![Cockle Finance [Case Study] 1](https://www.strategy-plus.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/cockle-finance-logo.jpg)
When Cockle Finance approached us in March 2024, we spotted massive untapped potential. Their website was doing okay but in an industry such as finance and loans which gets a huge number of searches every day, we knew the results could be much better. 10 months later, they’re generating the same number of enquiries monthly that they previously saw in a year, with fresh leads arriving every four minutes.
The Client
Operating for over 50 years as a family business, Cockle Finance have evolved from humble beginnings in London’s East End to become a trusted Financial Conduct Authority regulated direct lender. Their services span doorstep loans, online lending, and short-term financial solutions, all underpinned by human-centric decision making rather than algorithmic processes.
They had many different types of loans to offer, including no credit check loans, and due to the fact they were already a trusted name in this sector, the site was set up well for an SEO campaign.
There are two core elements to the Cockle Finance offering. Firstly, they offer direct loans up to £1000 in Essex. This service includes no credit check loans and these can be provided to people local to their location in Essex.
For customers wanting more, or based further away, they offer a broker service which matches them with the perfect lender for their financial needs. This two-pronged approach meant that we had to consider both local SEO and national when optimising the site.
![Cockle Finance [Case Study] 2](https://www.strategy-plus.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/cs-cockle-1.png)
Our Approach
We started this project as we always do, with the basics. We made sure the fundamentals of SEO were covered, including a full technical audit, setting up tools like Google Search Console, and keyword research (what we uncovered with this was many missed opportunities for ranking that we built dedicated pages around).
We tackled this project holistically. Our content team crafted specialised landing pages for various loan types, amounts and occasions. Each page received thorough optimisation – comprehensive FAQs and targeted keyword optimisation.
On the technical side, our development team enhanced site speed, implemented structured data and optimised metadata across the site. Simultaneously, our outreach specialists focused on digital PR and strategic citation building to boost domain authority.
Success Story: No Credit Check Loans
A prime example of our work is the no credit check loans offering. We developed a comprehensive landing page, backed by our proven content cluster strategy. We bolstered internal linking, created targeted blog content and implemented structured data with FAQs. The January 2025 results speak volumes – 7190 users on this single page.
The Impact
Google Search Console data validates our approach, showing consistent growth in clicks and impressions. The most significant victory, though, is in lead generation. Seeing monthly enquiries match previous annual totals confirms our comprehensive SEO strategy is delivering.
We’re particularly proud of building this success through sustainable, white-hat SEO practices. By focusing on technical excellence, quality content and authentic authority building, we’ve created a digital foundation that will continue driving results for Cockle Finance.
Dan Cockle, owner of Cockle Finance, says
“Strategy Plus has revolutionised our digital presence. The numbers speak for themselves – they’ve delivered results that have far exceeded our expectations. Their comprehensive approach to SEO has transformed our website from an underperforming asset into a powerful lead generation engine. The fact we’re now seeing more enquiries in a month than we previously saw in a year is testament to their expertise.”
Our team maintains close oversight of their digital presence, ensuring their growth trajectory remains strong. This case exemplifies what Strategy Plus does best: transforming underperforming websites into powerful lead generation engines through methodical, comprehensive SEO strategies.
Our Results
We began with expected traffic of 1,572 monthly visitors. Through our SEO strategy, we’ve boosted this to 33,000 – a huge increase that’s revolutionised their business. The keyword metrics are equally impressive. Their initial 109 keywords in the top 10 (24 in the top 3) has now quadrupled and they now dominate search results with 526 terms in the top 3 positions.
And the good news is this is bringing people to the site, GSC data shows an increase from a rough average of 100 organic clicks a day to 1000.
This is leading to increased conversions, with the company now making more in a month than they did in the whole year before we took over.