Case Study: Transforming an Online Pet Store Through Advanced SEO, PPC, and Custom Development

Client: Online Pet Retailer

Agency: Chorley Digital Ltd

Services: SEO, PPC Management, Conversion Optimisation, Custom Development

Timeframe: 24 Months

Overview

A fast-growing online pet store partnered with Chorley Digital to scale revenue, improve profitability, and build a sustainable, data-driven digital strategy. The client sells a comprehensive range of pet foods, healthcare products, supplements, toys, and accessories for dogs, cats, small animals, and birds — operating in one of the most competitive niches in UK e-commerce.

Chorley Digital delivered a powerful combination of technical SEO, high-performance PPC, conversion-focused UX improvements, and custom development, producing record-breaking growth across all key performance metrics.

Objectives

• Increase overall online revenue significantly
• Scale PPC while maintaining strong profitability
• Build stronger organic visibility in a competitive market
• Improve user experience and operational efficiency
• Introduce technical solutions for compliance and workflow automation
• Increase repeat purchase rate and customer lifetime value

Strategy & Execution

1. Full Technical SEO Overhaul

We rebuilt the organic foundation by addressing technical, structural, and content-based issues:

• Cleaned legacy URLs and optimised site architecture
• Improved product and category pages with high-intent keyword optimisation
• Strengthened internal linking to improve indexation and topical authority
• Enhanced Core Web Vitals and mobile site speed
• Introduced SEO-driven UX improvements to boost conversion rates

This created a scalable SEO framework capable of supporting long-term organic growth.

2. High-Performance PPC Strategy (ROAS 20+)

To maximise paid advertising returns, Chorley Digital restructured PPC from the ground up:

• Built intent-led search campaigns targeting veterinary and pet-care keywords
• Rolled out Performance Max campaigns with segmented asset groups
• Added first-party audience modelling for higher lifetime value
• Implemented automated rules to manage margins on prescription categories
• Developed a strong negative keyword strategy to reduce wasted spend
• Maintained high profitability while scaling monthly revenue aggressively

These improvements enabled PPC revenue to grow from under £1,000/month to £100,000+/month on a modest £5k monthly ad budget, consistently delivering ROAS 20+.

3. Custom Development That Supported Operations & Growth

Bespoke Loyalty Scheme

To increase customer retention and repeat spending, we developed a fully integrated rewards system featuring:

• Points per purchase
• Bonus tiers for high-value customers
• Automated loyalty email notifications

This increased repeat purchase frequency and added long-term value to each customer.

Prescription Vet Sign-Off Workflow

Because prescription pet products require stricter compliance, we built a custom vet-sign-off system:

• Automatically detects prescription-only items
• Routes orders to an internal vet checker
• Automates communication with customers
• Reduces manual processing delays and errors

This allowed the business to scale prescription sales safely and efficiently.

Results

Revenue Growth

The combined SEO + PPC strategy resulted in explosive business growth:

• Monthly revenue increased from £1,400 to £200,000+
  
• PPC revenue scaled from <£1,000 to £100,000+ per month
  
• Organic revenue rose from <£500 to £100,000+ per month
  

This growth far exceeded industry benchmarks and transformed the retailer into a major competitor in the UK market.

Organic Search Improvements

Thanks to a strong technical SEO foundation and high-intent content optimisation:

• Organic traffic increased from 600 to 14,000 visitors per month
  
• Market visibility increased dramatically across key pet-care categories
• Dozens of high-value keywords reached top-3 positions
• Organic revenue reached £100,000 per month, up from under £500

PPC Performance

Chorley Digital’s PPC structure delivered exceptional, sustained results:

• ROAS consistently 20+
  
• Scaled revenue without increasing cost per conversion
• Balanced branded, generic, long-tail, and product-level campaigns
• High profitability maintained even as monthly revenue grew exponentially

Conclusion

This case study demonstrates how Chorley Digital helps e-commerce businesses achieve extraordinary growth through a combination of advanced SEO, high-performance PPC, and custom technical solutions. By rebuilding the site’s organic foundation, scaling paid media efficiently, and introducing bespoke workflows, we helped this online pet retailer grow from a small operation generating £1,400 per month to a thriving business exceeding £200,000+ per month.