Leading car hire comparator tops the charts with a 54% market share for car hire terms in September on Google natural search
17 December 2009 – Award-winning comparator Carrentals.co.uk has topped the natural search rankings for car hire search terms in September, achieving 54% for the 1.5 million car hire-related searches performed in September through ranking at position one for 147 of the 3,800 keywords analysed, according to the car hire sector report* from leading independent search engine marketing agency, Greenlight.
The report also revealed that Carrentals.co.uk topped the rankings for both domestic and worldwide search terms in September, with 63% and 52% reached respectively, as well as being the most visible website across all car hire keywords.
Gareth Robinson, managing director of Carrentals.co.uk, says: “Greenlight’s report highlights the strength of our position online, with our expertise in search engine optimisation positioning us at the forefront of the market. Despite the recession, 2009 has been a great year for us, with our sales outstripping targets across the board.”
Carrentals.co.uk has already reported results from its bumper summer, with a 38% year on year increase in its bookings, (1 June – 31st August), and a corresponding 72% increase in revenue.
Gareth adds: “Our success underlies the quality of service we offer, as unlike many other price comparators, our CPA approach ensures that we are ale to offer both rental companies and customers a better deal, with suppliers benefitting from a fairer, more cost-effective service with no pay-per-click and customers able to choose from low prices from a wider selection of providers.
“We’re very proud of the results we have achieved to date, but know that there is still far more potential in the market and we will be looking to further develop our services going into 2010 to help strengthen our existing position.”
The company has achieved its success in just six years, with the site first launching in 2003 as a car hire broker. In 2007 Carrentals.co.uk re-launched to become a car hire comparison site and won Best Car Hire Website in the 2008 Travolution Awards, and Best Ski Car Rental in the 2008/09 Good Ski Guide Oscars.
Carrentals.co.uk compares car hire deals from up to 50 rental companies, including Alamo, Budget, easyCar, Holiday Autos and Sixt, in over 9,000 locations worldwide. ih dsw /p vehicles, which has restricted availability in many locations and in turn seen prices increase across the board – a trend that is set to continue into 2010.”
With the effects of the credit crunch, fewer car hire bookings were expected throughout 2009, with car rental companies hoping restricted fleet sizes would suffice, but despite the tough economic climate, bookings have remained high during peak seasons – leading to complete sell outs on numerous occasions.
Commenting on the situation Owen Coles of easyCar says: “General expectations are that the economy will improve in 2010 and as a result we are expecting an increase in the number of transactions. However, with the instability of the financial climate, it is not yet clear as to how easy it will be to obtain funding for fleet expansion.
“We are likely to see further examples of restricted vehicle availability as fleet sizes in 2010 will generally be the same as this year, so we are anticipating shortages, some of them acute, in the peak periods. Car rental companies will therefore be forced to focus on a shift from growth to margin protection and service improvement.”
Customers are being advised to book car hire early to guarantee a good deal, with Carrentals.co.uk currently offering car hire for February half term at Faro Airport from just £14** a day, from £13** a day at Athens Airport, from £14** a day in Tenerife South Airport and from £12** a day at Palma Airport.
Gareth Robinson adds: “We would advise travellers to book as far in advance as possible in order to get the best deals and vehicle choice. Using a comparator site customers can gain an overview of the different options available, making sure they are securing the best available price.”
Carrentals.co.uk compares car hire deals from up to 50 rental companies, including Alamo, Budget, easyCar, Holiday Autos and Sixt, in over 9,000 locations worldwide.
To compare the latest car hire deals visit www.carrentals.co.uk. *Price increases are based on individual examples from companies featured on Carrentals.co.uk. **Prices based on seven-day rental from 13 February 2010 and are subject to change
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