Advancing forward: How Visit Isle of Wight makes the most of its SEO services

Overview

Time has shaped the Isle of Wight. From the eons of prehistory to eras gone by, this is a place that has seen the passing of many ages. But as we all know, change is the only constant in an uncertain world; indeed, within the wider tourism industry, it is the never-ending growth of technology that represents both a challenge and an opportunity, a surging forward that serves as the ultimate catalyst for change.

Today, destination marketing organisations (DMOs) know a solid grasp of SEO is invaluable in not simply driving traffic, but in bringing visitors to each and every destination. This is the case for the Isle of Wight, whose close collaboration with the SEO services team has not only brought tangible results, but empowered it with the knowledge needed to continuously enhance and refine its SEO strategy, whatever time may bring.

Enhancing knowledge in a time of rapid technological change

A long-standing client, Visit Isle of Wight — the DMO that represents this coastal English region — has for many years relied upon the support offered by the SEO services team to drive traffic and visitors to its website. But as Jill Harlow, the organisation’s data and web manager, explains, “SEO is evolving all the time and we’re always wanting to learn.” With that in mind — and more importantly, with the omnipresence of AI adding further complexity to the situation — the challenge for the DMO is to enhance its knowledge of SEO, acquiring the understanding and skill needed to attract and hold visitors in a moment of profound technological change.
 

Increasing traffic, building engagement

Visit Isle of Wight opted to enhance their level of SEO support in April 2024, moving from the basic Starter package to the more comprehensive Advanced service. As a DMO, their overall goal is to use the insight provided by the SEO team to optimise their website, thereby increasing traffic and driving visitor footfall.

With technology changing at pace — particularly with respect of the rapid growth of AI — Jill states that, “We wanted to increase our SEO package because we needed more detailed advice on specific pages across the website.” She adds that, “At the end of the day, we want an increase in traffic to the website and engagement to continue.”
 

Forging a path to the future with enhanced SEO services

By using an enhanced SEO package, Visit Isle of Wight is taking a far-sighted approach to its website, one that acknowledges the importance of visitor appeal and engagement today while incorporating consideration for how the growth of technology might impact those metrics tomorrow. For this DMO, a solid SEO solution is a flexible one, something that not only bolsters ranking and engagement, but a tool that empowers it to navigate into the future.

One of the main aims of the destination’s SEO strategy is to capture visitors’ attention for longer, using the power of content to invite them to linger and explore individual pages at their leisure. The strategy here, explains Jill, is to be certain that site content is “relevant for what people are searching for on search engines,” while also ensuring that it is aligned with visitors’ search behaviour. Practically speaking, says Jill, this means “making sure that we've got the right content on the website at the right time.”
 

Actionable advice makes for focused action

With the support provided, the DMO has been able to undertake the kind of actionable advice that has helped them to achieve their goals of creating content that’s relevant, engaging, and attractive to visitors. For the Isle of Wight, this means keeping seasonal pages current and using regular monthly feedback from the SEO team to understand the keywords that visitors are using in their searches. The strategy, says Jill, is then to incorporate them into the site content to ensure that the Isle of Wight stands out as a destination.

What’s more, the DMO is also using the support it receives to better understand the interplay between AI and SEO and — with the advice provided as part of its advanced package — is implementing this knowledge to format its pages and content to ensure it ranks positively and maintains visitor appeal. Jill says the level of support received by the DMO is “huge,” adding that, “It helps us focus as a destination.”

But keeping that focus isn’t always easy in a world where time and technology will always move forward. Yet, thanks to this close partnership, the Isle of Wight now has the knowledge to forge ahead, whatever the years may bring.