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We drive increased traffic volumes and conversions through SEO & AI Search, CRO, paid media and email retention activity
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We love to create powerfully original design, brimming with brand personality, with a UX that attracts and converts customers effortlessly
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We combine the efficiency of WordPress and Umbraco with powerful custom functionality of Laravel and REACT in custom apps

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May 2026

April’s been a month of launches and learning. We went live with the new Inner Temple website, Dan attended the Chef’s Table gala in Chicago, and the SEO team explored AI search visibility with Searchable. We’ve also been working on client brochures, tracking WordPress updates, and more. Here’s what we’ve been up to.

Fanatic employees seated at round wooden tables in the red-walled studio space with artwork displayed, engaged in small group discussions during a Vision Day planning session.

Vision Day: What it means to be a healthy business

We ended this month with the second instalment of our Vision Day, which is held quarterly and focuses on a range of key topics relevant to all employees at Fanatic. The sessions provide an excellent opportunity for everyone at the company to have their say. This time, we discussed what it means to be a healthy business and how we ensure that Fanatic continues to be a healthy business in the future.

Three construction workers fitting dark metal staircase connecting ground and first floors at Courage House, Fanatic's new office.

Courage House office update

Good progress continues to be made on our new office, Courage House, which is currently under development. This month saw another milestone on the way to completion, with the installation of the stairs from the ground to the first floor.

Six Fanatic team members standing at brewery bar with beer taps visible behind them, holding beer samples and smiling during tasting to choose Fanatic's 25th birthday beer

Fanatic beer tasting

Some of the team conducted important research in preparation for the release of our Fanatic beer, which we are creating to celebrate our 25th birthday. Our design team will be finalising the can artwork soon, but in the meantime, we conducted a tasting to pick which beer to use. The options included Infiniti, Gravity and Clear Head, with Gravity coming out on top as a clear favourite!

Fanatic team members gathered for group photo in sun-dappled woodland with carpet of purple bluebells visible among trees, white Jack Russell dog held by team member on right

Bluebell lunch walk

Now that spring is well and truly here, bringing some lovely weather along with it, we have tried to make the most of the season. A handful of us went out one lunch to explore the local woods and catch the bluebells before they disappear for another year. Not a bad way to spend an hour.

We also worked on evolving their brand identity to balance heritage with modern amenities. We added contemporary illustrations of key architectural elements and adjusted the colour palette to meet digital accessibility standards, helping establish a refreshed visual identity for The Inner Temple Venue Hire.

Hawksmoor concierge brochures

Our design team finished work on a hotel concierge document template for our clients, Hawksmoor. The brochures are designed to sit in London’s top hotels, introducing guests to their London locations and private hire offering in an eye-catching yet easily accessible way.

Built in a clean, editorial style, it captures what makes the Hawksmoor brand distinctive, and works equally well in print and digital format.

WordPress 7.0: What you need to know

WordPress announced it will be launching version 7.0 at the end of May, which they’re calling their biggest release since the Gutenberg block editor arrived in 2018.

The headline feature is real-time collaboration, allowing multiple people to edit the same page simultaneously, similar to how Google Docs works. There’s also been a heavy focus on making WordPress natively AI-ready, with new features enabling website owners to connect their chosen AI model to help with tasks like generating alt text, content, and images, as well as moderating comments. Future enhancements are expected to include workflow automations and broader site administration capabilities.

Other notable changes include improvements to the admin dashboard’s appearance and ensuring it meets WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility compliance.

If your website is already running WordPress, it’s important to treat updates with caution, especially a major version like this, as there can be unexpected side effects from the upgrade.

Chef’s Table fundraising gala

Dan attended the annual Illinois Restaurant Association’s Chef’s Table fundraising gala at the end of April. Hosted at the beautiful Rockwell on the River in Chicago, the evening brought together dozens of Chicago’s top restaurants and chefs.

The event raises funds for the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, which supports the next generation of hospitality professionals through scholarships and the statewide ProStart programme. The foundation has awarded millions in scholarships to Illinois students pursuing careers in culinary arts and hospitality management, whilst the ProStart programme connects high school students with internships and industry professionals across schools throughout the state. The evening was filled with delicious bites, great drinks, all for a meaningful cause.

Searchable workshop

Ivan from Searchable visited the office this month for a workshop with the SEO team. Searchable is an AI-powered SEO and AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) platform that helps brands track and improve their visibility in AI search engines, which is particularly relevant given how much the search landscape is changing.

Ivan walked the team through the platform’s key features, showing how it monitors AI search results and provides insights on optimising content for these new engines. He also shared some of the features currently in development, giving us an early look at what’s coming next. The session was collaborative, with Ivan asking for our feedback on what’s working well and what could be improved.

The whole team found the workshop really useful, especially seeing how the platform tackles some of the challenges we’ve been discussing around Agency 4.0 and the shift towards AI-driven search.

Say hi to Rob, our new Paid Media Executive!

Rob has recently joined the Digital team as our new Head of Paid Media. He brings a wealth of knowledge to the team, with over 10 years of experience in digital marketing, much of it in paid media roles. He says he was particularly drawn to Fanatic as a result of our people-first approach and can't wait to get to know our clients.

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What made you choose Fanatic, and how have you found it so far?

I chose Fanatic because of its people first approach and the clients that they work with. Everyone has been incredibly welcoming and supportive so far.

What did you do before Fanatic, and what got you into?

I originally did a law degree and realised I wasn’t cut out to be a solicitor. I retrained with a Masters in Marketing and ended up in agencies ever since. Paid Media played into my analytical skills and was easy to demonstrate whether it worked or not.

What’s one thing you’re looking forward to learning or achieving in your first few months with us?

Getting to know my colleagues, the clients and starting to build the relationships with everyone.

Is there a particular piece of advice or philosophy that guides your professional life?

You spend most of your time at work, it’s got to be enjoyable.

What’s something fun or surprising about you that we wouldn’t guess?

I was an extra in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and was also auditioned to be Rupert Grint’s stunt double. I’ve also ended up on German television whilst on a rugby tour in New Zealand, winning my height in boxes of Celebrations and winning a TV from Mr. Blobby.

What is your favourite movie of all time?

Depending on my mood it’s one of Anchorman, Terminator 2, Mean Girls, Empire Strikes Back or a Godzilla film.

April’s been a productive one. With new launches, useful workshops, and Courage House making good progress, we’re heading into May with plenty of momentum. See you next month!

Out of office

See what the team has been up to this month in their free time