Engaging Website Content for Shoreline Whitby

David at Shoreline Whitby said:

“Having spent months redesigning a new website, we needed a hospitality expert to write engaging content. We wanted the content to complement our new photography and bring our luxury brand to life. With more than 30 holiday cottages in the portfolio, this was no mean feat. Liz grabbed the bull by the horns and delivered great work. She grasped the right tone, she somehow never made any two properties sound the same and she delivered within deadline. Most importantly, she is very easy to work with and I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending her.”

Brief: Write compelling online content for the Shoreline Whitby website… and see where it takes you!

For this project I was hired initially by a Leeds-based brand agency, who knew of my hospitality marketing experience. The agency brief was: write compelling new website content for Shoreline Whitby.

Shoreline Whitby was undergoing a re-brand. It wanted to position as the premier holiday letting agency for the Whitby and Cleveland coast. The business has over 30 luxury properties from historic fisherman’s cottages to modern apartments. Shoreline’s new website needed engaging and persuasive content to drive bookings and commission–the commercial basis of the business.

As well as creating a five-star brand identity, the website content needed to:

• highlight each property’s unique character and features;
• make the visitor want to book;
• be expressive and persuasive;
• manage customer expectations with precise descriptions.

Understanding SEO

Shoreline is renowned for top-quality accommodation; each cottage is an experience in itself. So, the route to compelling content was to make the visitor visualise themselves enjoying a getaway there. For every holiday cottage, I painted a picture in words–selling the quaint Yorkshire coastal dream.

This was online content, so it was important to understand browsing behaviour. I incorporated keyword mechanisms to gain a strong foothold in organic SEO, and meta tag descriptions to influence search performance. Blogs were written not only to aid the Whitby visitor, but crucially to build organic SEO.

Number 1 on Google

Bookings for Shoreline Whitby grew fast and soon more property owners were signing up to let their cottages. With each new holiday let, I’d find new ways to lure visitors in. It was important that each Shoreline client felt their holiday cottage was the one to book.

Shoreline (and the brand agency) was delighted with my work and organic SEO put them number 1 on Google. Soon, my remit expanded and I began assisting on marketing strategy and communication planning direct with Shoreline’s team. Together, we devised an annual marketing plan to boost bookings in traditionally low seasons. We segmented audiences and created targeted e-newsletters. The results were increased loyalty, higher conversion and more revenue in low seasons.

On the whole, I worked remotely from home in Huddersfield. We had regular team meetings off-site in York. Several trips to Whitby rekindled wonderful memories from childhood holidays. I’m sure I’ll be back there soon and, of course, supporting my client by booking through Shoreline Whitby!