Last night we hosted our first-ever Manchester DM – and we couldn’t have asked for a better start.
Held at the Feel Good Club, the event brought together marketers from across the city for an evening of practical talks, casual networking and plenty of pizza. A huge thanks to everyone who came along, and to Evoluted for partnering with us to bring the event to life.
If you’ve been to our Sheffield or Nottingham DM events before, you’ll know what to expect: relaxed format, useful insight, and a real mix of experience levels in the room. Manchester’s first edition kept that same feel – and it’s safe to say the local marketing scene showed up.
The Line-Up
James Hayward-Browne (Co-Founder, Bottled Imagination) opened with a talk on building digital PR campaigns that work across channels – looking at what makes campaigns actually land, and how to spot the difference between noise and strategy.
Bethany Rathbone (Global Senior SEO Analyst, Dr Martens) followed with a deep dive into global ecommerce SEO – breaking down how to scale effectively without losing the detail that makes search work.
Chris Nightingale (Digital Marketing Director, ex-AO.com) wrapped things up with an honest look at moving from big-brand life to startup – full of lessons on agility, priorities, and where to focus when you’re building something new.
Why Manchester DM?
We started Manchester DM to create more space for digital marketers to connect without the usual pressure or polish. No hard sells, no overproduced presentations – just useful talks, honest discussion, and a community that learns from each other.
We’re planning to run these events every two months, bringing in speakers from different corners of digital marketing – from SEO, PPC and digital PR, to content, data, and brand strategy.
Whether you’re new to the industry or have been in it for years, we want Manchester DM to be a place where you can learn something new, meet people doing interesting work, and stay inspired.
We’ll be sharing dates for the next event soon – so keep an eye out, or sign up to our mailing list to stay in the loop.
Big thanks again to everyone who made the first event such a good one!
For her fourth time speaking at Brighton SEO, Director Amanda took to the main stage at Brighton SEO to deliver a talk on “Reimagining E-E-A-T: Using Ethos, Pathos And Logos To Boost SEO Campaigns” drawing on skills that she learnt when studying philosophy at school, Amanda discussed how the valuable rhetoric of Ethos, Pathos and Logos can be applied to SEO campaigns to not just improve performance, but most importantly to improve conversion rate and drive sales and leads – which at the end of the day is why everyone does it!
At the event which had over 2,000 attendees, Amanda went into detail about how to apply these principles to your SEO campaigns and why doing so plays such an important role in ensuring your maximising your return on investment. Key focus areas included:
Understanding that 87% of people will leave the conversion funnel if they read a negative review or mention of your website – brand perception and awareness is key and building/protecting your reputation plays a key role in this
Showcasing “benefits” not “features” – why should I use your product/service, what benefit does it have to me? Rather than just listing a specific feature it has, appeal to the user’s emotional side by helping them to understand how it could help them
Matching user intent plays an important role in keeping users in the funnel – understanding what type of content best resonates with them is important here, do they want content that showcases experience or expertise? Or sometimes do they want a mixture of both?
Utilising Digital PR effectively to build reputation – how to best use your thought leadership and data-led campaigns to make people find your brand online and ensuring that when people are researching they’re finding what they need to to better understand your brand.
Overall, the outline of the talk focused on how Aristotle utilised “rhetoric” to help persuade an audience to do something – not too different from what we try to do in modern day SEO and provided relatable takeaways that not only help to align E-E-A-T (specifically in YMYL industries) but also help to boost those all important conversion rates.
A big thankyou to everyone who attended the talk – please reach out if you’d like a copy of the deck!
Our Director Amanda Walls was on stage at the SEO Mastery Summit, Saigon last week discussing “Using Digital PR To Simultaneously Boost SEO And CRO”
The SEO Mastery Summit is one of the most highly regarded SEO conferences in the world with nearly 500 delegates from around the world attending the week-long conference each year & Amanda was delighted to have been invited to speak at the event. The conference is held each year in Ho Chi Minh City and attracts a huge international audience.
“The SEO Mastery Summit is one of the leading SEO events in the world so it’s great to be able to get on stage and share knowledge with as well as learn from some of the world’s best SEO’s,” she said.
Also on stage, were leading SEO speakers including Craig Campbell, Kavi Kardos, SEO Jesus, Christopher Hofman and many more…
Key themes of the conference focused around the rise of AI and how we can adapt it into strategy to help improve efficiencies, as well as looking at personal branding and the rise of this within SEO. There were many cutting-edge talks discussing recent Google algorithm updates and how to stay ahead of the evolving landscape, as well as some great social networking events and a chance to meet SEOs from all over the world.
Overall, the conference had some great actionable takeaways to bring home for clients, in addition to being a great way to learn from and speak in front of some of the world’s leading SEOs.
Continuing the trend of brands focusing on changing the narrative around women in sports currently being championed by Dove and Novartis, Nike released a 60-second ad featuring a star-studded line up of some of the most iconic women in sports right now. A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins, Jordan Chiles, Sabrina Ionescu, Sha’Carri Richardson, Alexia Putellas, Aryna Sabalenka, and Sophia Smith Wilson, an intentionally diverse cast from various different sports, were pictured while Grammy award winning rapper Doechii narrated.
In their first Super Bowl ad since 1998, Nike called on women who are so often told they will not win in sport to win anyway. Too often limitations are forced upon women and girls in the sporting world, with expectations of how they should look, behave, and exist as women, and Nike’s fantastic ad is a significant step in the right direction of naming and dismantling this problem.
Choosing one of the biggest nights for men’s sports in the US to give women centre stage, at a price tag of at least $8 million, it is incredibly refreshing to see a brand stand firm in their support of women. While other companies played it safe with gentle gags and celebrity cameos, Nike’s daring ad was one of the best-reviewed of the night, the brand’s social media received the most engagement of any advertiser, and with 13,000 online mentions, it was the most talked-about of the night. While Budweiser’s “First Delivery” and Lay’s “The Little Farmer” were ranked highest in USA Today’s Ad Meter, the purpose-driven nature of Nike achieved higher emotional engagement, reflecting the audience shift towards more meaningful content. Nike’s success indicates that taking a risk in supporting female narratives in advertising can pay off in a big way, and contributes to the bigger commentary around how the advertising landscape has evolved, with brands recognising the importance of inclusivity and representation.
If you are interested in more marketing & trend insights, check out the Cedarwood blog for more!
Simply put, more women are watching the Super Bowl, and advertisers are finally taking notice.
Over the past three years, male-only celebrity ads have decreased by 2%, while ads featuring both genders have surged by 79%.
Many commentators have attributed this, in part, to Taylor Swift’s high-profile relationship with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce. Her presence has driven up ticket demand, particularly for luxury suites, and helped 2024’s Super Bowl reach a record-breaking 202 million viewers, 49% of whom were women. This marks a 23% increase from 2023. This Sunday’s game is expected to attract the largest and most diverse audience yet, reflecting the NFL’s growing appeal among women and girls.
Advertisers appear to be bringing a healthier and more female-focused message to this year. Health and beauty brands are joining the fray, many of whom for the first time, and longstanding Super Bowl advertisers have started incorporating women into their ads in a less sexualised capacity.
Dove are running their Body Confident Sport campaign for the second year, designed to address the fact that in America, almost half of girls drop out of sports before reaching 14 due to low body confidence issues.
Novartis is running an ad to raise breast cancer awareness and to encourage more screenings, aimed at women aged 40 and younger, featuring Wanda Sykes and Hailee Steinfeld.
Hims & Hers is calling attention to the obesity epidemic in the US, and is critiquing the US healthcare system over restricted access to weight loss drugs, offering their own product as an alternative.
The star power behind this year’s ads reflects a clear trend: smart, funny women are taking centre stage. Martha Stewart, Shania Twain, Doja Cat, Charli XCX, and Meg Ryan are among the high-profile names leading this year’s celebrity-driven commercials.
In comparison, 2024 saw many more male-focused ads, with more male celebrities in the spotlight too; Post Malone, Lil Wayne, Jeff Goldblum, Bradley Cooper, and Usher to name just a few. Betting apps were also a popular theme for this year, and in 2023 cryptocurrency was the topic de jeur, while beer commercials continue to dominate every year, all of which are traditionally male interests. This is not to say women were not present, with Beyoncé’s ‘Can’t B Broken’ Verizon ad and Jennifer Lopez for Dunkin’ receiving a huge portion of the subsequent cultural buzz. However, with 2025’s focus on not only women, but also women’s health and issues, this year is set to be a female-led phenomenon.
Ultimately, the increasing presence of women and female-centric narratives in a traditionally male-dominated space is a promising indication of progress. Women’s interests, purchasing power, and viewership are not only being acknowledged – they are being embraced.
Last night saw the fourth instalment of Manchester DM — and with it, another round of genuinely useful talks, proper conversations, and the kind of honesty that’s hard to find in a webinar or polished conference session.
We kicked off with Abi Bellion-Carey, Head of Paid Media at Overdrive Digital, whose talk “B2B More Like Boring 2 Boring – Bringing Life Back to Your B2B Campaigns” pulled no punches. Abi broke down exactly why so much B2B content falls flat – and what to do instead. From knowing who you’re actually trying to reach (and why), to using trends in a smart way (yes, even TikTok), to making room for personality in even the driest of sectors, it was a brilliant reminder that B2B doesn’t have to mean boring.
Next up, Henry Smith, Head of SEO at Dark Horse, tackled “Stop Selling SEO Like It’s PPC.” His talk explored why SEO and PPC need to be measured differently, why we do both a disservice when we report them in the same way, and how to frame SEO’s longer-term value for stakeholders who are used to more immediate results. There was plenty in there for client leads, strategists and anyone who’s ever had to explain why SEO takes time.
Closing the evening was Paddy Moogan, Founder of The New Leader, with “The Effective Manager Framework: Four Core Skills That 82% of Managers Don’t Have.” Taking a step back from pure channel talk, Paddy’s session focused on what makes a good manager – especially in digital, where people often end up leading teams without any formal leadership training. From coaching to feedback to setting clear expectations, it was one of those talks that had people scribbling notes and quietly nodding along.
The Q&A at the end brought out some great discussion around team structures, reporting challenges and career development – and, as always, the post-event drinks turned into a mini strategy session in themselves.
It’s been great to see Manchester DM grow over these last few months – not just in numbers, but in the quality of conversation and the mix of people turning up. Agency, in-house, freelance, junior, senior – everyone’s got something to share, and that’s exactly what we set this up for.
We’ll be back again in two months with a new line-up and fresh topics. In the meantime, if you’ve got an idea for a future talk or want to get involved, just give us a shout.
Thanks again to Abi, Henry and Paddy for a cracking line-up – and to everyone who joined us for another full room and a great night.
Manchester DM was back last night for round three – and it was another packed evening at the Feel Good Club, with a great crowd, plenty of energy, and three excellent talks that gave us plenty to think about.
The Talks
We kicked things off with Chris Jones, Senior PPC Analyst at Journey Further, whose talk “Innovate with Purpose: Data Integration for PPC Campaigns Built on Strong Foundations” made a clear case for combining innovation with solid fundamentals. Chris walked through how to use first-party data more effectively, why automation needs context, and how to make sure PPC campaigns are built on something more solid than just a smart bidding strategy.
Next up was Alex Moran, SEO Lead at Space & Time, with “Google Loves To Show Things You Don’t Want Them To. And How You Can Stop It.” He broke down the realities of modern SERPs, the unexpected ways Google surfaces content, and the tools and tactics you can use to protect your brand and guide what people actually see. It hit home for a lot of people – especially those managing multiple stakeholders and unpredictable search results.
Closing the night was Graham Allchurch, Head of Brand & Campaigns at Your Golf Travel, with “How To Gain The Trust Of Senior Leaders And Decision Makers – And Avoid The Marketing Doom Loop.” Graham brought a refreshing honesty to the conversation, sharing practical advice on influencing upwards, building credibility, and steering teams away from reactive, short-term thinking. It resonated with marketers at all levels – whether you’re reporting to the board or trying to shift internal priorities from within.
The Q&A that followed was lively – with questions on everything from reporting and cross-team buy-in, to how to get more visibility for work that doesn’t always show up in last-click data. After that, we stuck around for another drink, more pizza, and some genuinely useful conversations between people doing the work day in, day out.
Manchester DM is about exactly that – real conversations, smart ideas, and building a community where marketers can actually learn from each other. We’ll be back in two months with a brand new line-up, and we’re always on the lookout for new speakers and topics, so drop us a message if you’ve got something to share.
Thanks again to everyone who joined us – and to Chris, Alex and Graham for making this one such a strong edition.
Manchester DM returned last night for round two – and it was another packed evening of smart ideas, honest conversations, and some very enthusiastic chat about content, strategy and social search.
Hosted again at the Feel Good Club, the second event kept the same laid-back format: three sharp talks, good people, and free drinks and pizza to keep things moving. It was great to see so many familiar faces back, along with plenty of first-timers.
The Talks
Aimee Jones – “Creating an SEO Strategy and Roadmap That Factors Business Priority, Seasonality, and Search Opportunity” Aimee kicked things off with a practical, grounded look at building SEO strategies that don’t sit in a silo. She walked through how to prioritise activity based on real business goals, seasonal trends, and genuine search demand — not just gut feel or keyword volume.
Ray Saddiq – “Diversify Your Organic Traffic via Social Search” Next up, Ray dived into the growing influence of platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts on organic discovery. He made a clear case for treating social search as a serious part of any traffic strategy — especially for brands seeing stagnation in traditional organic channels. A real eye-opener for anyone still on the fence about whether Gen Z really does use TikTok like Google.
Ellie Wraith – “Why SEOs & Digital PRs Must Prioritise Content Quality to Protect Brand Identity”* Ellie closed the evening with a sharp, thoughtful talk on the role content quality plays in long-term brand health. From SEO copy to reactive PR pieces, she showed how cutting corners for quick wins can cost more in credibility than it’s worth. A great reminder that content isn’t just a vehicle for links or rankings — it’s how people meet your brand.
The Atmosphere
As always, the vibe was open and down-to-earth. No sales pitches, no corporate fluff – just three thoughtful talks and a room full of people who care about doing better digital marketing.
The Q&A sparked some great follow-ups, with questions covering how to actually get buy-in for content improvements, ways to measure social search performance, and what a “realistic” SEO roadmap looks like in a fast-moving team.
Afterwards, we stuck around for another hour of networking – with chats ranging from tech stacks and agency life to what people are testing right now. The pizza was, once again, gone within minutes.
What’s Next?
Manchester DM exists to bring the digital marketing community together – to learn from each other, share what’s working, and keep things real. We’ll be running these events every two months, with new topics and new speakers every time.
If you missed this one, don’t worry – we’ll be back soon. And if you’ve got an idea for a future talk, we’d love to hear it.
Thanks again to everyone who came along, asked questions, and made the second event even better than the first. See you at the next one.
Easter may still be a few weeks away but if you’re anything like us, you’re browsing the confectionary aisles and starting to think about which egg you’re asking for this year. In fact, the stats back this up – there have been 50,000 searches for ‘Easter Egg’ in the UK in the past month, 213% more than the previous month. We’re clearly an impatient bunch!
With hundreds on the market, which easter egg should be added to your cart this year? At Cedarwood, we don’t take this decision lightly! We had a nosy at the stats to help us make an informed decision. Our SEO team have compiled easter egg search volumes over the last 4 years and pulled together the key numbers to help you make the right choice.
We’re going to give you the lowdown on:
🍫The UKs most searched for eggs
🍫The vegan easter egg capital
🍫Which big-drinker cities are searching for Guinness eggs
🍫Who’s potentially a bit too obsessed with their pet and buying a pet friendly Easter eggs
🍫The most popular cheese easter eggs (yes, you read that right)
What are the UK’s most searched for Easter Eggs?
Ferrero Rocher – 209,120 searches
Reese’s 146,160 searches
Oreo – 108,030 searches
Daim – 85,950 searches
Nomo – 68,080 searches
Smarties – 67,330 searches
Terry’s Chocolate Orange – 62,720 searches
Guylian – 61,530 searches
Yorkie – 48,880 searches
Turkish Delight – 48,250 searches
So, what do we make of the UK’s searched for eggs? It’s certainly an eclectic mix. That top search may surprise some of you – who knew we were such fans of hazelnut in this country. The egg in question is £11 – it’s made entirely of the signature hazelnut shell of a Ferrero Rocher, and contains 6 of the chocolates inside. Wow, this might be a new personal contender. We also can’t get enough of peanut butter chocolate, with the Reese’s easter egg coming in second. Peanut butter and chocolate is a winning combination after all so why not incorporate it at Easter.
People have also been searching for Oreo easter eggs. Disappointingly, this egg is pretty basic – it’s simply a Cadbury’s chocolate egg. But, it does come with two small eggs filled with oreo filling – delicious. Coming in at number 4 we have impressively high searches for a Daim easter egg – do they call it the Ikea effect?
Which cities are searching for vegan Easter Eggs the most?
Brighton – 1,805 searches per 100,000 people
Plymouth – 1,076 searches per 100,000 people
Portsmouth – 1,025 searches per 100,000 people
Belfast – 939 searches per 100,000 people
Northampton – 847 searches per 100,000 people
Bristol – 811 searches per 100,000 people
Reading – 804 searches per 100,000 people
Hull – 783 searches per 100,000 people
Nottingham – 761 searches per 100,000 people
Derby – 735 searches per 100,000 people
Leicester – 686 searches per 100,000 people
Stoke – 679 searches per 100,000 people
Bradford – 646 searches per 100,000 people
Coventry – 526 searches per 100,000 people
Newcastle – 516 searches per 100,000 people
Leeds – 512 searches per 100,000 people
Sheffield – 494 searches per 100,000 people
Glasgow – 397 searches per 100,000 people
Manchester – 370 searches per 100,000 people
Southampton – 320 searches per 100,000 people
Liverpool – 238 searches per 100,000 people
Cardiff – 225 searches per 100,000 people
London – 215 searches per 100,000 people
Birmingham – 205 searches per 100,000 people
Edinburgh – 138 searches per 100,000 people
We didn’t want to neglect our sweet-toothed vegans so pulled together data from Ahrefs top 50 vegan easter eggs terms.
You won’t be surprised to learn that Brighton is searching the most for Vegan Easter Eggs – 67% more searches per capita than runner-up Plymouth. This aligns with the city’s crowning as most vegan-friendly city. It’s a strong turnout overall from the South, with Plymouth and Portsmouth taking second and third place for the eco-friendly purchases.
However, searches for Vegan Easter Eggs have been decreasing throughout the years – down 7% in 2023 compared to 2022, and down 31% compared to 2021. This makes sense; research from GWI reveals that the number of vegans has dropped by 15% in the UK in the last two years and Connecting the Dots cites growing eco-fatigue and the cost-of-living crisis as the top reasons for this decline.
As for the most popular vegan Easter eggs on the market, Nomo claimed the top spot, with 68,080 searches. Nomo pride themselves on creating ‘chocolate for everyone’, which is free from dairy, gluten, eggs and nuts.
Booja Booja was the second most searched for vegan Easter egg, with 21,540 searches. These hand-painted eggs, made in Kashmir, India, are filled with organic, vegan chocolate truffles – another delicious option for the plant-based chocoholics out there!
Which cities are searching for Guinness Easter Eggs?
Belfast – 86 searches per 100,000 people
Brighton – 45 searches per 100,000 people
Hull – 38 searches per 100,000 people
Portsmouth – 33 searches per 100,000 people
Plymouth – 32 searches per 100,000 people
Stoke – 29 searches per 100,000 people
Derby – 28 searches per 100,000 people
Northampton – 25 searches per 100,000 people
Reading – 24 searches per 100,000 people
Leicester – 22 searches per 100,000 people
Bradford – 21 searches per 100,000 people
Nottingham – 21 searches per 100,000 people
Leeds – 17 searches per 100,000 people
Sheffield – 17 searches per 100,000 people
Coventry – 17 searches per 100,000 people
Bristol – 16 searches per 100,000 people
Newcastle – 15 searches per 100,000 people
Manchester – 15 searches per 100,000 people
Glasgow – 11 searches per 100,000 people
Southampton – 10 searches per 100,000 people
Cardiff – 9 searches per 100,000 people
Birmingham – 7 searches per 100,000 people
London – 7 searches per 100,000 people
Liverpool – 6 searches per 100,000 people
Edinburgh – 4 searches per 100,000 people
Belfast tops the charts for most interested in Guinness easter eggs – no surprises there! Belfast have been searching a huge 91% more than the runner up, Brighton, who also appear to love a pint, the rugby, or both.
I for one was immediately wondering if a Guinness easter egg actually contains Guinness? And the answer is yes! But do not worry, everyone can enjoy this treat; the alcohol by volume in the egg only works out as less than 1 percent. This easter egg is dark chocolate, shaped like a rugby ball, and the perfect gift for a Guinness fan.
Which cities are searching for pet-friendly Easter Eggs?
Newcastle – 142 searches per 100,000 people
Bristol – 140 searches per 100,000 people
Bradford – 132 searches per 100,000 people
Nottingham – 126 searches per 100,000 people
Sheffield – 116 searches per 100,000 people
Leeds – 93 searches per 100,000 people
Manchester – 81 searches per 100,000 people
Liverpool – 56 searches per 100,000 people
Birmingham – 44 searches per 100,000 people
London – 30 searches per 100,000 people
If you’re hoping to engage your pet in the festivities too, plenty of brands offer tasty and safe Easter treats for them to enjoy. Made using dairy alternatives like carob, more and more pet-friendly eggs are lining the shelves each year. So, which of us are most prone to spoiling our furry friends?
Well, Newcastle is most likely to celebrate Easter with their pets, with Bristol coming up shortly behind them and Bradford in third-place. The stats show a clear dominance from the North – maybe we just love our pets a bit more up here…
It also appears that we’re getting more generous towards our pets over time. 2023 data shows an increase in searches by a whopping 219% compared to 2020 stats.
What are the most popular cheese Easter Eggs?
While many of us can’t resist a chocolatey treat, those who prefer savoury flavours usually have to forgo this tradition. This is no longer the case, as major supermarkets are now selling easter eggs made entirely from cheese! They’re definitely a divisive one and may not be the treat you are looking for this Easter Sunday. But if you do pride yourself on being a bit of a cheese fanatic, which brands should you be on the lookout for?
M&S – 7,940 searches
Butlers – 2,980 searches
Asda – 2,380 searches
Blacksticks Blue – 1,650 searches
Tesco – 1,290 searches
Sainsbury’s – 1,020 searches
Unsurprisingly, the queen of UK supermarkets, Marks and Spencers, takes the top spot, receiving a huge 5,000 more searches than the runner-ups. Taking second place is Butlers; less of a household name, this brand manufactures farmhouse cheeses and offers a ‘cheese that identifies as an egg’. It’s made from Blacksticks, their famous blue cheese. You surely can’t go wrong opting for a company completely devoted to cheese.
Cedarwood Digital is an award-winning digital marketing agency, specialising in SEO, digital PR and PPC. If you’d like any help making an easter egg purchase, gathering search data, or enhancing your online visibility, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and for many businesses this is a crucial time to get your products or services noticed by potential customers. Whether you’re offering a romantic dinner location, a flower delivery service, or even hosting a singles event, the high amount of interest in February needs to be utilised.
Needless to say it’s important to plan your digital marketing strategy in advance – but when is the best time to push your campaigns?
We dove into the heart of the matter, exploring data from sources like Google and TikTok to unearth the golden nuggets of Valentine’s Day search trends. After all, who doesn’t want to be the cupid of commerce?
Using this historical data, you can get into the mind of the consumer, and try to get your business in front of them at a time when they’re willing to spend.
Valentine’s Gifts Galore
Flowers? Chocolates? Or just some inspiration for something less cliché? If you’re looking to promote gifts for Valentine’s Day, it’s important to dive into the minds of potential customers by understanding the top-searched terms.
From a list of the top searched Valentine’s related queries in the UK in 2023, we examined popular gifting keywords including ‘Valentines gifts,’ ‘Valentines day card,’ ‘Valentines flowers,’ ‘Valentines chocolate.’
Our journey through the UK’s Valentine’s Day queries revealed a fascinating surge in interest towards the end of January, hitting its zenith between the 7th and 9th of February:
In 2023, interest around the general ‘valentines gifts’ query picked up momentum towards the end of January and had the highest interest between the 7th-9th February.
For more specific gifts, we can see that there was a rise in interest at the start of February, increasing in the days leading up to the 14th and peaking on the 14th for flowers and cards likely due to last minute shopping and the ease of next day delivery.
To make things more interesting, we decided to go deeper into this keyword data and assess which UK cities are searching the most for these popular Valentine’s queries.
Which UK city can be crowned ‘Most Romantic?’ And, which UK city is most likely to buy a certain kind of Valentine’s gift? Maybe there’s a target audience for your business that you’re currently missing out on!
City Love Showdown: Which UK City Is The Most Romantic?
Using Google Trend’s top 73 Valentine’s Day related keywords searched in the UK between January and February 2023, we’ve taken a look at which UK city is the most romantic based on searches per capita.
Our results show the following… Leeds emerged as the UK’s most romantic city with an overwhelming interest in Valentine’s Day!:
1. Leeds (3,579 searches per 100,000 people)
2. Bradford (2,206 searches per 100,000 people)
3. Liverpool (2,064 searches per 100,000 people)
4. London (2,024 searches per 100,000 people)
5. Bristol (1,870 searches per 100,000 people)
6. Sheffield (1,632 searches per 100,000 people)
7. Birmingham (1,508 searches per 100,000 people)
8. Nottingham (1,257 searches per 100,000 people)
9. Newcastle (1,093 searches per 100,000 people)
10. Manchester (683 searches per 100,000 people)
Not only does Leeds take the top position as the UK’s most romantic city based on their Valentine’s search behaviour, they also claimed the top position for ‘Most Likely To Send’ the following gifts:
💟 A Valentine’s Day Card
💟 Valentine’s Chocolates
💟 Valentine’s Flowers
💟 A Valentine’s Poem!
Move over Shakespeare, Leeds is in the house!
In fact, Leeds took the top spot for most but not all…
Gifts Across The UK Cities
Liverpool stole the spotlight as the city Most Likely To Buy Valentine’s Day PJs with the most searches for ‘Valentine’s jammies’ and ‘Valentine’s PJs,’ celebrating the day in comfort and style. Here, Liverpool were searching 220% more than runner up Leeds!
Meanwhile, London and Bristol secured positions two and three for cities most likely to send a Valentine’s Card and Chocolates.
UK Cities With A Funny Bone …
They say laughter is the key to the heart, and many UK cities seem to wholeheartedly endorse this sentiment, evident in their spirited searches for ‘Valentines Meme’ and ‘Valentines funny quotes’.
The top three cities where humour takes centre stage when it comes to Valentine’s included (per 100,000 people):
1. Leeds (159 Searches)
2. London (86 Searches)
3. Liverpool (75 Searches)
Anticipate receiving a card brimming with memes from these humour-loving cities.
These cities are not just looking for love; they’re looking for a love story sprinkled with humour. So, if your brand is looking to spread joy, consider infusing a touch of humour into your Valentine’s Day campaigns.
In the realm of gift-giving, our exploration across every UK city on our list reveals a distinct preference for ‘Gifts For Him’ over ‘Gifts For Her,’ but when are people generally searching for inspiration?
The prime dates for those searching for ‘Gifts For Her’ emerge on February 9th and February 11th, while those in pursuit of ‘Gifts For Him’ hit their peak on February 4th!
Those hunting for the perfect gift for her exhibit early interest, yet show a penchant for last-minute decisions, so it may be worth running a longer marketing stretch if you’re promoting gifts for females compared to gifts for males.
Timing is everything, and capturing the attention of those searching for inspiration is an art. Make sure your brand stands out during both the early explorations and the eleventh-hour searches.
Most Organised and Least Organised Valentine’s Shoppers In The UK
In our research, we noticed a rising trend of peaks closest to February 14th where interest was highest. Having already found out which UK city is the most romantic when it comes to Valentine’s Day, we also wanted to find out which UK city is most likely to leave their Valentine’s shopping until the last minute.
We took a combination of gifting queries, prefixed by ‘next day delivery’, that were searched for in February 2023 and checked how each UK city performed here:
And the results were as followed (searches per 100,000 people):
1. Leeds (90 searches)
2. Bradford (48 searches)
3. London (45 searches)
4. Bristol (41 searches)
5. Sheffield (32 searches)
6. Liverpool (31 searches)
7. Birmingham (30 searches)
8. Nottingham (21 searches)
9. Newcastle (21 searches)
10. Manchester (14 searches)
Leeds may be the most romantic, but they also topped the charts as the city most likely to embrace next-day delivery for Valentine’s gifts. On the flip side, Manchester emerged as the most organised, showing low searches for ‘next day delivery’ terms.
Google Search Trends: Valentine’s Dates
Other popular searches surrounding Valentine’s Day revolve around date-nights and more specifically: restaurants.
If you’re in the hospitality industry, understanding when people begin to plan and book their Valentine’s dates is key. Our analysis delves into popular searches such as ‘romantic restaurant’ and ‘valentine’s day restaurant,’ offering a snapshot of when people initiate their quest for the perfect dining experience.
The graph below unveils peaks on February 9th and Valentine’s Day itself!:
It’s A ‘Galentine’s Day’ Affair
One topic we noticed an increase in was the interest in ’Galentine’s Day’ on TikTok! Interest around this sensation peaked between the 12th and 18th of February in 2023, with a rising interest starting as early as January this year:
Last 12 Months:
Last 30 Days:
So, whether you’re already in full marketing swing or just gearing up for the love fest, 2023’s trends hint at last-minute shoppers and high interest nationwide. Get ready to spread the love and watch your brand steal the spotlight this Valentine’s Day! 💕
If you’re eager to elevate your SEO, Digital PR or PPC campaigns and strategies in the midst of the Valentine’s Day frenzy or ahead of the next seasonal trends, get in touch to find out how we can help!
This year, all businesses have had to navigate through a very rough terrain, therefore effectively capitalising on the holiday season is essential for many. Our Director, Amanda Walls, recently spoke to Fleximize to share her top tips with SME’s looking to make the most of the holiday season.
Amanda is a digital marketing expert and has worked in Digital Marketing for over a decade. Over the last four years, she has nurtured Cedarwood Digital into the award-winning agency that it is today.
If you need help optimising your digital marketing strategy this holiday season, we have summarised Amanda’s top tips below or check out the full article on Fleximize’s site here.
How to capitalize on holiday marketing trends
1. Experiment with dynamic adverts
Throughout the holiday season markets are flooded with retailers, so it can be difficult for consumers to hear your brand above the noise. Amanda suggested that one simple way to stand out from the crowd is to make the most of Google’s ad extensions. Below are a few examples that have worked well for us in the past…
Reviews: “…we tested seller ratings for a gardening centre client and found that ads with seller ratings have a 41% higher CTR than normal text ads.“
Structured snippets: “…showcase more information from your website“
Countdown timers:“People have a natural fear of missing out and so the countdown timer extension is great for creating a sense of urgency around your product or service“
2. Create shopping feeds
“If you’re an ecommerce company, using product feeds in the run up to a holiday season is a no brainer“, Amanda explained. They help to quickly generate engaging ads, showcasing products that are directly pulled from your catalogue.
Where can shopping feeds be utilised?
Google Shopping Campaign Ads
Facebook Dynamic Product Ads (these show on both Facebook and Instagram)
3. Invest in retargeting advertising
Retargeting allows you to show personalized ads to returning customers, customers who have browsed your site without buying and people similar to existing customers.
“Retargeting not only allows brands to reach out to interested customers, but it also helps to increase brand visibility during noisy holiday periods – something that could encourage a potential customer to buy from you instead of a competitor.“
Below are a selection of tools that you can utilise to retarget your customers:
Google’s Display network
Google’s Dynamic Remarketing
Facebook’s Retargeting
Facebook Lookalike Audiences
4. Don’t neglect customer reviews
Although the holiday season may be your busiest time of year, customer service must remain paramount. Don’t neglect the long-term goal for a quick win in the holidays.
A few of Amanda’s top tips for maintaining great customer service and positive customer reviews include:
Invest in customer service for the pre-buying process, not just the shipping
Utilise live chat windows on your site
Respond to any queries promptly
Enhance the buying experience and increase buying intent with tailored landing pages and gift guides
Create landing pages for specific terms you want to rank for during your specific holiday season such as ‘Christmas Trees’ or ‘Valentine’s Day Gifts’
5. Celebrate delivery
Customers are starting to expect free AND fast shipping. Be sure to communicate your shipping offering clearly to your customer. Amanda advises to “…factor delivery charges into your sales model and ensure that this service is featured clearly across your website and marketing channels.“
6. Prepare for traffic spikes
Amanda notes that “[c]ustomers will not hang around on websites that are slow or crash”. Ideally, load times should be under 2 or 3 seconds on a desktop. Here are a few ways that you can speed up your load times:
Enable GZIP compression on your web serves
Compress images
Minify Java experience
7. Optimize for mobile
Customer trends are changing. What once was a research tool before buying a product is now being used to make purchases, therefore optimising for mobile is essential.
“The bottom line is that if people have a negative experience on mobile, they’re less likely to purchase from you in the future – no matter how great your website is.”
8. Plan early
Planning holiday campaigns well in advance is crucial. It takes time to build up SEO rankings and prepare a campaign that is going to stand up against a competitive market.
Christmas shopping can begin as early as September, so to maximise on the holiday period your campaigns must be ready before then.
“Plan early for each holiday season and you’ll be putting your business head and shoulders above the competition.“
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