When this value-focused pub chain needed to drive more footfall from their local search presence, a new strategy was required. By creating new landing pages, improving internal linking, and refreshing on-site content, walk-in attributions increased by 33% with over £12 million in trackable sales.
About the Client
Hungry Horse is a family-friendly pub brand within the Greene King portfolio, known for generous portions at affordable prices. With locations across the UK, their local search visibility directly impacts footfall and bookings.
Problem
The brand was generating strong visibility but needed to improve conversion efficiency. Too many potential customers were landing on the site without taking action. The challenge was turning that visibility into visits.
Solution
The focus was on conversion efficiency rather than chasing volume. A comprehensive audit identified friction points in the customer journey across the site, analysing user behaviour, goal completions, and existing ranking positions.
Extensive keyword research was conducted to understand how potential customers search for family-friendly pubs and affordable dining options. This research mapped search intent across the customer journey, from early-stage browsers looking for “cheap eats near me” through to high-intent searchers ready to book a table or find directions. The goal was to attract traffic that was more likely to convert, not just more traffic.
Local dynamic pages were built for each location, optimised with geo-modified keywords targeting local search terms. Meta data and descriptions were rewritten to improve click-through rates from the SERPs, with clear value propositions and calls-to-action.
Existing pages sitting on page two or lower page one positions were identified as quick wins. These pages received content refreshes including updated H1 and H2 structures, expanded copy addressing user intent, and stronger keyword alignment. Each page was optimised around a primary keyword cluster with supporting secondary terms, matching the language customers actually use when searching.
Technical SEO improvements were also implemented. A large selection of text content was previously hidden from search engines and not being crawled. This content was made visible and crawlable, strengthening local signals and giving search engines more context about each location.
Internal linking architecture was restructured to distribute page authority more effectively across location pages and pass relevance signals to key conversion pages. Links were added within menu pages to guide users toward booking.
Results
Over 11 months:
- Action rate improved from 3.45% to 4.76% (a 38% efficiency gain)
- 33% increase in walk-ins
- 37% increase in walk-in sales
- 22% increase in direction requests
- 12% increase in total conversions
- £12 million in total trackable sales (up 9.8% year-over-year)