink-checker | 3.5k | 80 |
| /site-audit | 3.0k | 60 |
| /rank-tracker | 2.5k | 50 |
| /content-optimization | 2.0k | 40 |
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