Aviation SEO Results: How We Doubled a Charter Operator's Bookings
Your charter company has beautiful jets, ARG/US Platinum certification, and decades of experience. But when someone searches "private jet charter London" on Google, you're nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, a competitor who started last year dominates page one. I see this every week.
Monthly Enquiries
From 8 to 15 per month
Actual Bookings
From 1.5 to 3 per month
Cost Per Acquisition
£12,000 down to £7,800
Monthly Revenue
£67,500 to £135,000
According to the latest private jet industry statistics, the charter market is worth £33.2 billion and growing at 7.8% annually. Yet 73% of operators are invisible online, losing millions to competitors who understand digital marketing. The average charter operator gets just 8-12 organic enquiries monthly when they could be getting 30+.
I'm Jacob from Epic Edits, and I've spent the past eight years working exclusively with aviation companies. This case study shows exactly how we helped a mid-size UK operator double their bookings in eight months using strategic SEO. Not theoretical nonsense—actual results from a real charter company with 18 aircraft.
The Client: Before We Started
January 2024. A charter operator with 18 aircraft across three UK bases calls me. They've been flying since 2009, spotless safety record, great broker relationships. But online? Ghost town.
Their Starting Metrics
- 8 organic enquiries monthly (mostly tyre kickers)
- £12,000 cost per acquisition
- Page 3-4 for main keywords
- 52% mobile bounce rate
- Zero route-specific pages
- 4.2 second page load time
They were losing £40,000+ monthly to competitors. Not millions, but when one charter is worth £45,000, every lost booking hurts.
The Audit: What Was Actually Wrong
First thing I did? Full technical audit. Found exactly what I expected—a website built by someone who doesn't understand aviation or SEO.
| Problem | Impact | Revenue Lost |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile booking broken | 40% couldn't enquire | £20,000/month |
| No route pages | Missing 85 keyword opportunities | £15,000/month |
| Slow page speed | Google ranking penalty | £8,000/month |
| Wrong keywords | Zero conversions from traffic | £10,000/month |
Their previous agency had them targeting "luxury travel" (2,800 searches, 0% conversion). Meanwhile "Citation X charter London" (90 searches, 4% conversion) was completely ignored.
The Strategy: What Actually Works
Forget generic SEO. Aviation needs precision. Here's exactly what we did, month by month.
Months 1-2: Fixed the Foundation
Technical Fixes That Matter
- Site structure: From /page1.html to /aircraft/citation-x/
- Page speed: 4.2 seconds down to 1.9 seconds
- Mobile forms: Rebuilt completely, now converts at 3.2%
- Schema markup: FlightReservation schema added
Result: 25% ranking improvement just from technical fixes.
Months 3-4: Created Money Pages
Built 30 route-specific pages. Not blog posts about "Top 10 Things to Do in Monaco." Actual service pages for routes they fly.
Each page included:
- Exact flight times in their actual aircraft
- FBO options at both ends
- Typical pricing ranges (not exact quotes)
- Seasonal considerations
- Alternative airports when slots are tight
The London to Geneva page alone now generates 2 qualified enquiries monthly. That's £90,000 potential revenue from one page.
Months 5-6: Built Real Authority
Earned (not bought) 34 quality links:
- Created slot availability guide—12 natural links
- Aviation Week mention—DR 78
- Corporate Jet Investor feature—DR 72
- 3 trade publication mentions
Quality beats quantity. One Aviation Week link is worth 100 generic travel blogs.
Months 7-8: Optimised for Money
Conversion Improvements
- Instant ballpark quotes (30 seconds to pricing)
- Safety certs above the fold
- One-click call on mobile
- 4 form fields initially (not 12)
Conversion rate: 1.2% to 3.1%
The Results: Real Numbers, Not Fantasy
Eight months later, here's what changed:
| Metric | Before | After | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Enquiries | 8 | 15 | +88% |
| Qualified Leads | 5 | 11 | +120% |
| Actual Bookings | 1.5 | 3 | +100% |
| Cost Per Acquisition | £12,000 | £7,800 | -35% |
| Monthly Revenue | £67,500 | £135,000 | +100% |
That's how aviation SEO doubles bookings. Not hundreds of leads—this is aviation, not e-commerce. But those extra 1.5 bookings monthly? Worth £67,500.
Why This Works (And Generic SEO Doesn't)
The private jet market is tiny. Maybe 100-200 real buyers searching monthly in your region. But those searches are worth millions.
Aviation SEO Reality Check
You don't need 10,000 visitors. You need 50 of the right people.
One booking from "Gulfstream G650 charter London" (40 searches) beats 10,000 visitors from "luxury travel."
Specificity Wins
"Citation X charter" converts at 4%. "Executive travel" converts at 0%. Which would you rather rank for?
Mobile Is Everything
52% of charter research happens on mobile. CEOs search between meetings. Family offices browse during commutes. If your mobile site is broken, you're invisible.
Local Beats Global
20% of bookings came from private jet local SEO. "Private jet Biggin Hill" might only get 30 searches monthly, but those are 30 people at your airport looking to charter.
Your Implementation Roadmap
Want these results? Here's your exact blueprint.
Week 1-2: Stop the Bleeding
Test your booking process on an actual iPhone. Time it. If it takes more than 90 seconds or needs more than 4 fields, you're losing money right now.
Check these pages exist and work:
- Your top 5 routes as individual pages
- Each aircraft type you operate
- Your base airports
- Mobile booking form
Week 3-4: Build Money Pages
Create pages for your top 20 revenue routes. Not your busiest—your most profitable.
The Investment Reality
This transformation cost £48,000 over 8 months. Plus £6,000 monthly ongoing.
Expensive? Consider this:
ROI Breakdown
- Investment: £48,000 + £48,000 = £96,000 year one
- Additional revenue: £67,500 x 12 = £810,000
- ROI: 743%
- Payback period: 1.4 months
Compare to exhibitions (£20,000 for EBACE) or broker commissions (15% of every booking forever).
Your Next Move
You've got three options:
- Option 1: Keep doing what you're doing. Watch competitors take your bookings.
- Option 2: Try it yourself. You'll see some improvement, but without the right tools and aviation knowledge, results will be limited.
- Option 3: Get help from people who actually understand aviation. Whether that's Epic Edits or someone else, work with specialists.
The charter market is growing. Digital bookings are exploding. But most operators are still invisible online. That's an opportunity if you move fast. Because aviation SEO doubles bookings when done right—and now you know exactly how we do it.
Ready to Double Your Bookings?
If you're tired of watching competitors capture your potential clients online, let's fix that. We'll audit your current visibility and show you exactly what's possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long until we see more bookings from SEO?
Technical fixes and local SEO can generate enquiries within 2-3 months. Doubling bookings typically takes 6-8 months of consistent effort. Quick wins come from fixing obvious problems like mobile forms and page speed, whilst authority building takes longer.
What if we already have an SEO agency?
Most generic SEO agencies don't understand aviation. They optimise for "luxury travel" instead of "Citation X charter". If your current agency doesn't know the difference between Part 135 and Part 91 operations, they're probably not delivering results.
Do we need to create blog content?
Not travel blogs about "Best Monaco Restaurants". You need service pages for routes you fly, aircraft you operate, and airports you serve. One well-optimised route page beats ten generic blog posts.
How many enquiries should we expect?
Aviation isn't e-commerce. Expect 10-30 monthly organic enquiries depending on your market size and aircraft types. But these are high-value leads—one charter is worth £30,000-150,000. You don't need volume, you need quality.
Can smaller operators compete with major brands?
Yes. In fact, local operators often win because you can dominate specific routes and airports whilst major brands target generic national keywords. "Private jet London to Nice" is easier to rank for than "private jet charter UK".