Institute of Directors

The Institute of Directors is a thriving member community for directors in the UK and beyond. They offer professional development, valuable connections and meaningful influence.

The challenge

Following an award-nominated performance in 2023, the IoD set ambitious growth objectives for 2024. While brand awareness among their core audience was already strong, they needed to sustain and build upon this recognition – particularly among emerging leaders who might not yet consider IoD membership.

Organic search had to work harder: not only to preserve the brand’s visibility but also to drive new conversions, expand reach into new audiences, and support key commercial areas such as event attendance and virtual office services.

The solution

We built upon the strong foundation established in 2023, continuing a targeted SEO strategy with a refined focus on growth areas.

Audience-focused content strategy

We developed content designed to engage professionals in management and leadership roles – those on the path to becoming directors. This early engagement helped place the IoD in their consideration set well before they were ready for membership.

Mentorship-led content expansion

Working closely with the IoD team, we introduced content centred around mentorship, another area of relevance to aspiring directors. This enriched the value of the site and furthered the IoD’s appeal to a broader professional audience.

Event visibility optimisation

Recognising the pivotal role of in-person events in membership acquisition, we enhanced the top-level events landing page. By targeting broad, high-intent keywords, we increased discoverability among individuals searching for professional development and networking opportunities – even those unfamiliar with the IoD.

Virtual Office SEO focus

The IoD’s Virtual Office service, previously reliant on paid media, was optimised for organic search. This opened a new acquisition channel and aligned the offering with search intent, resulting in a dramatic uplift in visibility and engagement.

The results

Our focused SEO approach delivered meaningful, measurable impact across all key objectives:

• 16.69% YoY increase in organic professional development revenue.
• 3.96% YoY increase in organic membership signups.
• 100.55% YoY growth in keywords ranking in the top 3 positions.
• 115.98% YoY growth in keywords ranking in the top 10 positions.
• 1,041.67% YoY increase in organic clicks to the virtual office page.
• 25.27% YoY growth in organic event registrations.

Want to become our next success story? Contact us today to find out how we can tailor a winning digital strategy for your business.