Case study • Travel & Tourism
Aries Car Rental, an independent car hire service in Perth, sought to increase its online visibility in a market dominated by larger competitors like Hertz, No Birds, and Avis.
Despite providing excellent value and service, Aries struggled to attract new customers through organic search, relying too heavily on branded and direct traffic from those already familiar with the brand.
Wanting to increase their reach and capture new clients, the team engaged us to improve its search engine rankings, drive consistent non-branded organic traffic, and generate year-round bookings—especially during Perth’s off-season where seasonality has been a weak point in the industry.
Aries Car Rental faced three primary challenges:
In the highly competitive car rental industry, established corporations like Kayak, Hertz, and No Birds commanded substantial market share and dominated search engine results pages (SERPs).
Their established online presence made it particularly challenging for Aries to compete for high-value, broad search terms
Aries’ business model heavily relied on repeat customers and word-of-mouth referrals.
While this demonstrated strong customer loyalty, it also highlighted a critical vulnerability: the company’s limited ability to attract new customers through organic search.
This dependence on existing customers restricted their potential for market expansion and revenue growth.
Operating in a tourism-dependent market created significant revenue volatility throughout the year.
During off-peak seasons, search volume for car rentals naturally declined, leading to decreased lead generation and booking rates.
This cyclical pattern highlighted the need for an SEO strategy that could maintain consistent visibility and lead flow, even during traditionally slower periods.
The success of our niche strategy has been internationally recognised by leading players in the SEO industry.
Our campaign won “Best Local Search Marketing Initiative – SEO” at the Search Engine Land Awards 2024.
We developed a precise SEO strategy designed to boost Aries’ organic search presence and generate fresh leads by focusing on niche opportunities.
To better help Aries standout in a competitive market, we positioned the entire site and pages to be better optimised around “cheap car rentals perth”.
From implementing special offers, category pages for their fleet and individual rentals, to more detailed rental terms and more.
By niching down, we better positioned Aries based on their UVP and better prime the site to capture higher intent traffic by both local and international visitors looking for affordable car rentals.
Landing pages were built and optimised for different customer segments, such as tourists, families, and corporate clients, improving relevance and conversion potential.
We streamlined the booking process by reducing steps, improved website performance on mobile, and integrated a WhatsApp chatbot that forwarded inquiries to Aries’ team directly for improved customer experience.
Additionally, better implementation of CTAs, improved above the fold CRO and adding in informational content that helps make bookings easier (e.g. vehicle features and benefits, specifications) and content around why Aries is the leading independent car rental company helps better improve CRO through their messaging.
To better position Aries as the leading rental expert in Perth and WA, we emphasised local authority-building blog articles.
Content about road trips, driving guides for overseas visitors, as well as Perth-based destinations and vehicle rental guides like where to park in Perth highlights Aries’ authority in their customers and Google’s eyes.
From the start of our one year campaign, we have greatly exceeded our goals with a 179% increase in bookings from organic traffic and a 68% increase in organic traffic.
Additionally, we also increased our visibility with #1 rankings for high difficulty keywords like: “cheap car rental perth”, “cheap car hire perth”, “cheapest car rental perth” and more.
Our ranking for “corporate car hire” also allowed us to mitigate the issues associated with seasonality in tourism.
The improved rankings also drastically reduced our reliance on brand traffic from 71% branded traffic in 2023 to 37% in 2024.
Aries Car Rental achieved impressive growth in both organic traffic and bookings by adopting a precise and targeted SEO strategy.
Through niche keyword focus and positioning, improved user experience, and strategic content, they strengthened their online presence and diversified their customer base.
This approach not only allowed Aries to capture new audiences but also positioned them for long-term success, even in the face of larger competitors.
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