Struggling to Rank My Country Codes Data Directory Tool on Google – Any SEO Tips?

hey everyone, so we just launched our new web tool, the 'Country Codes Directory: International Phone, Calling, Dialing & ISO Codes'. it's a pretty comprehensive resource, we've put a ton of effort into making it a go-to place for all sorts of country-related data. but organic traffic, man, it's just not where we want it to be right now. it's kinda frustrating, to be honest.

the core problem is despite having what i think is unique and well-researched content, we're really struggling to rank for a lot of our target keywords, especially those long-tail ones. it just feels like google always pushes the established giants, you know? like wikipedia or some government sites, even for super specific queries. it's like our little data directory is just getting lost in the noise.

we've tried a bunch of stuff already, like really thorough on-page seo, making sure our titles, meta descriptions, and h1s are spot on and our content is optimized. we've also been expanding the content for each country, not just codes but adding things like time zones, currencies, and other relevant info to make it more valuable. internal linking is something we've been working on too, connecting related country pages to improve navigability and spread link juice. we've even implemented schema markup where it seemed appropriate, and done some basic backlink building efforts, reaching out to a few related sites. but nothing seems to move the needle significantly.

my specific frustration is that it just feels like google has this inherent bias towards super high-authority sites for this type of reference data. it's so hard to differentiate our data directory tool from competitors who have literally decades of domain authority. i'm also wondering if there are deeper technical seo issues we're missing, something under the hood that's holding us back that i just don't know about. maybe there's some kind of advanced indexing trick for directory sites or something.

so yeah, i'm really seeking some advice on advanced seo tactics for directory sites, any strategies to compete with these massive, high-authority domains, and honestly, any specific insights at all to improve our organic rankings and overall visibility. we've poured our hearts into this project and really believe it can be super useful. help a brother out please...