The Q2 2026 benchmarking report for UK pub operators has just been published. Learn how the top 12 UK pub operators perform across the digital space.
The latest Q2 2026 benchmarking report for UK pub operators has just been published. It covers the largest 12 UK pub operators, including Stonegate Group, Greene King, Star Pubs, Mitchells & Butlers, Admiral Taverns, Marston Pubs, Punch Pubs, JD Wetherspoon, Fuller's, Shepherd Neame, Young's, and Hall and Woodhouse.
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 pub operators to win brand exposure, improve technical site performance, and generate online orders. 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 Q2 report, click here. To get a copy of the full report and the key take-aways, please complete the enquiry form or schedule a call.
For a glance into just 6 of the metrics we evaluated these top 12 pub operators 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 top and poorest-performing online learning providers, or request a copy of the report for the full review.
The 70+ pages of research benchmarks each brand 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.
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 under-perform. 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.
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. 404 errors can immediately frustrate website visitors because they prevent users from reaching the content they were expecting to see. When someone clicks a link only to land on an error page, it can make the browsing experience feel unreliable and poorly maintained. This disappointment may encourage users to leave the website entirely.
Stonegate Group received the most 404 errors (71), with Punch Pubs close behind (68). Meanwhile, Admiral Taverns reported two 404 errors (the fewest of all brands). Mobile users may find 404 pages even more frustrating because navigation on smaller screens is already more limited. Having to repeatedly tap backwards, search again, or reload pages can make the experience feel slow and inconvenient. Poor mobile experiences often lead users to leave websites faster.
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 users often browse websites while travelling, commuting, or multitasking, so they typically want information quickly and conveniently. If a website loads slowly, it interrupts that convenience and makes the browsing experience feel inefficient. Many users will simply move on to a faster competitor instead.
The mobile site speed ranged 51 and 20, with Punch Pubs reporting the slowest speed and Greene King receiving the fastest speed. Users may become confused if website elements load gradually or appear out of order due to poor mobile performance. Buttons, images, or menus shifting around while the page loads can make navigation difficult and frustrating. This can lead to accidental clicks and a generally unreliable experience.
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 is not gained through sponsored ads. Higher authority can provide a competitive edge within a crowded market. If multiple sites are targeting similar topics, the one with stronger authority is more likely to outperform others.
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. This quarter, the DA score ranged between 76 and 39, with Admiral Taverns receiving the lowest score. A high domain authority score is beneficial for websites because it often correlates with stronger search engine visibility. When a site is seen as trustworthy and established, its pages are more likely to rank well in search results. This increased visibility can drive more consistent organic traffic.
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. Search engine rankings can vary between mobile and desktop results. A website that performs well on desktop may rank lower on mobile if it isn’t properly optimised for smaller screens. This can lead to reduced organic visibility for mobile users specifically.
Eleven brands reported a decrease in organic traffic on desktop, with Young’s seeing the biggest loss (-42%). On mobile, all 12 brands reported a decrease in organic traffic, with Fuller’s also seeing the biggest loss (-47%). Mobile site speed plays a major role in search performance and user retention. If a website loads slowly on phones, visitors may leave before the page fully appears. This can reduce mobile organic traffic while desktop traffic remains relatively stable.
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 brand can appear for universal search results without being strong in standard rankings. 'Image pack' results would be a useful universal search result for pub operators wanting to show their services directly on the SERP, while results such as 'FAQs' and 'people also ask' content can assist and build trust with buyers looking to make a one-off purchase.
Greene King secured the most Universal Search appearances (73,676). The majority of their appearances came from ‘images’ (61,900).
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 brand new search terms as they enter Google’s index. Websites using longtail keywords may find it easier to rank in search engines because these phrases are often less competitive. Broad keywords can be extremely difficult to rank for, especially against large, established websites. Longtail phrases give smaller websites a better opportunity to gain visibility organically.
Greene King secured the most longtail keyword appearances for position 3 (11,158). Greene King also secured the most appearances for positions 4–10 (15,351). Longtail keywords often align more naturally with how people actually search online. Many users type full questions or descriptive phrases into search engines rather than short generic terms. By targeting these natural search patterns, websites can better match user intent.
With the number of Facebook users in the United Kingdom (UK) forecast to hit over 42 million users by 2022, 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. For any online learning provider, Facebook ads are an opportunity to drive traffic to specific courses. If they haven’t already done so, they should be identifying under-subscribed courses to promote to improve numbers or using organic search term volumes as a guide for where general consumer interest lies.
We’ve included screenshots of Punch Pubs’ sponsored Facebook posts. Using videos on Facebook posts is beneficial for brands because video content naturally captures attention more effectively than static images or text. It encourages users to pause while scrolling, which increases engagement and helps the message stand out in a crowded feed.
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 brand engagement, but great for Google, too, who will recognise content which achieves traffic over a long period of time. Pub operators can create content based on sharing their latest offerings to keep customers up to date and give them a reason to follow them online.
Greene King secured the most Facebook Likes (51,100), and Young’s secured the most Instagram followers (74,900). Facebook was the most popular social media platforms of all brands. Greene King received the highest total engagement rate (40,614), and Punch Pubs received the highest average engagement (117).
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, brands lose customer interest as they turn elsewhere. Accessibility alerts can slow down page performance and negatively affect load times, which is especially problematic for users on slower connections.
Greene King received the most accessibility alerts (47), and Young’s received the most contrast errors (79). Contrast issues can slow down user interactions, as people may need extra time to decipher what is displayed on the screen. This added effort disrupts the natural flow of browsing and can make the experience feel cumbersome. Over time, this discourages continued use.
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.