In this Footwear Industry Analysis, we’ll explore market share of voice, visibility growth, consumer search habits and key SEO opportunities. For a deep dive into every metric, get the free 69‑page report.
What’s Driving the Footwear Market Size and Growth?
The UK footwear sector is booming. Sports Direct leads the pack with an organic traffic score of 5.83 million, followed closely by Nike at 5.60 million and JD Sports at 4.68 million.
The top five account for over 75% of all market visibility, underlining how concentration at the top shapes market size projections.
Growth trends show Crocs rocketing ahead with a 58 % surge in online visibility, while Footlocker enjoyed a 70 % uplift. Nike and JD Sports posted substantial gains of 27 %, signalling robust brand health and resonant campaigns.
| Overall rank | YoY Change | Brand | Visibility Apr 11, 25 | Visibility Apr 11, 24 | YoY Change | Compared to the Market |
| 1 | 0 | sportsdirect.com | 5,830,568 | 5,419,000 | 8% | -6% |
| 2 | 0 | nike.com | 5,597,452 | 4,421,060 | 27% | 13% |
| 3 | 0 | jdsports.co.uk | 4,677,015 | 3,672,571 | 27% | 13% |
| 4 | 0 | adidas.co.uk | 3,745,152 | 3,636,150 | 3% | -11% |
| 5 | 0 | schuh.co.uk | 1,990,395 | 1,845,470 | 8% | -6% |
| 6 | 1 | newbalance.co.uk | 1,574,116 | 1,466,640 | 7% | -7% |
| 7 | -1 | office.co.uk | 1,405,616 | 1,631,852 | -14% | -28% |
| 8 | 1 | ugg.com | 1,171,175 | 907,328 | 29% | 15% |
| 9 | 2 | crocs.co.uk | 1,155,796 | 732,192 | 58% | 44% |
| 10 | -2 | clarks.com | 916,237 | 929,501 | -1% | -15% |
| 11 | 1 | asics.com | 818,791 | 698,697 | 17% | 3% |
| 12 | 6 | footlocker.co.uk | 798,211 | 468,487 | 70% | 56% |
| 13 | 0 | drmartens.com | 747,284 | 663,165 | 13% | -1% |
| 14 | 1 | shoezone.com | 688,363 | 560,132 | 23% | 9% |
| 15 | -1 | footasylum.com | 635,399 | 594,752 | 7% | -7% |
| 16 | 7 | dunelondon.com | 532,393 | 357,743 | 49% | 35% |
| 17 | 2 | underarmour.co.uk | 509,789 | 392,231 | 30% | 16% |
| 18 | -8 | stockx.com | 506,091 | 805,169 | -37% | -51% |
| 19 | 3 | birkenstock.com | 497,095 | 363,116 | 37% | 23% |
| 20 | -3 | pavers.co.uk | 466,250 | 520,852 | -10% | -24% |
| 21 | 0 | ego.co.uk | 407,042 | 363,263 | 12% | -2% |
| 22 | -6 | size.co.uk | 392,340 | 530,768 | -26% | -40% |
| 23 | -3 | converse.com | 390,960 | 380,222 | 3% | -11% |
| 24 | 0 | vans.co.uk | 386,285 | 316,882 | 22% | 8% |
| 25 | 13 | on.com | 364,550 | 128,416 | 184% | 170% |
| 26 | 1 | uk.puma.com | 340,707 | 234,938 | 45% | 31% |
| 27 | 1 | clarksoutlet.co.uk | 299,474 | 231,480 | 29% | 15% |
| 28 | 3 | timberland.co.uk | 268,509 | 181,054 | 48% | 34% |
| 29 | 1 | sportsshoes.com | 237,342 | 185,703 | 28% | 14% |
| 30 | -4 | jonesbootmaker.com | 235,125 | 242,413 | -3% | -17% |
Why should you listen to us?
Le Chameau leads the premium wellington boot subsector of the wider footwear market, having set the luxury standard for over 90 years. They came to us with an underperforming website that wasn’t capturing customer intent and suffered from severe technical issues following a problematic site redevelopment. Our work delivered a 33% revenue increase, 81% boost in organic sessions, and 1,366% page speed improvement. Read the full case study to see how we did this.
Who Ranks as the Most Prominent Footwear Brands?
Prominence combines branded search volume with a social engagement score called owned social score. Owned social score considers followers and engaged conversations on all major social platforms. A strong owned audience now influences SEO more than ever—brand queries feed Google’s entity understanding, soften the impact of core updates and now, social content such as TikTok videos and Instagram reels are starting to be pulled into the SERP!
Nike also dominates here, delivering 1.5 million monthly brand searches and an owned social score north of 383,000.
- Adidas sits in a solid second with 823,000 searches and 118,000 social score.
- Converse, JD Sports and Sports Direct follow, each harnessing a blend of reputation and digital savvy to stay top of mind.
Understanding your brand’s share of voice is crucial for planning long‑term strategies in areas like paid media, community management and digital PR.
Which Footwear Brands Earn the Best Customer Reviews?
Social proof matters. Pavers claims the crown as the UK’s best‑rated brand, boasting a 4.7 Trustpilot score from over 174,000 reviews. Close behind is Sports Shoes, also at 4.7 with 82,000 reviews, while StockX, Clarks and Foot Asylum round out the top five.
Brands that prioritise customer experience win hearts and improve click‑through rates and conversion.
| SITE | Review score | No. reviews | Score | Ranking |
| pavers.co.uk | 4.7 | 174,408 | 917370945499 | 1 |
| sportsshoes.com | 4.7 | 81,900 | 430786893011 | 2 |
| stockx.com | 4.3 | 198,725 | 429474182271 | 3 |
| clarks.com | 4.7 | 45,620 | 239957241260 | 4 |
| footasylum.com | 4.4 | 75,509 | 205364552710 | 5 |
| jdsports.co.uk | 3.8 | 312,555 | 196228650415 | 6 |
| fitflop.com | 4.4 | 52,705 | 143343690826 | 7 |
| shoezone.com | 4.6 | 27,850 | 118141781740 | 8 |
| jonesbootmaker.com | 4.4 | 21,427 | 58275785283 | 9 |
| sportsdirect.com | 3.3 | 283,316 | 43392083179 | 10 |
| veja-store.com | 4 | 38,574 | 40447770624 | 11 |
| loake.com | 4.7 | 6,900 | 36293401243 | 12 |
| size.co.uk | 3.9 | 32,272 | 26270718518 | 13 |
| vivobarefoot.com | 4.1 | 10,907 | 14640094510 | 14 |
| dunelondon.com | 4.5 | 3,384 | 11522732825 | 15 |
| wynsors.com | 4.7 | 1,802 | 9478363629 | 16 |
| ugg.com | 3.8 | 12,291 | 7716550182 | 17 |
| kickers.co.uk | 4.1 | 4,464 | 5991875116 | 18 |
| deichmann.com | 4.1 | 3,627 | 4868398532 | 19 |
| beggshoes.com | 4.8 | 654 | 4246099062 | 20 |
| ego.co.uk | 3.5 | 11,773 | 3247637799 | 21 |
| kurtgeiger.com | 3.6 | 4,913 | 1796270642 | 22 |
| hotter.com | 3.5 | 5,687 | 1568785880 | 23 |
| rieker.co.uk | 4.4 | 466 | 1267397020 | 24 |
| charlesclinkard.co.uk | 4.4 | 350 | 951907633 | 25 |
| modainpelle.com | 3.6 | 1,405 | 513690261 | 26 |
| runnersneed.com | 3.7 | 648 | 311596267 | 27 |
| moshulu.co.uk | 4 | 270 | 283115520 | 28 |
| schuh.co.uk | 2.5 | 1,427 | 13608932 | 29 |
| drmartens.com | 2.2 | 4,770 | 12669083 | 30 |
What Search Ranking Factors Are Shaping Footwear SEO?
The search landscape is evolving fast. CTRs are falling on top terms as Google rolls out new SERP features, and social platforms now play a growing discovery role. Yet there’s enormous potential in keyword opportunities:
High‑competition terms like “boots” (2.79 million searches) and “running shoes” (60,000) remain vital for category dominance. However, opportunity keywords such as “men’s slippers” (40,000 searches, low competition) and “girls trainers” (19,000) offer the best balance of volume and conversion potential. For the full list, get your free 69 page footwear market report.
London Marathon 2025: Campaign Highlights
In a sea of 26.2 miles of billboards, four brands stood out with standout campaigns:
- Nike – ‘Winning isn’t comfortable’
- Pop‑up “RunTown” on Regent Street turned spectators into walking billboards
- Demo zones offered a peek‑and‑try of Pegasus, Vomero, Alphafly and Vaporfly
- Personalised supporter signs and medal engraving fuelled social buzz
- Bold OOH slogans like “Remember why you signed up” cut through the noise
- Adidas – The quieter approach
- Invited elite racers to test the new Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2
- Let performance speak: five of 12 podium spots in major marathons
- Google Trends interest spiked 4‑to‑1 post‑race, with over 19k social posts
- New Balance – Official sponsor
- Launched a free “New Balance Townhouse” hub with watch parties and café
- 30,000 illuminated roses created huge earned media reach
- Emphasised inclusivity and community with minimal paid media spend
- Bandit Running – Challenger creativity
- Fashion‑meets‑running pieces debuted in a London pub‑style pop‑up
- Local group runs and streetwear collaborations targeted niche influencers
- Zero paid promotion but high buzz among fashion‑forward runners
For a closer look at how major brands made their mark at the 2025 Marathon, read our in-depth strategy analysis.
How to Put These Insights to Work
The UK footwear market is more competitive than ever. Whether you’re chasing market share, boosting branded search or optimising on‑site experience, a data‑driven strategy is key. If you’d like to benchmark your digital performance or refine your tactics, learn more about our eCommerce SEO services and let’s exceed your expectations.
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