Client Overview
Client: Compass Vacation Properties
Location: Smoky Mountains
Current Portfolio: 90+ Properties
About Compass: Compass Vacation Properties is a locally owned and operated vacation rental management company serving the Smoky Mountains region of Eastern Tennessee. With properties throughout Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and Wears Valley, Compass offers a diverse collection of cabins.
Background
- Compass Vacation Properties launched their website in February 2023, having recently grown from managing 5 properties to 9 properties.
- Their primary goal was to establish themselves as a reputable, professional property management company in the Smoky Mountains and begin shifting more bookings away from OTAs toward direct reservations through their own website.
- At the time, 90–95% of their reservations were coming through platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo.
Compass reached out to Studio82 to build a digital presence that could support their long-term growth goals. Given their early-stage budget constraints, we started with an SEO strategy focused on building visibility for high-intent search terms related to Smoky Mountain cabin rentals. With no prior website or organic presence, this foundational work was essential in helping Compass establish credibility, improve brand visibility, and begin driving direct website traffic. As their business has grown, so has their investment in marketing and we’ve continued to expand efforts to match their momentum.
SEO Results
Since partnering with Studio82, Compass Vacation Properties has seen a dramatic increase in their organic search visibility. When we began our SEO efforts in July 2023, Compass ranked for just 109 keywords. As of May 2025, that number has grown to 2,631, which is a 2,313% increase in total keyword rankings.
We also compared metrics from our first 6 months of our engagement with Compass Vacation Properties to the corresponding most recent time period (Sept ’23 – Feb ’24 vs Sept 24′ – Feb ’25) and saw fantastic growth metrics, including a 193% increase in organic search traffic, and a 420% increase in website revenue attributed to organic search traffic. As 2025, Organic Search accounts for 46.6% of the website’s total revenue, which is a great indicator that organic is driving highly qualified, ready to book visitors to the site.
Additional Marketing Services
As Compass’s business and website performance continued to grow, so did their commitment to marketing. In December 2024, they expanded their efforts by adding Google Ads and Paid Social campaigns through Studio82 to build on their momentum and drive even more direct bookings.
- Since launching these paid channels, Paid Social accounts for 25% of total engaged website sessions and Paid Search accounts for 14.7% of total engaged sessions.
- Year to date, Paid Social, which includes Meta (Facebook and Instagram) Ads has generated 8 purchases and close to $13,000 in revenue.
- Since our engagement began, Compass has grown from 9 properties to over 90 properties under management, a huge accomplishment and testament to having a recognized, professional digital presence.
Compass Vacation Properties is a great example of how a thoughtful, phased marketing approach can deliver real results. By starting with foundational SEO and Content and gradually layering on paid media as their business grew, they’ve been able to increase visibility, reduce reliance on OTAs, and generate meaningful direct revenue. With continued growth in both property count and digital presence, Compass is well-positioned to scale their success even further in the months and years ahead.
