2013 Gold Best use of Search

Client Forest Holidays

How did the campaign make a difference? A strategy to make life better for people booking UK holidays has made Forest Holidays a genuine authority in this space. A standout resource – Forestipedia – helped put them on the map, online. It's now a top five site, beating a number of large competitors.

What details of the strategy make this a winning entry? From April 2012, technical SEO quick wins started to improve positions, while the amount of traffic delivered was improved via PPC by 192% and the number of cabin bookings by 171%. By earning the right to be a genuine authority, providing information that people want and Google needs, the strategy cut through an increasingly competitive market for UK holidays. A central content hub - Forestipedia - was developed, which featured regularly updated expert content, facilitated the use of push tactics to target online media, earned natural links through recommendation, encouraged social sharing of content and provided a sustainable resource for customers. By putting customers first and recognising that search success is a result of a broad range of activities - from technical advice to content building and promotion - this strategy provided a solid foundation for future activities.

How did creativity bring the strategy to life? A team of search and social experts worked together to ensure Forestipedia was a model of technical best practice, featured relevant and engaging content and was seeded via PR, PPC and social outreach to influencers that customers trust. Content included four main sections: histories of the forests; forest life; experience (showcasing what you can do from walks and relaxing, to stargazing and survival skills); and videos and images based on content from Forest Holidays and users. Content was commissioned and sourced from relevant experts, including lifestyle articles written by award-winning journalists and authors. The Forest Rangers provided forest guides because no one knows the forests better than they do. The content was seeded to relevant websites and online influencers, to secure links and social shares to the Forest Holidays site. They stopped paying for links four years ago, so every link was earned on merit and every share was genuine.

Results Time on site was 19% higher for visitors to Forestipedia. For terms such as 'UK holidays' and 'UK breaks', Forest Holidays was competing against some huge players, such as Hoseasons, Travelsupermarket, Haven, Visit Wales, Thomas Cook, lastminute.com and Teletext Holidays. Forest Holidays leapt ahead of all bar Travelsupermarket for the term 'UK breaks' having been outside the top 100 results 18 months ago.

Team Laura Johnson – Account Director, Stephen Baker – Consultant, Rob Green – Consultant, Mark Henshall – Content Director, James Campbell – Consultant