LOCALiQ wins Hospitality Campaign of the Year at the UK Paid Media Awards 2026

LOCALiQ UK has won Hospitality Campaign of the Year at the UK Paid Media Awards 2026 for its work with premium independent steak restaurant group The Cut & Craft.

This recognition highlights how a joined-up SEO and PPC strategy turned online visibility into bookings and long-term growth across The Cut & Craft’s locations in York, Leeds and Manchester.​

About the UK Paid Media Awards

The UK Paid Media Awards celebrate the very best in paid media across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Spotlighting campaigns that drive engagement, leads and revenue.​

The awards programme, run by Don’t Panic Events, is accredited ‘Outstanding’ by the Independent Awards Standards Council – Awards Trust Mark.​

LOCALiQ has a growing track record at the UK Paid Media Awards, having received silver for Local Campaign of the Year in 2022, whilst also being shortlisted in multiple categories in subsequent years.

About the award‑winning Cut & Craft campaign

The Cut & Craft is a group of independent British steak restaurants, founded in York in 2018 and known for pairing premium steakhouse dining with a modern, design‑led setting. The brand has since grown to three flagship locations, with a Leeds restaurant opening in 2022 and a Manchester restaurant following in 2025.

LOCALiQ was tasked with turning search and paid media into a scalable bookings and revenue driver for both existing and new sites, particularly around key trading periods.

To do this, we built a joined‑up performance marketing strategy across local SEO, PPC, digital PR and ongoing optimisation. We achieved this by:

• Delivering an integrated approach across local SEO, PPC and digital PR to support both day‑to‑day trading and long‑term expansion.
• Running location‑specific SEO and PPC campaigns tailored to each restaurant, including activity to support new openings and refurbishments such as Manchester.
• Focusing activity on key trading priorities (for example weekday lunches and seasonal moments) so campaigns were closely aligned to real business needs.
• Backing everything up with regular performance reporting and strategy meetings. Giving The Cut & Craft a clear view of how search and paid media were driving demand.

Results that helped secure the win

Here are just a few highlights from our work with The Cut & Craft:

• LOCALiQ’s combined SEO and PPC strategy delivered a 269% increase in sessions and a 68% uplift in clicks, alongside a 48% improvement in click‑through rates as The Cut & Craft’s presence in search strengthened.​
• PPC campaigns drove around 70% more website visitors year‑on‑year and helped accelerate awareness and bookings across key locations including Manchester.​
• Paid search work around key locations, including Manchester, achieved non‑branded click‑through rates of just over 5%, supporting The Cut & Craft’s position as a go‑to choice for weekday lunch in the city.​

These headline stats demonstrate how a joined‑up search and paid media strategy helped turn online visibility into meaningful demand and bookings across The Cut & Craft’s locations.​

Want to learn more about our work with The Cut & Craft? View the full success story here.​

What the UK Paid Media Awards judges thought:

“A genuinely integrated campaign that demonstrates what best-in-class cross-channel collaboration looks like in practice. Rigorous tracking, EEAT-driven momentum, and a joined-up paid search, SEO, and PR strategy showed real cohesion throughout. The attitude toward challenges, turning each obstacle into a system improvement, was as impressive as the results themselves.”​

Our thoughts:

LOCALiQ Managing Director Nick Ashwood said:

“We’re incredibly proud to have our work with The Cut & Craft recognised with the Hospitality Campaign of the Year award.

This win shows what’s possible when a great hospitality brand is supported by a data‑led, integrated approach across search and paid media.

By working closely with The Cut & Craft team, we’ve been able to turn digital demand into real bookings and long‑term growth, and we’re looking forward to building on this together in the months ahead.”

This win builds on LOCALiQ’s wider recognition across SEO and paid media awards programmes, adding to our growing list of shortlists and wins across the UK digital awards landscape.

Ready to grow your own hospitality brand?

If you’re a hospitality or multi‑location brand looking to drive more bookings, fill quieter services or launch successfully in new locations, our award‑winning team can help.​

Explore The Cut & Craft success story for more details on the strategy and results. Or speak to an expert to discuss how a combined  SEO and PPC campaign could support your growth objectives.

Meet the Author

Leah Davies

Leah is a marketing manager with over 10 years of experience in advertising and marketing. She holds a Diploma in Digital Marketing and a specialist certification in Social Media, both awarded by the DMI. Leah helps businesses build stronger connections with their audiences through smart and effective digital strategies.

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