by Sean2025âs holidayâcottage market is up, with total organic traffic 4% higher than last year. People are still hunting for hot tubs and dog-friendly cabins, but theyâre also craving sustainability and flexible payments.
Our latest Salience Index shows that âforest holidaysâ is now the second mostâsearched emerging brand term after Hoseasons. It generates around 110k UK brand searches every month and is growing by 6%.
Clearly, something is going on under those trees.
This article deconstructs how Forest Holidays â a cabin company rather than a cottageâletting site â has used search marketing to muscle into a crowded holidayâlet marketplace. Weâll look at the broader market, dissect the brandâs strategy across UX, CRO, content, digital PR and storytelling, and outline what you can crib for your own site.
Click here to access our latest Holiday Coteges Market Report. 100+ leading brands ranked across organic/brand/social.
Market context â big brands, bigger search terms
Holidayâlet search is dominated by a handful of names. Hoseasons leads the pack with 450k monthly brand searches and a 14% growth rate.
Sykes, Holidaycottages.co.uk and Cottages.com follow, all enjoying high brand awareness and deep pockets for PPC. Itâs a fiercely competitive space. Overall visibility grew 4% year on year, yet most of that growth accrued to the top five domains.
Amid this, Forest Holidays looks like an invader. Itâs not technically a cottage brand, rather a letting agent like many others, but it targets the same âselfâcatering in the countrysideâ keyword set.
Search volume for its brand term has risen to 110k monthly queries with a 6% YoY interest trend, and broader terms such as âlog cabin with hot tubâ have seen tripleâdigit search growth in our dataset. With holiday lodges and cabins featuring heavily in receding trend tables (keywords like âlodge and hot tubâ are down 38%), any brand bucking the downward trajectory deserves a closer look.
What Forest Holidays gets right
Experience first, product second
The Forest Holidays site sells a feeling before a cabin. Its hero banner proclaims âDiscover the ultimate forest getawayâ and prompts users to select a location, dates and guests in a single, mobileâfriendly search.
That widget anchors the page, making it obvious where to start without forcing visitors into long forms. Above it sits a green bar offering 10% off for email signâups, while below the hero lie a row of icons summarising benefits: hot tubs with every cabin, ÂŁ25 deposit bookings, easy monthly payments, petâfriendly cabins, BâCorp certification and a 96% âwould stay againâ.
Often, the best CRO work revolves around transparency â key selling points, and potential blockers made very clear early on. Forest Holidaysâ clarity helps them get around a major pain point in holiday booking. Cost anxiety. The option to pay just ÂŁ25 upfront and spread the balance appeals to millennials juggling cash flow and fits the growth in âspread the costâ holiday searches.
Content that answers questions (and sparks dreams)
Beyond the booking engine, Forest Holidays invests heavily in inspiration. Every cabin page features immersive photography, curated itineraries and local tips. Its âStay, explore, playâ section encourages visitors to plan activities such as guided walks and wildlife safaris, linking directly to booking pages.
Further down the homepage, a panel invites users to âDiscover our locationsâ across 13 forests, while another section quotes a glowing review from The Times â âItâs family time from here on outâ. Press endorsements act as digital PR, lending authority without the spammy guest posts we still see in this industry.
The brand leans into social proof at scale. A midâpage gallery asks âWhatâs your #ForestFeeling?â and pulls in customer photos while nudging users to tag the brand on social platformsforestholidays.co.uk.
Below that sits an embedded Feefo review feed showing a 4.8/5 independent service rating from over 5,000 verified customersforestholidays.co.uk. Integrating verified reviews directly on the booking page reduces bounceârate and persuades fenceâsitters without the need for contrived testimonials.
Payment options and frictionless extras
Forest Holidaysâ checkout journey has been built for the modern booking stage. After picking dates and guests, users can opt for monthly instalments and a ÂŁ25 deposit. Once a getaway is chosen, the site upsells extras such as inâcabin pizza delivery, forest ranger experiences and bike hire, accompanied by a reminder that âOur easy Pay Monthly option means you can spread the cost of your stay, including many activities and experiencesâ.
Community and storytelling
Forest Holidays wraps its cabins in narrative. The brand frames breaks as a way to unplug, reconnect and find your âForest Feelingâ â a narrative repeated across the site, social media and email campaigns. Its hashtagâdriven social gallery encourages travellers to become part of the story.
Funnel of the holiday cottage buying journey
- ### Dreaming & Inspiration
Travellers scroll social feeds, watch travel vlogs and picture a break away. Forest Holidays intercepts this moment with rich photography, inspirational copy and press quotes. It uses social hashtags (#ForestFeeling) and userâgenerated galleries to fuel wanderlust. - ### Planning & Research
Here the job is to answer questions fast. The navigation splits content by Holiday inspiration, Locations, Cabins, Things to do and Offers, helping users compare options without endless clicking. Feefo reviews and â96% would stay againâ stats appear early, while blogs and itineraries provide detailed local guidance. - ### Booking & Paying
A single search bar captures location, dates and guests, with transparent pricing and availability. Users can secure stays with ÂŁ25 down and choose monthly instalments. Extras are upsold without pressure and can be added to the payment. - ### Experience & Advocacy
Guests are encouraged to share their stay with #ForestFeeling, feeding back into the inspiration loop. The embedded review system shows verified feedback and a Platinum Trusted Service Award, building a circle of social proof.
Key takeaways
- Donât make users hunt for deposit amounts, refund policies, or sustainability credentials. Let Forest Holidaysâ hero sectionâs icons and succinct copy do the heavy lifting.
- Low deposits and monthly payment plans reduce friction for priceâsensitive customers and increase conversion.
- Guides and itineraries should answer fundamental questions and provide practical âgood to knowâ sections. Avoid keywordâstuffed blog spam.
- Verified reviews, thirdâparty accolades and userâgenerated galleries build trust. Encourage customers to share their experiences with branded hashtags.
- Tell a story that resonates. Forest Holidays sells a feeling â reconnection in nature â rather than just accommodation.
Conclusion
Holidayâcottage search is getting tougher. Sure, the market has seen a 4% marketâwide visibility growth, but itâs uneven, with market incumbents swallowing the traffic increase. Perhaps this is yet another market where brand wins. Brand is increasingly becoming the No.1 trust signal, and more of an SEO strategy than ever.
Read our article on why and how you should focus on building your brand. Brands differentiating on experience and build for real travellersâ buying journeys stand out. Stop obsessing over keywords alone and start crafting journeys that make people want to pack their bags.
