Doubling Revenue with Half the Traffic in Myrtle Beach

Background

A major vacation rental brand in Myrtle Beach, SC, operating in one of the most competitive, high-volume family travel markets in the US.

The client’s previous website was generating plenty of traffic but failing to capture bookings. Users were landing on the site, getting frustrated by the user experience, and leaving to book elsewhere (often via OTAs). The goal wasn’t just “more traffic”—it was to stop the leaky bucket and get more value out of the visitors they already had.

Opportunities & Areas to Address

The existing website generated significant traffic but failed to consistently convert visitors into direct bookings.

Guests were landing on the site, encountering a confusing booking experience, and abandoning the process to book elsewhere—often through OTAs.

The core challenge wasn’t attracting more visitors, but capturing more value from the traffic already arriving on the site.

The Solution

Overall Results

The results from the last 12 months highlight a massive efficiency turnaround. Despite a market-wide dip in search demand, the new site outperformed the old one by a landslide:

Direct booking revenue jumped to $786k (more than double the previous year).

The number of direct reservations surged to 888, proving that the new booking engine effectively captured demand.

This is the key metric. Even though overall traffic was slightly down, the site converted nearly 3x better than the old version. The “leaky bucket” was fixed, turning casual browsers into paid guests at a record rate.