Here at Tidal Studios, we always like a good pub and there’s perhaps none better than the Bankes Arms in Studland, Dorset. This 16th century pub is in every sense traditional, with stone floors, wooden beams and roaring open fires. Even better, it has a huge pub garden with glorious views across Studland Bay and it’s just a gentle stroll from the top of the cliffs at Old Harry Rocks. We were of course delighted to be asked to redesign the pub’s website to be responsive and content managed as well as explore the pub’s logo.

We started with the logo and came up with the strapline ‘The Country Inn by the Sea’ which perfectly encapsulates the pub as well as providing it with a strong USP; it’s not every pub that can boast being both in the heart of the countryside and right next to the beach. We took colours from existing colour schemes used in the pub and incorporated a revised version of the Bankes Family coat of arms.

Since the pub had recently undergone a major refurbishment both externally and in all its ten B&B rooms, we undertook a photoshoot to create a library of images for use on the website and other marketing materials. Stock shots are useful but to have actual images of a location is immeasurably preferable wherever possible. We took shots of the rooms, the pub, the bar area, the garden and, of course, the views.

After creating a site plan, we created unique, SEO-optimised text for each page and section of the site. Copywriting is an area that TidalStudios excels in as Paul, our creative director, is a trained and experienced former journalist and editor. As well as writing original, engaging and relevant copy, Paul ensured that the text contained all the keywords and phrases that people searching for a pub would be using.

Almost from the minute the the site went live, the pub saw surge in B&B enquiries from around half a dozen a week to over ten a day. It’s improved visibility and mobile friendliness caused an immediate increase in enquiries and Tidal Studios are currently working with the landlords to install an integrated online booking system.