The Q1 2026 benchmarking report for UK hospitality ceramic brands has just been published. Learn how the top 5 UK hospitality ceramic brands perform across the digital space.

The latest Q1 2026 benchmarking report for UK hospitality ceramic brands has just been published. It covers the largest 5 UK ceramic brands, including Churchill, Steelite, Artis, DPS Tableware, and Neville UK. 

The research gives an inside track on who is winning the biggest share of voice online and quantifies the gaps, risks and missed opportunities for other hospitality ceramics brands to win brand exposure, drive online views, and generate bookings. The report highlights quick wins that will improve enquiries from your online strategy and identifies the barriers that may be reducing your site’s ability to optimise digital performance.

To see a preview and contents page of the Q1 report, click here. To get a copy of the full report and the key takeaways, please complete the enquiry form or schedule a call.

Q1 2026 WINNERS LEADERBOARD

For a glance into just 6 of the metrics we evaluated these top 5 hospitality ceramic brands providers on, check out our quick-look table below;

To understand what the *CTM Digital Performance Index™ is click here.

Continue reading for further detail on this quarter's best and poorest-performing UK ceramics brands or request a copy of the report for the full review.

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What The Industry Research Report Covers

The 70+ pages of research benchmarks each retailer based on 50+ metrics and indicators of successful digital strategy, including organic visibility, domain authority, paid media ads, conversion performance, technical performance, site speed, universal search, content, social ads, accessibility, and mobile performance.  

Driving Optimal ROAS from Paid Media Channels

Some of the leading players in the space are high spenders on paid media channels such as Google, Bing & Facebook - but have a poor or sub-optimal conversion improvement strategy. Without an optimised, sophisticated conversion strategy that maximises the conversion rate, the return on investment is unsustainable or will underperform. Scaling spend on paid media is not achievable unless the conversion rate delivers optimal performance in the sector. Some in the space have paid media spend levels from 30k+ per month but dedicate minimal resources and budgets to conversion testing.  Given the cost per clicks on ad networks will continue to rise, we recommend spending at least 10% of your paid media budget on ongoing conversion optimisation testing schedules to ensure your paid media ROI maintains long-term viability, competitive advantage, and sustainability.

Technical Website Compliance

Savvy digital marketers know that having a technically sound website is an essential component of a successful fully integrated digital strategy - plus a site capable of maximising conversion performance. Having a technically sound website will ensure prospective customers are able to find key information, such as products, advice on product care, and price range.

In our previous audit, Artis received the most 404 errors (980). This quarter, Artis has completely removed all of their 404 errors from their website. Currently, the brand to watch is DPS Tableware, reporting a total of 548. A 404 error disrupts the user journey, particularly when it appears during a browsing session. If a visitor is navigating through several pages and suddenly encounters a broken link, their momentum is interrupted. Rather than restarting their search, they may simply leave the site, increasing the likelihood of a bounce.

Site Speed & Conversion Rate Performance

When 62% of consumers are less likely to convert if they have a negative mobile site experience, ensuring that your site is quick and easy to load makes a significant improvement on your overall conversion rates. Mobile site speed can vary to desktop speed, as users tend to want reduced written content on a smaller screen and a quicker, easy-to-use navigation to minimize delays.

In our last audit, Neville UK reported the slowest mobile site speed (4). This quarter, Neville UK remains the brand with the slowest mobile site speed, decreasing their score to 3. Improving mobile site speed can also support better search engine visibility. Search engines consider user experience factors when ranking websites, and faster mobile performance can help a website appear more favourably in search results.

Building Competitive Advantage with Domain Authority

Domain authority is an essential metric for measuring the effectiveness of SEO performance and helps create a reliable overall gauge of how effective your site is at achieving organic traffic, i.e. ‘free’ traffic that isn’t gained through sponsored ads. Hospitality ceramic brands should consider their website a resource for informative guidance for their users and not just an opportunity to sell their products. Treating their site this way to help to increase organic traffic and can help improve their link equity if other sites consider them a resource.

A ‘good’ DA really comes down to how your competitors are performing, however it is generally considered average between 40 and 50, good between 50 and 60, and excellent above 60. In our previous report, Artis received the lowest DA score (26). This quarter, Artis has slightly increased their score to 27, demonstrating progress (any increase is a step in the right direction). Maintaining a clean and trustworthy backlink profile is also important. Websites should monitor their incoming links to ensure they are coming from reputable sources. Removing or disavowing low-quality or spammy links can help protect the site’s authority.

Organic Performance – Mobile & Desktop

A strong organic performance is strategically important as it ensures your site ranks above competitors for key, transactional keywords. When 93% of your customers won’t go past the first page of Google, your absence or lack of targeting for essential keywords will cost you conversions. We can expect to see a difference in organic traffic on mobile and desktop, as some users have a personal preference of the device they use for online shopping. With that being said, all brands shouldn’t miss out on the opportunity to secure more organic traffic on either device, taking into consideration the different factors based on screen size. 

Four brands reported a drop in organic traffic on desktop, with Artis flagging the biggest loss (-79%). On mobile, four brands reported a decrease in organic traffic, with DPS Tableware seeing the biggest drop (-70%). Page speed plays an important role in mobile search performance. Mobile users often rely on cellular connections, which may be slower or less stable than broadband connections typically used on desktop computers. If a website loads slowly on mobile devices, users may abandon the page quickly, which can negatively affect engagement signals and ultimately reduce organic traffic from mobile search results.

Universal Search Opportunity

Google  Universal Search Results is an evolving opportunity to make your pages visible on a SERP (Search Engine Results Page). Universal results often appear before traditional listings and are eye-catching for users. Universal search results refer to rankings on a SERP that are not the traditional ‘blue line’ Google link, and a retailer can appear for universal search results without being strong in standard rankings. Customer reviews and FAQs are a great way for potential customers to see the experience others have had with the hospitality ceramic brands and gauge which company has the happiest customers.

Churchill has since secured the most Universal Search appearances (190) — overtaking Neville UK (currently in second place). The majority of Churchill’s appearances came from ‘images’ (146).

The Longtail Keyword Opportunity

Longtail keywords are often considered high intent and potentially more likely to convert as a searcher is being more specific. Optimising for longtail keywords also puts your content strategy in a strong position to rank for retailer new search terms as they enter Google’s index. Hospitality ceramic brands have a wide range of longtail keywords to work with and should utilise these phrases throughout their website, including in articles.

Neville UK secured the most longtail keyword appearances for position 3 (45) — overtaking Churchill (17). Neville UK also secured the most longtail keyword appearances for position 4–10 (66) — an increase from 66 previously. Longtail keywords can support a broader SEO strategy by helping websites rank for multiple related searches. Even though each keyword may have a lower search volume individually, collectively they can generate a steady flow of organic traffic over time.

Facebook Adverts

With the number of Facebook users in the United Kingdom (UK) hitting over 44 million users in 2023, it is not surprising that companies have jumped at the opportunity to advertise on the social media platform. Facebook’s UK digital advertising revenue has been estimated to have breached 2.6b GB pounds in 2019. Facebook ads are an effective way for UK hospitality ceramic brands to share their latest releases and deals.

Top Social Shares & Content

When it comes to social media and on-site content strategies, it is important to release content that has a longer shelf life. An article is considered 'Evergreen' if it has maintained its relevancy to an audience for longer. It's great for your retailer engagement, but great for Google, too, who will recognise content which achieves traffic over a long period of time. Hospitality ceramic brands should be taking the opportunity to share knowledge and advice to help position them as an expert in the field.

Churchill secured the most Facebook Likes (7,700) and the most Instagram followers (28,400). Twitter was the most popular social media platforms of all brands. Neville UK received the highest total engagement rate (491) and the highest average engagement (2).

Website Readability & Accessibility

20% of people in the UK have a disability – 2 million of which are people living with sight loss. In addition, 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women have some degree of colour vision deficiency. When websites are not designed to meet these needs, retailers lose customer interest as they turn elsewhere. Hospitality ceramic brands will have universal appeal, so suppliers need to ensure their site is accessible for all. They need to ensure everyone can access and use their website with ease, to stop customers from leaving for a more accessible website.

In our last audit, Churchill reported the most accessibility alerts (91). This quarter, Churchill remains the brand with the most accessibility alerts, and they’ve since increased their total to 100. Accessibility alerts about non-descriptive links or buttons indicate that interactive elements lack clear meaning. Phrases like ‘click here’ or unlabelled icons provide little context, especially when read out of sequence by assistive tools. Consumers may struggle to predict outcomes or navigate confidently, increasing cognitive load.

GET THE FULL 70-PAGE Q1 2026 REPORT

To get a copy of the full report, please complete the enquiry form. If you want to talk to us about accelerating your digital performance, please call us on 01543 410014 or schedule a call with Rory Tarplee.