Sample case study
This is a sample case study. It shows how we would approach SEO for a travel business. The business and the numbers are examples, not a real client.
About this sample: We do not have a travel or recreation client yet, and we would like one. We understand how much marketing matters in this industry. Guests plan and book online, seasons are short, and the right visibility at the right time makes a real difference. Everyone has to start somewhere, so we built this sample case study to show how we would approach it. The business is made up, and every number on this page is an example figure. We label them so you always know what is real. We hope it is enough to start building our travel and recreation portfolio.
The business
A family-run rental company on a lake
A family-run company rents kayaks and paddleboards and runs guided tours on a lake. The season runs from June through September, and the rest of the year is quiet. Most bookings come through two large booking sites, which charge a commission on every booking. The owners want more guests to book directly, and they want fewer empty days in May and October.
The challenge
The challenge
| What was happening | Why it mattered |
|---|---|
| Guests found the booking sites first | Every booking through a site meant a commission, and the guest never saw the company’s own page. |
| The website did not match how guests search | Pages talked about “our rentals” in general, not the specific tours and dates guests look for. |
| Reviews were scattered and out of date | Guests compare reviews before they book, and the best ones were hidden on one site. |
| Nobody could say what brought in bookings | The owners could see visits but not which visits became bookings. |
Our approach
Where we would focus
Every client gets the same four kinds of SEO work. For this business, we would put the most effort into three areas:
Matching the searches guests make before they book
Guests search weeks before they arrive, and many search for the activity, not the company.
Earning trust in the places guests look
Reviews, listings and local mentions carry a lot of weight for a business guests have never met.
Measuring bookings, not just visits
We would connect the website to the booking path, so the report shows what brings in guests.
The full plan comes from an audit of the real business, because the right steps depend on the website, the market and the calendar. Here is what that work would include.
The work
What we would do
Here are the main moves we would make for this business. The exact order and timing would come from an audit of the real website, market and calendar.
01
Pages for every tour and rental
A page for kayak rentals, paddleboard rentals and each guided tour, with dates, prices, what to bring and a clear way to book, written in the words guests search.
02
A complete Google Business Profile
Seasonal hours, real photos, the booking link and posts for each new season, so guests who search the lake or the activity find the company first.
03
A steady flow of fresh reviews
A simple text or email after each trip that asks guests for a Google review, and a reply to every review, so new guests see recent, honest feedback.
04
Listings where travelers plan
Accurate listings on local tourism, visitor and “things to do” sites, which bring visitors, links and trust from places guests already use.
05
Content for the shoulder seasons
Pages and posts for May and October, like early-season paddles, fall color tours and group outings, so the quiet months get their own searches.
06
Direct booking made easy
A fast, phone-friendly booking path from every page, with a reason to book direct, and tracking that ties each booking back to its source.
Reporting
What we would measure
Every report would tie the work to bookings. These are the five numbers we would track each month, and why each one matters to a rental business.
Booking requests
Every form or online request to book, so we see real demand from search, not just traffic.
Bookings
Confirmed reservations that came from search: the number that actually pays the bills.
Phone calls
Calls from the website and the Google Business Profile, traced to the page or listing behind them.
Clicks to the booking page
How many visitors move from reading to booking, and where the others drop off.
Share of direct bookings
The percent of guests who skip the commission sites. The number the owners care about most.
What we would not report on alone: likes, followers or visits. They are easy to grow and easy to misread, so we only use them to explain the numbers above.
Example results
Example results after one full season
Example figures for a sample business. Not real client results.
| What we measure | Before | After one season | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic visits each month | 1,200 | 2,100 | +75% |
| Booking requests from the website each month | 40 | 78 | +95% |
| Calls from Google Business Profile each month | 60 | 110 | +83% |
| Google reviews | 48 | 95 | +98% |
| Average Google rating | 4.5 | 4.8 | +0.3 |
| Share of bookings made directly | 30% | 45% | +15 points |
What the sample shows
The business did not need to beat the large booking sites on every search. It needed its own pages to win the searches where a guest already knew the name, the place or the activity, and it needed reviews and listings that gave guests a reason to book directly. The report tied each gain to a booking, so the owners could see where the money came from.
Results depend on your market, your website and your competition, and no one can promise a number. We tell you what is realistic for your business in the audit.
Want a plan for your travel or recreation business? Tell us what you offer and when you are busiest, and we will tell you what we would look at first.
Read more about our SEO for travel and recreation businesses, or see our SEO services and prices.
Ready to get started?
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Tell us about your business and the dates you want to fill. We will reply within 1 business day.
- More direct bookings
- Fuller shoulder seasons
- Stronger reviews
- Clear booking reports