Background

In early 2024, a cyber incident resulted in what looked to be a permanent loss of thecoromandel.com, the official website and long-standing digital home of Hauraki Coromandel’s visitor marketing efforts. In response, we launched a new domain, thecoromandel.nz, to ensure the region continues to have a central, credible online presence.

The loss of the original site was significant. With over 25 years of accumulated SEO value, more than 7,000 backlinks, and strong domain authority, thecoromandel.com was a trusted and high-performing resource for both visitors and the industry. It served as the primary trip-planning tool for travellers, a promotional platform for local operators, and a strategic asset in national and international marketing campaigns.

The launch of thecoromandel.nz marked a necessary reset, but also presented a major challenge. Without the legacy SEO, referral links, and search visibility, the region’s ability to connect with potential visitors online became severely impacted.

Rebuilding the site’s authority, performance, and trust was therefore critical, not only to support tourism recovery and regional visibility, but to restore a platform that benefits the wider visitor economy. The website recovery campaign was developed in direct response to this need: to re-establish thecoromandel.nz as the authoritative, go-to source for discovering and planning a visit to the region, and to ensure the long-term digital strength and sustainability of Hauraki Coromandel’s tourism presence.

Website Recovery Campaign – thecoromandel.nz

To restore digital confidence following the cyber incident, we’ll launch a focused website recovery campaign to rebuild the visibility, authority, and performance of thecoromandel.nz. This campaign aimed to position the site as the trusted, official gateway for planning a visit to the Hauraki Coromandel region.

Key actions included a targeted SEO rebuild, the creation of fresh, high-quality content, and amplification through paid and organic channels. We aimed to strengthen the site’s presence across Google and other key platforms using search optimisation, consistent promotion, and credible third-party signals to restore trust and drive meaningful traffic.

While the primary audience for the campaign remains domestic travellers, the content and digital channels are designed for broad reach, targeting both New Zealanders and international audiences. The messaging, imagery, and search-driven approach aims to appeal to a wide range of potential visitors, those actively planning, casually browsing, or dreaming of a future trip, ensuring Hauraki Coromandel remains visible, relevant, and inspiring to everyone, regardless of where they are in their journey or location.

Results

Paid Activity