Online performance analysis of cottage providers
Paige Delahunty
Business Development at Embryo.com SEO / PPC / Paid Social / Digital PR / Affiliates / UX/UI Design / CRO
UK getaways are the wholesome hype recently, and with platforms like Tik Tok trends pushing these getaways into full swing, I wanted to analyse how different cottage holiday providers perform online from a search perspective and whose strategy could use some TLC.
P.s. It was difficult to choose just six companies for this analysis as there are quite a few providers - meaning digital marketing strategy needs to be in tip-top condition to compete against industry leaders!?
The chosen companies to take a dive into are:
Organic Visibility
The graph above illustrates the search visibility of these websites when users searched for keywords associated with cottage holidays. Currently, Sykes Cottages are storming the lead followed closely by Holiday Cottages who they have been competing with over the past 12 months to take 1st spot in this analysis. Sykes saw a huge spike in search visibility in Sept - Nov 2023 but have since dropped off slightly, whilst Holiday Cottages have been quite consistent overall. Cottages.com takes the 3rd place for search visibility, showcasing a steady growth over the past 12 months, seeing peaks and troughs here and there. Independent Cottages saw a large decline at the start of 2023 and it seems they have been trying to work hard to regain traction, it will be interesting to see if in 2024 they get back up to where they were Jan 2023. Original Cottages and Rural Retreats haven’t grown much in the past 12 months but of course this is exciting, as there is a huge opportunity for improvement in 2024!
Sykes Cottages
Looking more in depth at Sykes Cottages’ performance, we can see they had a great year in terms of growth. Sometimes it's inevitable to experience troughs in search visibility, as they have experienced a couple of times throughout 2023 but analysing what happened and the reasons behind the drop off can mitigate it from happening again in the future. I’m looking forward to watching this company grow more in 2024!
Sykes Cottages currently ranks for a whopping 224,132 keywords, with 14% of these keywords on page 1.
Cottages.com
Similar to Sykes Cottages, Cottages.com’s search visibility has grown massively over the past 12 months. These big players have certainly noticed the importance of organic search and have kept tabs on their competitor's growth, hence the need for them all to put resources into growing their online presence. Great job Cottages.com!
Cottages.com ranks for 130,803 keywords with 12% on page one!
Holiday Cottages
Again, Holiday Cottages have seen superb growth, keeping that search visibility line steady and very satisfying I must say. Their strategy is working, they now must continue to strive for continued growth to dominate the likes of Sykes Cottages once and for all!
Holiday Cottages currently ranks for 168,457 keywords with 12% on page one!
Original Cottages
Original Cottages have seen a slight growth towards the start of 2023 and have stayed pretty stagnant for most of the past 12 months. It would be interesting to see if they are reviewing their 2024 strategy to experience the same growth as their competition in this analysis.?
Original Cottages ranks for 36,614 keywords with 15.5% on page 1.
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Independent Cottages
Independent Cottages saw a dramatic decline in search visibility at the beginning of 2023 but since, have grown at a steady rate to get themselves back to where they once were. As we are all aware, SEO is not an overnight success, so I’ll say keep going Independent Cottages, keep up the steady growth and hopefully they continue to thrive in 2024.
Independent Cottages ranks for 68,857 keywords with 19% on page 1.
Rural Retreats
Whilst the search visibility graph with all the competitors doesn’t show much growth for Rural Retreats, we can see when looking at a deeper level that the beginning of 2023 was solid for them as they grew consistently over a 10 month period. They saw a decline in November 2023, so I hope they are looking at ways to adapt their current strategy to kick start the growth again for 2024.
Rural Retreats ranks for 25,392 keywords with 14% on page 1!
Organic Keywords
Organic keywords are essential in boosting online presence, supporting SEO initiatives, maintaining content relevance, and improving the overall user experience. With no surprise, Sykes Cottages are storming keyword reach with over 220,000, this certainly puts them in the best position to have a great online presence and is evident with their search visibility. Holiday Cottages come in second with over 168,000 closely followed by Cottages.com with 130,000. Independent Cottages have just over 68,000 keywords, Original Cottages have 36,000 and Rural Retreats rank for just over 25,000. There is great opportunity for some of these brands to increase the amount of keywords on the site, to put them in a better position to be seen at all times throughout the customer journey, in turn, increasing conversions.
Referring Domains
Referral domains boost search engine rankings and domain authority by providing authoritative and high-quality backlinks, ultimately strengthening a website's credibility and online visibility. Sykes Cottages have the most referring domains with over 5,500 followed by Cottages.com who have over 4,000. Holiday Cottages come in 3rd with 3,000 and I believe if they put a heavy emphasis on this in 2024, their search visibility will be rewarded in turn. Original Cottages and Independent Cottages both have over 1,000 and Rural Retreats have circa 900. Putting a focus on referring domains from high authority sites, could be the difference between where these companies currently stand in the market. A great opportunity, which should be taken into consideration for their 2024 digital strategy.?
Domain Authority
The significance of domain authority lies in its direct impact on a website's search engine rankings, credibility, and competitive edge. This makes it more inclined to attract organic traffic and instill trust among users. The DA for the ‘top 3’ is very similar and good at 70+, a huge win for these brands! Original Cottages’ DA is 66, again a strong domain rank! Independent Cottages (60) and Rural Retreats (51) still have great domain authority, looking at increasing this will certainly put the website in a better position!
Summary
This analysis of holiday cottage providers’ SEO and organic digital presence highlights the influence of SEO strategies on a website's overall search visibility, resulting in heightened web traffic and increased conversions. These companies can improve their organic online presence by investing in digital PR, emphasising the development of high-quality content (particularly targeting the "messy middle"), and exploring additional channels like paid marketing. Implementing these strategies can elevate their prospects for online growth and expand their customer base.
Currently, Sykes Cottages is smashing every aspect of their organic search presence, they are THE industry leader and their efforts have definitely been rewarded by search engines. Holiday Cottages do come in very close second with Sykes, increasing their keyword reach may give them the push they need to dominate the industry! Cottages.com have seen incredible growth over the past 12 months, increasing those all-important referring domains will put them in a better position to dominate the likes of Holiday Cottages! Independent Cottages have had a good year after experiencing a decline in their search visibility last January, upping their keyword reach and referring domains will put them in a better position to compete. Original Cottages and Rural Retreats, both have lots of opportunities for growth within the industry and with a heavy focus on organic, could see them competing with the larger industry leaders.
Of course, with anything, there are lots of other things to take into account with organic search but hopefully, this analysis gives a little insight into how these six brands are performing online, and the opportunities for growth within the industry! I’m looking forward to seeing where these brands will be in 12 months time and if anything has changed.?
Need help with your digital marketing strategy? Drop me an email [email protected] to discuss how we can help.
Magician and Charity Event Host. Magically making more money for great causes!
8 个月This looks like my kid of relaxation.
Is a high or increasing search visibility always a good thing? Online coverage might be about poor service and complaints. Not all publicity/visibility is good publicity/visibility. And the company that puts so much effort into SEO is probably not the one providing the best customer service
Influencer, PR & Live Events Girlie?????
10 个月this is tempting me to book a weekend away
Digital Acquisition Manager at Embryo
10 个月James Shaw - this maybe of interest to you and your team - hope you're well and all the best for 2024, Cheers.