Britannia Cues

The Problem

Britannia Cues, a UK-based e-commerce business selling professional pool and snooker cues, had an incredible product, but their website wasn't driving enough organic traffic or converting visitors into buyers.

Their key challenges:

• Low visibility in search results: They weren't ranking for important keywords like "professional pool cue" or "English pool cue."
• Unoptimised product pages: Meta titles and descriptions were generic, missing critical keywords, and exceeding character limits.
• Unclear product positioning: Competitors selling mass-produced, lower-quality cues dominated the market.
• Technical SEO issues: The site lacked structured data, proper internal linking, and key trust signals (privacy policy, refund policy, etc.).

"As a business, we recognised that we had one of the best products on the market in terms of professional pool cues: quality materials, precision engineering. When professionals used our cues, they were blown away. The problem was, they weren't finding us online," said Matthew Drage, Director of GD Sports and Leisure Ltd. (parent company of Britannia Cues).

What We Did

To improve organic rankings, traffic, and conversion rates, we took a comprehensive SEO and CRO approach:

Meta Title and Description Optimisation

• Improved product page meta titles and descriptions to include key search terms (e.g., "Falcon Champion Snooker Cue" instead of just "Falcon Champion").
• Focused on click-through rate (CTR) by making descriptions more compelling.
• Removed unnecessary technical specs (like "57-inch") and instead highlighted premium materials and craftsmanship to appeal emotionally to buyers.

Strategic Keyword Research and On-Page SEO

• Identified 40-50 relevant keywords to target, prioritising low-difficulty, high-intent searches for quick wins.
• Improved category page SEO by adding context-specific keywords (e.g., changing "Pro Range" to "Pro Range English Pool Cues").
• Chose a focus keyword for each product page and ensured content aligned with search intent.

Technical SEO Fixes

• Set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console for better tracking.
• Created and submitted an XML sitemap to ensure full indexing by search engines.
• Added alt text for all images (previously missing) to improve accessibility and rankings.
• Improved mobile optimisation for a better user experience.
• Increased internal linking between related products and categories.

Trust and Authority Signals

• Added key trust pages (Privacy Policy, Refund Policy, About Us, Contact) to improve credibility.
• Submitted the site to relevant business directories (Google Merchant Center, Bing Places, Apple Maps, WebWiki, Foursquare, etc.).

Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) Enhancements

• Improved product descriptions to focus on experience rather than specs.
• Aligned product positioning with luxury and craftsmanship rather than just price.
• Added clearer calls-to-action (CTAs) on product pages to drive more conversions.

"We tried to focus on 'the sizzle, not the steak,' as Simon Squibb would say," remarked Mike McDonnell, Director of Glide Marketing. "Rather than just listing specs, we highlighted the experience, taking inspiration from Apple's marketing strategy when they launched the iPod. Instead of saying '5GB hard drive,' they said '1,000 songs in your pocket.'"

The Results

• 242% increase in organic traffic in 3 months
• 30% increase in direct website sales
• Increased footfall in Coventry showroom

Google Ranking Improvements

• "Professional pool cue": moved up 32 places to #3
• "English pool cue": moved up 50 places to #4
• "British pool cues": moved up 34 places to #4
• "Pro snooker cue": moved up 91 places to #10
• "Pro pool cue": #1 ranking