On the Central Coast of New South Wales, The Sunken Monkey Hotel has long been a go-to spot.
The venue offers something for everyone, whether catching a live band, enjoying a casual meal, or celebrating with friends.
But in 2021, the hotel’s website wasn’t generating the same energy as the venue itself.
That’s where SEO for Small Business Australia stepped in.
Over three years, we worked together to turn the website into a powerful tool for attracting customers.
The results?
A 111% increase in online bookings and steady traffic growth every year.
The Sunken Monkey’s Story
If you’ve ever been to The Sunken Monkey, you know it’s more than just a pub—it’s an experience.
From trivia nights to big celebrations, it’s a staple of the Central Coast.
The challenge was ensuring people found the venue online as quickly as in person.
That meant standing out in a competitive local market.
The Challenges
Tough Competition
Every pub and event venue on the Central Coast is vying for attention online.
Squarespace Limitations
While Squarespace is great for building websites, it can be tricky to optimise for search engines.
Building Online Trust
With few backlinks and limited local visibility, the website needed a stronger presence to compete.
Our Game Plan
We tackled these challenges with strategy, creativity, and a focus on what makes The Sunken Monkey unique.
Finding the Right Searches
We started by digging into what locals and visitors were searching for:
- “Best pubs near me”
- “Live music Central Coast”
- “Function rooms Central Coast”
- And so on.
Using these insights, we shaped the website’s content to match what people wanted.
Fixing Website Issues
The website needed some TLC to perform better, so we:
- Compressed images to make pages load faster.
- Cleaned up outdated links and set up proper redirects.
- Simplified navigation so users could find what they needed in seconds.
- And other technical SEO requirements.
Making Squarespace Work Harder
Squarespace has its quirks, but we got creative:
- Customised page titles and descriptions to grab attention.
- Added behind-the-scenes coding (schema markup) to make events and menus stand out on Google.
- Tidied up URLs to make them easy to share and remember.
- And further Squarespace optimisation needs.
Owning Local Searches
To dominate local search results, we:
- Updated the Google Business Profile with fresh photos and event details.
- Encouraged happy customers to leave glowing reviews.
- Created “Central Coast nightlife” landing pages to attract more local traffic.
Partnering with Local Influencers
We also teamed up with local bloggers and influencers.
For example, a giveaway hosted by a local Instagrammer spiked bookings by 20% during the promotion.
The Results
The effort paid off in significant ways:
- More Visitors: Organic traffic increased by 33% in the first year, 19% in the second, and 11% in the third.
- More Bookings: Online inquiries and reservations jumped 111% over three years.
- Better Rankings: The site now ranks on page one for popular searches like “pub Central Coast.”
Keeping the Momentum
The work doesn’t stop here. To stay ahead, we’re focusing on:
- Updating the website regularly with new content.
- Building fresh backlinks from local partners.
- Staying on top of SEO trends, like voice search and AI tools.
Final Thoughts
Helping The Sunken Monkey Hotel shine online wasn’t about doing everything—it was about doing the right things.
By focusing on their strengths and targeting the right audience, we helped turn clicks into customers.
Contact SEO for Small Business Australia if you’re ready to grow your business with a tailored strategy.
Let’s make it happen!
Ready to grow your business with a tailored SEO strategy?
By SEO for Small Business Australia
SEO for Small Business Australia is Australia's leading SEO agency for small and medium-sized businesses.
