How SEO Increased Sales for a Retail Department Store

CLIENT BACKGROUND

Before Working With Us

• The client is a well-established **retail chain and e-commerce brand** in Singapore, specialising in **affordable household products, beauty essentials, and fashion items**. Known for its wide product selection and commitment to affordability, the brand serves a diverse customer base through its physical stores and online platform.  

 

• During our discovery session, it was clear that the client had **limited online visibility**. While the brand had a strong presence through its physical stores, the **e-commerce platform struggled to attract new customers** through organic search. Their website, while functional, was not **SEO-optimised**, making it difficult to rank for key search terms like **“affordable household products Singapore”** and **“buy beauty essentials online.”**  

 

• With the growing demand for online shopping and increased competition from other retail giants, it became essential for the client to **strengthen its digital presence** and **increase visibility on search engines** to capture a larger share of the e-commerce market.

The Behind The Scenes Work

The Retail Competition Landscape

Keyword Research And Analysis

Our in-depth SEO keyword research for Singapore revealed an average monthly search volume of 15,000 for keywords related to household essentials over the past 12 months. Our further analysis shows strong potential to rank these keywords, as their low difficulty scores make achieving first-page visibility feasible.

Additionally, the cost-per-click (CPC) rates for these terms are affordable, offering a budget-friendly opportunity for targeted dental and orthodontic Search Engine Marketing (SEM) efforts. These would be perfect as SEO efforts require a longer time to bear results, the clinic can capitalize on SEM to acquire leads.

SEO AUDIT

To increase the client's visibility in search results and drive more organic traffic to their leather watch strap website, we conducted a comprehensive SEO audit. This process identified key areas for improvement across on-page, off-page and technical SEO factors. Here are the main issues we uncovered:

• Outdated Website Structure: For an e-commerce retail website, a seamless user experience (UX) is essential. Our audit revealed that the site’s structure and design were not fully optimised, leading to slow page speeds, poor navigation, and a lack of intuitive product filtering. These issues discourage users from exploring the site and increase bounce rates. Simplifying the layout and improving the product filtering system will create a smoother shopping experience and drive higher conversion rates.
• Inefficient Header Optimisation: Proper header structure (H1, H2, H3) helps search engines understand the content on each page. Our audit found that several key pages were missing H1 tags or had multiple H1s, which confused search engines. This was particularly evident on category pages and key product pages like “Household Essentials” and “Affordable Beauty Products”. Updating the header structure and including targeted keywords like “Affordable Home Essentials” will improve rankings for popular search terms.
• Poorly Written or Missing Metadata: Meta titles and descriptions are essential for improving click-through rates (CTR) from search engine results pages (SERPs). Our audit revealed that several product and category pages had missing or duplicate meta titles and descriptions. Those that did exist lacked relevant keywords like “affordable household products” and “daily essentials Singapore.” We also found that many descriptions were missing strong Call-to-Actions (CTAs) to entice users to click. By optimising metadata with compelling CTAs like “Shop Household Essentials Online” or “Buy Beauty Products at Affordable Prices”, we can increase CTRs and drive more organic traffic.
• Weak Backlink Profile: Backlinks from trusted websites signal to search engines that a site is authoritative and relevant. Our audit revealed that the website had a low backlink profile, with only a few inbound links from external websites. Competitor analysis showed that similar brands were earning backlinks from local directories, review blogs, and shopping guides. To compete, the client will need to secure backlinks from local shopping blogs, community forums, and household product review sites. Acquiring backlinks from reputable local sources will boost the site’s domain authority and increase its visibility for key search terms.
• Absence of Strong Call-to-Actions (CTAs) on Key Pages: Call-to-Actions (CTAs) play a critical role in driving conversions and sales. Our audit revealed that many product and category pages were missing clear, action-oriented CTAs like “Shop Now,” “Buy Today,” or “Add to Cart.” Without these prompts, customers may leave the site without making a purchase. We recommend adding prominent CTAs on product pages, category pages, and homepage banners to encourage users to complete purchases. Strong CTAs placed at key points in the user journey will help boost click-through rates (CTR) and increase overall conversions.
• Lack of Blog Content for Long-Tail Keywords: Blog content is vital for capturing informational search queries and supporting long-tail keywords. Our audit found that the client’s website lacked a blog or resource centre, limiting its ability to rank for queries like “How to Choose Affordable Home Products” or “Top 10 Beauty Products for Daily Use.” Blogs offer a valuable opportunity to capture search traffic from customers seeking advice, tips, and product comparisons.
• Mobile-Friendliness and Responsiveness: With a large percentage of users browsing on their mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is essential. Our audit revealed that the client’s site was not fully mobile-optimised, with issues like poor image rendering, overlapping navigation menus, and unresponsive product filtering. Since mobile shoppers now account for a significant portion of e-commerce purchases, optimising the mobile experience is critical. Improving mobile responsiveness, page load speed, and overall usability will lead to a better experience, lower bounce rates, and increased conversions.
• On-Page SEO Issues: Unoptimised Product Descriptions: Many product descriptions were either too short or lacked relevant keywords like “affordable household products” and “beauty products Singapore.” We recommend rewriting these descriptions with user-friendly language and natural keyword placement to improve relevance and SEO performance.
• Missing Image Alt Text: Product images were missing alt text, which affects the site’s ability to rank in Google Image Search. This is a missed opportunity, as customers searching for images of products are more likely to have purchase intent.
• Keyword Stuffing: Some product pages had instances of unnatural keyword stuffing, which can result in search engine penalties. We recommend using natural, user-centric language and removing over-optimisation tactics.

RESULTS OF OUR CAMPAIGN

After Working With Us

When we were engaged for this campaign, our objective was clear: establish a strong online presence for the client in search results and drive organic traffic and conversions for their online retail store. Our strategy focused on on-page optimisation and content creation to position the client as a top provider of affordable household products, beauty essentials, and fashion items.

Here’s how we did it:

• Page Titles Optimised for Search and Clicks: We revamped all page titles to ensure they were user-friendly, keyword-targeted, and aligned with SEO best practices. Each page title was crafted to be 30-60 characters long, unique, and focused on driving clicks from search engines. Key pages like “Affordable Household Products Singapore”, “Shop Daily Essentials Online”, and “Beauty Products for Daily Use” were optimised with relevant, high-impact keywords to increase visibility for high-intent searches.
• Metadata & Header Optimisation: To ensure search engines understand the website's content, we overhauled the meta titles, descriptions, and headers (H1s, H2s). We embedded key search terms like “Buy Household Products Online”, “Daily Essentials Singapore”, and “Affordable Beauty Products” into the meta data. This structure helped search engines index the pages effectively and improved the likelihood of higher rankings. Additionally, our team ensured that each product page and category page had a unique H1 tag to avoid duplication issues, which is a common technical SEO problem.
• Call-To-Actions (CTAs) That Drive Sales: Clear, action-oriented Call-to-Actions (CTAs) are essential for e-commerce websites. We added prominent CTAs on key pages to drive user engagement. Buttons such as “Shop Now”, “Order Essentials Today”, and “Buy Affordable Products” were strategically placed on product pages, homepage banners, and checkout pages. These changes encouraged users to take action faster, leading to increased click-through rates (CTR) and higher product page conversions.
• Advanced Content Clustering Strategy: To boost on-page SEO and internal linking, we implemented a content clustering strategy. We grouped related products and content into logical clusters. For instance, the main pillar page “Household Essentials” linked to supporting pages like “Kitchen Essentials”, “Cleaning Supplies”, and “Storage Solutions”. This interlinking structure made it easier for users and search engines to discover related products, boosting the overall authority of the primary pages. This strategy also encouraged users to explore more products, increasing time on site and pages per session.

Keywords ranking and jumping in positions, getting onto the first page compared to the previous year.

• Consistent Blog Content to Capture Long-Tail Keywords: To capture informational search queries and position the client as an industry authority, we launched a blog content strategy. We created SEO-optimised blog posts that targeted long-tail keywords and customer search intent.
• Mobile-Friendly Design & User Experience Enhancements: Since the majority of users browse and shop using their phones, we prioritised mobile responsiveness. We improved page load speeds, streamlined navigation, and created a smoother mobile shopping experience. Shoppers could now filter products, browse collections, and complete purchases seamlessly on mobile devices. This optimisation reduced bounce rates and significantly increased mobile conversions, especially for users on mobile search.
• Local Backlink Building: Backlinks from reputable websites improve domain authority and search engine trust. We launched a backlink outreach campaign by reaching out to local blogs, shopping guides, and review platforms. We successfully secured backlinks from local lifestyle blogs, community forums, and shopping review sites, which helped increase the client’s authority and visibility for key terms like “Affordable Household Products Singapore” and “Best Beauty Products Online.”

RESULTS OF OUR CAMPAIGN

The Results

Our SEO strategy delivered significant results for the online retail store, transforming its visibility, keyword rankings, and sales. Here’s a summary of the key outcomes:

1. Initial 6 Months – Building a Strong SEO Foundation

• Improved Indexing: Search engines began recognising the site after we optimised meta titles, descriptions, and page headers with relevant keywords like “Affordable Household Products” and “Daily Essentials Singapore.”
• Content Optimisation: Product pages and category pages were enriched with SEO-friendly descriptions and targeted keywords to increase visibility for relevant search queries like “Buy Beauty Products Online” and “Best Home Essentials Singapore.”
• Increase in Sales: As more pages were indexed and rankings improved, we observed a steady increase in online sales, with users discovering the site through key search terms and completing purchases.

2. Rapid Growth (Months 7-12)

• Page 1 Rankings for Key Keywords: Achieved Page 1 rankings for crucial industry keywords like:
  • “best shampoo singapore”
  • “best laundry detergent singapore”
  • “top detergent powder”
  • “adult diapers singapore”
• 150% Boost in Sales: Sales surged as more category and product pages began ranking on Page 1 of Google, leading to an influx of new customers and increased transactions.
• Higher Click-Through Rates (CTR): With optimised meta titles and descriptions, search listings became more appealing, leading to a rise in click-through rates (CTR) from search engines to the website.

3. Overall Achievements

• +150% Increase in Sales: Online sales grew significantly as more pages achieved Page 1 visibility for high-converting industry keywords.
• Page 1 Visibility: The website now ranks on Page 1 for multiple high-converting keywords, including:
  • “best shampoo singapore”
  • “best laundry detergent singapore”
  • “top detergent powder”
  • “adult diapers singapore”
• Higher Engagement & Conversions: By improving CTAs and on-page navigation, users were guided toward product pages, increasing engagement, enquiries, and online sales.

The Conclusion?

The client went from being unfounded on Google to ranking for multiple high-value keywords, and increasing in sales. Their online visibility, local presence, and customer engagement all improved significantly.