The brand that grew 95% in a market that went nowhere

Open the homepage of any alcohol retailer. Click the navigation menu. You’ll see something familiar: Wine. Beer. Spirits. Maybe a Gifts tab. Now open The Alcohol Free Co. Their menu reads like a keyword research document. Instead of “Beer”, they build out: IPA, pale ale, stout, porter, sour, lager, gluten-free, vegan. Instead of “Spirits”, they create: rum alternatives, tequila alternatives, vodka alternatives, whiskey alternatives. Instead of “Gifts”, they build: gifts under £25, gifts for gin lovers, mixed packs. That structural choice, building navigation based on demand and intent, helps explain why they grew 95% year-on-year in a market that averaged 0%.

The Alcohol Free Co climbed 19 positions to #29 in our Salience Index Alcohol 2026 report. In a sector where only 0.63% of Google searchers click page two results, that kind of movement is a land-grab. So we did what we always do with brands like this: started with the data, looked at the site like a customer, and joined the dots between search demand, page intent, and the on-site buying experience.

This is that story.

 

What we’re measuring (and why it matters)

Before we go further, let’s get specific about the numbers. The headline metric in the Salience Index is Traffic Score. A third-party estimate from AHrefs based on how many keywords a site ranks for in the top 100, combined with search volumes and estimated click-through rates tied to those rankings. This isn’t your GA4 sessions. It’s a modelled figure that lets us compare brands in the same sector on the same rules and spot who’s gaining share. The Alcohol Free Co’s numbers tell a clear story:

  • Visibility Nov 2025: 26,104
  • Visibility Nov 2024: 13,416
  • Year-on-year change: +95%
  • Position change: +19 (to #29)
  • Market average YoY change: 0%

For context, the market leader (Majestic) sits at 509,538 visibility and grew 15% year-on-year. Fortnum & Mason at #2 sits at 208,189 visibility, also up 15%. So The Alcohol Free Co isn’t competing on size yet. They’re competing on momentum. And in a flat market, momentum is how you take territory. But why did we pick them for a deep dive instead of the giants at the top? Because big brands can grow for simple reasons: they already have demand, links, authority, and scale. The harder, more instructive story is the challenger that sits outside the top 10, has less baked-in demand, and still manages to almost double visibility while everyone else stays flat. That’s what makes this interesting.

Overall rank YoY Change Visibility Nov 7, 2025 Visibility Nov 7, 2024 YoY Change Compared to Market
1 0 majestic.co.uk 509,538  444,655 15% 15%
2 1 fortnumandmason.com 208,189  180,320 15% 15%
3 -1 thewhiskyexchange.com 199,474  227,028 -12% -12%
4 1 waitrosecellar.com 172,967  159,347 9% 9%
5 -1 laithwaites.co.uk 112,758  170,230 -34% -34%
6 2 brewdog.com 95,049  88,709 7% 7%
7 0 masterofmalt.com 90,154  96,188 -6% -6%
8 -2 drinksupermarket.com 86,695  103,394 -16% -16%
9 1 virginwines.co.uk 80,158  70,285 14% 14%
10 6 beerwulf.com 68,247  54,563 25% 25%
11 0 thewinesociety.com 65,039  60,274 8% 8%
12 3 auvodka.co.uk 61,417  55,000 12% 12%
13 -1 thebottleclub.com 61,385  56,882 8% 8%
14 4 bbr.com 57,888  51,092 13% 13%
15 -6 whiskyshop.com 57,676  73,380 -21% -21%
16 3 sundaytimeswineclub.co.uk 54,946  43,406 27% 27%
17 -4 houseofmalt.co.uk 48,309  56,756 -15% -15%
18 -4 vipbottles.co.uk 42,206  55,884 -24% -24%
19 2 johnniewalker.com 38,357  39,415 -3% -3%
20 5 365drinks.co.uk 36,797  30,693 20% 20%
21 3 threshers.co.uk 34,930  30,834 13% 13%
22 -2 secretbottleshop.co.uk 33,226  41,359 -20% -20%
23 4 thechampagnecompany.com 33,070  29,604 12% 12%
24 -2 themacallan.com 32,949  33,862 -3% -3%
25 -8 vivino.com 31,780  51,425 -38% -38%
26 -3 champagnedirect.co.uk 31,132  31,952 -3% -3%
27 -1 malts.com 27,324  30,218 -10% -10%
28 6 guinnesswebstore.co.uk 26,747  23,212 15% 15%
29 19 thealcoholfreeco.co.uk 26,104  13,416 95% 95%
30 2 beersofeurope.co.uk 25,602  24,305 5% 5%

See the full data set here. 

 

The core idea: selling alcohol-free like it’s a department store

Most alcohol retailers treat no-and-low as a filter on a category page. Maybe a small sub-range. Perhaps a seasonal campaign page. The Alcohol Free Co treats it as the whole shop. That sounds obvious. They’re a specialist retailer. But on-site, the implications are significant. When alcohol-free is your entire focus, you can build out category depth that generalists can’t match. You can create landing pages for every meaningful variation. You can match the way people actually search, rather than forcing them through filters. Think about how someone shops alcohol-free for the first time. They’re not typing “beer” into Google. They’re typing:

  • “alcohol free IPA”
  • “non-alcoholic stout”
  • “alcohol free tequila alternative”
  • “gluten free alcohol free beer”
  • “alcohol free gifts under 25”

Every one of those queries is specific. Every one deserves a specific page. And The Alcohol Free Co has built those pages.

 

What they’re doing on-site (and why it works)

Let’s get concrete. Let’s look at what a customer can see.

1. Category structure that matches search intent

Their navigation does heavy lifting that most retailers leave undone. Instead of “Beer”, they build out type categories: IPA, pale ale, stout/porter, sour, lager. They add dietary constraint pages: gluten free, vegan. They create occasion pages: mixed packs, gifts. For spirits, they frame everything as alternatives—rum alternatives, tequila alternatives, vodka alternatives, whiskey alternatives. That’s smart because it matches how people search when they’re looking to replace something they already know.

Why does this structure matter for organic search? Google rewards pages that are clearly about one thing. A page titled “Alcohol Free IPA” that contains only alcohol-free IPAs will outrank a filtered view of a generic beer page nine times out of ten. The intent is clearer. The content is more focused. The user experience is better. Most retailers have a single “alcohol free” filter buried in a mega-category. The Alcohol Free Co has dozens of intent-matched landing pages.

 

2. Filters that reduce choice paralysis

On category pages we checked, the filtering system is genuinely practical:

  • ABV bands (including true 0.0 versus low-alcohol)
  • Vegan / gluten free
  • Size
  • Brand filtering

This isn’t just a “nice to have” in this segment. It solves real shopping blockers. If you’ve watched someone shop alcohol-free for the first time, you know the questions running through their head: Is it actually 0.0 or just low? Is it sweet? Is it beer-ish or more like sparkling water? Will it work in a cocktail? Will it arrive in time? Good filters don’t answer all those questions. But they keep people on the page long enough to find a match. And that behaviour—time on page, fewer bounces, more product clicks—tends to go hand-in-hand with organic growth.

 

3. Occasion intent gets dedicated real estate

Because the report’s snapshot is from November, we paid attention to gifting. They don’t hide gift intent behind a generic “Gifts” tab. They create specific pages: “Gifts Under £25” with its own product list and supporting copy. That’s a smart play in alcohol eCommerce because gift shopping creates a totally different search pattern:

  • Budget-led terms (“under 25”, “under 50”)
  • Urgency-led terms (“next day”, “last posting date”)
  • Taste-led terms (“for gin lovers”, “for beer lovers”)

You don’t need to rank for all of those. You need a structure that gives you a shot at them.

 

4. Product pages that answer questions

One thing we look for in category challengers: do product pages do more than repeat the label? On a product page we reviewed, the content breaks into clear sections:

  • Tasting notes
  • Serving suggestions
  • Food pairings
  • Highlights
  • Additional info (ABV, size, dietary flags)

That structure does two jobs at once. First, it helps the shopper decide fast. Second, it gives the page a better chance of matching informational queries, the kind that show up in People Also Ask boxes. If you want organic growth without building a massive blog, this is the move. Make your commercial pages carry some of the “help” load.

 

5. Content stitched into commerce

They publish posts in an “Alcohol Free Insights” section. But here’s what separates useful content from vanity content: those posts link directly into collection pages and product bundles. We looked at a Christmas collection post. It links into the collections and bundles it’s talking about. The content has a job beyond “ranking for a keyword.” Most brands miss this. They build content that ranks, then forget to route the reader into product pages. The Alcohol Free Co treats content as a bridge, not a dead end.

 

What this tells us about the wider alcohol market

Even if you don’t sell alcohol-free, the patterns here apply across alcohol eCommerce.

Head terms are a knife fight

The report’s high-competition keywords include terms like “whisky” (135,000 search volume, competitiveness 84), “gin” (49,500 search volume, competitiveness 79), and “rum” (40,500 search volume, competitiveness 71). This is why so many alcohol brands lean on paid search. Organic on head terms is slow, expensive, and often locked up by giants with decades of authority.

But opportunity keywords exist

The report’s opportunity keywords list is the part most teams underuse. There are keywords with serious volume but lower competitiveness: “white wine” (10,000 search volume, competitiveness 4), “prosecco” (60,500 search volume, competitiveness 4), “cider” (201,000 search volume, competitiveness 8). The lesson isn’t “go write a page for white wine.” The lesson is: stop thinking all volume sits behind the most obvious, hardest keywords. There are plenty of mid-tier terms where a well-built category page can compete, especially if the page is genuinely helpful.

Demand shifts under your feet

The report’s search volume trends section shows why ongoing monitoring matters. “Sloe gin” shows an interest trend of 93% (search volume 27,100). “Cider” shows an interest trend of -23% (search volume 201,000). If you’re planning your content and category work once a year, you’re already late. The only sane move is to build a system you can iterate in-season.

 

Trust as the hidden lever

Alcohol is a trust purchase. People care about delivery, packaging, returns, product quality, and whether the site is legitimate. The Salience Index makes this point directly: Google is trying to prioritise trustworthy and credible websites. eCommerce brands are most likely to see visibility drops when trust signals are missing. On The Alcohol Free Co site, reviews are surfaced across category pages and content pages, not tucked away on a hidden reviews tab. We’re not claiming that reviews “caused” the 95% growth. But the report’s review data backs up why trust matters:

  • 98% of consumers pay attention to reviews from the last two weeks
  • 74% say trust in a company increases after reading positive reviews
  • 50% trust online reviews after reading 4-5 reviews

In a market where trust affects both clicks and conversion, you’d be silly to ignore these signals.

 

The uncomfortable question

The Alcohol Free Co’s growth isn’t magic. It’s the result of a structural decision most retailers avoid: building their site around how customers search rather than how the business organises itself. In a market where ads, featured elements, and AI features are taking up more room on the SERP, and where page two might as well not exist, you can’t afford slippage. Their 95% growth in a 0% market is proof that structure can beat scale when the structure is built for intent. Are you building pages people are searching for… or pages you wish they were searching for?

If you want the full data picture, the Salience Index Alcohol 2026 report covers 100+ brands and 9,800 keywords across 11 metrics. Download it, benchmark your brand, and then have the honest conversation about what needs to change.