TL;DR
Over‑reliance on OTAs led to thin margins and weak brand control. I built a 3‑part editorial series (“City in 72 Hours”) tied to realistic itineraries and direct booking CTAs. In 90 days, organic sessions rose 42%, blog‑to‑booking conversions doubled (4.8% → 9.7%), and direct booking revenue increased 28%.
Problem
- Heavy dependence on OTAs (Booking/Expedia) reduced margins and brand ownership.
- Blog posts had a >70% bounce rate and converted <5% of readers to booking paths.
- No clear content architecture or consistent in‑article CTAs.
Approach
Three destination pieces balancing vibe and service info. Every feature connected to a plausible, book‑now plan tied to a specific property.
Mapped keywords by intent (e.g., 'where to stay + neighborhood') and wired internal links to booking pages.
Repurposed content to IG carousels/Pinterest and offered downloadable itineraries to capture email signups.
Outcome
- +42% organic blog sessions in 90 days.
- Blog‑to‑booking conversions improved from 4.8% → 9.7%.
- 1,500+ new email signups via itinerary downloads.
- +28% direct booking revenue vs prior quarter.
“The stories felt like our city — and people booked. We finally saw content translate into revenue.”
* Select metrics are directional and anonymized for privacy.
How I work
30–40 min call to define outcomes and capture your “voice palette” (phrases you use, ones you don’t, pacing notes).
Simple outline around the outcome. Clear hierarchy. If docs: task-first path; if editorial: story-first arc with service info.
Tight first draft, then a polish pass to match cadence and argument strength.
We iterate pragmatically and ship. Optionally set a cadence (weekly/monthly) with simple briefs.