CASE STUDY

Elswick Community Pool and Gym

Elswick Community Pool and Gym is a non-profit leisure facility in the West End of Newcastle. Run by a charity board, it exists to provide affordable fitness and wellbeing to a local community. Since reopening in 2019 and surviving the pandemic, the facility’s biggest challenge is simple: attract new members and retain them, so this safe, friendly, and inclusive space can keep running for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. As a digital marketing volunteer in the team, my role is to increase their visibility, boost conversion and improve user engagement.

1. Campaign restructure — speaking to the right audience

Problem: The Google Ads account had a single campaign covering both pool and gym with no audience separation.

Impact: Neither audience was being spoken to effectively, and ad spend was being spread too thinly across two distinct groups.

Solution: Split the single campaign into two — one for Elswick Pool, one for Elswick Gym — each with tailored ad copy. Uploaded high-quality creative assets and used Keyword Planner to identify higher-intent search terms for both audiences.

Result: Impressions up 10% (459 → 506), conversions up 14% (35 → 40), ad spend reduced by 3% ($166.76 → $161.71) — better performance at lower cost.

Google Ads Campaign Structure Keyword Planner

2. Conversion tracking — making the data trustworthy

Problem: The existing setup tracked anyone who clicked “Become a Member” as a conversion, but that button redirects to a third-party payment page outside the domain. Users who dropped off mid-payment were being counted as signups. The account was optimising on data that didn’t reflect reality.

Solution: new tracking method + enable full funnel exploration

• Built a ‘thank-you’ page on the Elswick domain, reachable only after a user completes payment.
• Set up a GA4 page-view event via Google Tag Manager, triggered when a user lands on the thank-you page, and marked it as a conversion in Google Ads.
• Built a funnel exploration in GA4, segmented by traffic source and device type, to map completion and abandon rates at every stage.

Result: The account is measuring actual signups rather than button clicks, giving every future campaign decision a reliable data foundation to build on.

Every element was chosen to move a new member toward their first visit — because signing up is only half the battle for a community facility trying to retain members.

WordPress UX Google Tag Manager GA4 Funnel Exploration

3. Page Optimisation

problem: Identifies the ‘pool-timetable’ page as the most visited page on Google Search Console, yet its UX did little beyond display the timetable itself. The page is getting a lot of traffic no little conversion and further engagement.

Solution: Redesign the page around a clear conversion page. Added internal links, CTAs and a concise pricing summary.

Result: Transformed the site’s highest-traffic page from a static reference tool into a structured conversion page, giving visitors clear next step at every stage of the page.

WordPress UX Divi Builder User Funnel Exploration

Check BEFORE & AFTER pages comparison

Cocochine Asian-fusion Restaurant

Cocochine is an Asian fusion restaurant near Newcastle’s Quayside, blending Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese influences alongside a cocktail menu. With an average spend of around £20pp, it sits in a competitive part of the city’s dining scene.

I manage Cocochine’s presence on Xiaohongshu (小红书). It is a Chinese lifestyle and discovery platform with over 400 million monthly active users, often described as China’s answer to Instagram and Pinterest combined. For Chinese international students living in the UK, it’s the go-to platform for finding food recommendations and local life tips. Therefore, Newcastle’s large Chinese student population makes Xiaohongshu the most suitable platform for Cocochine’s food promotion.

Account Set-up

30% off launch post

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