This case study highlights how a UK-based vape business with physical vape shops in Liverpool and an online Shopify store scaled its organic traffic and revenue through a structured SEO-first ecommerce growth strategy. I was hired as an SEO expert with a clear objective: rank the Shopify vape store in the UK and turn organic visibility into consistent sales and revenue.
The challenge was not demand, it was technical debt, weak on-page SEO, and low-quality backlinks that were holding the site back despite strong market interest.
Initial SEO Audit & Key Challenges
Before execution, I conducted a full SEO audit covering technical SEO, on-page optimization, usability, performance, and backlink health. The audit revealed multiple high-impact issues affecting rankings, crawlability, and user experience.
SEO Health Issues Identified
The website was suffering from a combination of technical and on-page problems, including:
- 404 error pages and redirect conflicts
- Missing and duplicate meta descriptions
- Multiple H1 tags on single pages
- Over-optimized and excessively long title tags
- Poorly structured URLs
- Weak internal linking hierarchy
These issues were limiting Google’s ability to properly crawl, index, and rank important product and category pages.
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Uncover technical, on-page, and UX issues holding your site back from ranking.
Site Speed & Core Web Vitals Challenges
Page speed was a critical bottleneck. Several pages exceeded Google’s recommended load time threshold, increasing bounce rates and negatively impacting Core Web Vitals.
Since speed is a confirmed ranking factor, performance optimization was prioritized early to prevent further ranking suppression and conversion loss.
Mobile Usability & UX Findings
While the site was functional, usability issues existed across mobile and tablet devices, including:
- Small, hard-to-read font sizes
- Poor tap target sizing for buttons and links
- Inconsistent mobile layout behavior
Given that the majority of ecommerce traffic comes from mobile users, improving usability was essential for both SEO and conversions.
Backlink Profile & Authority Issues
Although the site had seen an increase in referring domains, most backlinks were coming from:
- Low DR websites
- Nofollow links
- Irrelevant sources
Additionally, several backlinks had been removed over time, creating authority gaps. This weakened the site’s overall trust signals and limited ranking potential for competitive vape-related keywords.
Organic Visibility & Keyword Cannibalization
A keyword-level analysis revealed:
- Multiple pages ranking for the same keyword
- Important keywords stuck on page 2 of Google
- Poor keyword-to-page mapping
This was confusing search engines and preventing individual pages from reaching their full ranking potential.
SEO Strategy & Recommendations
Based on the audit, a phased SEO strategy was designed.
Technical & On-Page SEO
- Resolved all critical technical SEO issues
- Optimized title tags, meta descriptions, headings, content, images, and alt attributes
- Improved URL structure for clarity and crawlability
- Fixed keyword cannibalization by assigning one primary keyword per page
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Data-driven content planning based on gaps and search intent.
Content & Internal Linking
- Published one SEO-focused blog per week
- Used blogs to internally link to product and category pages
- Targeted low-difficulty keywords already ranking on page 2 to push them into top positions
Off-Page SEO & Authority Building
- Shifted focus from quantity to quality backlinks
- Published guest posts on relevant UK-based websites
- Built citations and listings in UK business directories, leveraging physical shop locations
- Reclaimed lost backlinks and disavowed harmful links when necessary
Social Media Support
Due to advertising restrictions in the vape industry, paid campaigns were not viable. Instead:
- Increased organic activity on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Google Business Profile
- Used trend-based content and meme-style engagement to grow reach without direct selling
Execution & Results (Month-by-Month Breakdown)
After the SEO strategy was finalized, execution was carried out in clearly defined phases. Each month had a specific focus, allowing technical stability, keyword growth, and authority building to compound naturally.
Month 1: Technical SEO, UX Improvements & Foundation Setup
The first month was dedicated entirely to technical SEO and user experience improvements, as these issues were directly limiting crawlability, rankings, and conversions.
During this phase, all critical technical and on-page issues identified in the audit were addressed. This included fixing 404 errors and redirect conflicts, cleaning up title tags and meta descriptions, resolving multiple H1 issues, and improving overall URL structure. Page speed optimization was prioritized to improve Core Web Vitals and reduce bounce rates, especially on mobile devices.
Alongside technical fixes, usability improvements were implemented to enhance mobile experience, including better font legibility and improved tap target sizing. These changes helped create a stronger SEO foundation while also improving conversion readiness.
Technical SEO Problems?
I fix indexing, speed, Core Web Vitals, and crawlability issues.
By the end of the first month, the website became more crawl-friendly, faster, and better structured, allowing Google to reassess the site positively. As a result, the store generated £7,000+ in organic-driven sales in October 2021, exceeding early expectations without any off-site link building.
Month 2: Product-Led Keyword Growth, Elux Legend Rankings
With the technical foundation in place, the second month focused on product-level SEO and keyword expansion, particularly around trending vape products.
In-depth keyword research identified strong demand and relatively low competition for Elux Legend and its keyword variations. Product pages were fully optimized with refined content, improved internal linking, and clearer keyword targeting to avoid cannibalization.
Target the Right Keywords
High-intent keyword research that drives traffic and real sales.
As Google re-crawled the optimized pages, rankings improved rapidly. Several Elux Legend keyword variations reached top positions on Google, significantly increasing organic traffic to high-intent product pages.
This shift from technical stabilization to commercial keyword targeting resulted in a sharp increase in conversions. By November 2021, the Shopify store generated £30,000+ in organic sales, driven primarily by product-led SEO performance.
Month 3: Off-Page SEO & Expansion into Elf Bar Keywords
The third month marked the transition into off-page SEO and authority building, alongside further product expansion.
With the site technically stable and already ranking well, efforts were focused on improving backlink quality through relevant UK-based websites, guest posting opportunities, and local business listings. Low-quality backlinks were addressed, and link reclamation efforts were initiated to strengthen domain trust.
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Revenue-focused Shopify & ecommerce SEO strategies.
At the same time, SEO efforts expanded to additional high-demand products, particularly Elf Bar and its keyword variations. Product pages were optimized using learnings from previous months, allowing faster ranking improvements.
This combination of growing authority and expanding keyword coverage created a compounding effect. Multiple Elf Bar and vape-related keywords achieved top-ranking positions, driving a surge in organic traffic and conversions.
By December 2021, the website achieved £156,000+ in Shopify ecommerce sales, far exceeding the original growth targets.
Month 4: Scaling Momentum & First £10K Day (January 2022)
By the fourth month, SEO-driven growth had reached a compounding stage. With strong technical foundations, improved authority, and multiple high-performing product pages already ranking at the top of Google, the website began experiencing daily revenue spikes rather than just monthly growth.
In January 2022, the store achieved its first £10,000+ revenue day, a milestone that confirmed organic search had matured into a reliable and scalable sales channel. This performance was supported by continued off-page SEO efforts, expansion of product-focused keywords, and improved internal linking across high-converting pages.
By the end of January 2022, the Shopify store generated £372,000+ in monthly revenue, marking a major transition from early growth to sustained ecommerce scalability.
Month 6: Sustained SEO Growth & Revenue Stability (April 2022)
Following the rapid scale-up, SEO efforts shifted toward stability, retention, and long-term dominance rather than short-term gains.
In April 2022, the website continued to rank strongly across multiple vape-related product keywords, including ongoing variations of previously optimized products. Authority growth, content consistency, and improved internal structures helped maintain rankings despite increasing competition in the vape ecommerce space.
As a result, the store achieved £439,000+ in monthly revenue in April 2022, demonstrating that the SEO strategy was not only capable of rapid growth but also sustainable at scale.
Final Outcome Summary
What started as a Shopify vape store struggling with technical SEO and visibility transformed into a high-performing ecommerce business driven primarily by organic search.
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£7k+ in Month 1 (October 2021)
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£30k+ in Month 2 (November 2021)
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£156k+ in Month 3 (December 2021)
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£372k+ in Month 4 (January 2022)
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£439k+ by April 2022
The phased SEO approach, technical optimization, product-led keyword targeting, authority building, and scalable execution, enabled consistent revenue growth in a highly competitive and restricted industry.
The initial goal was to reach £10,000 in monthly sales within three months through SEO. This milestone was exceeded in the first month, and by the third month, organic search had become the primary revenue driver for the business.
Long-Term Impact
Following this success:
- The company launched three additional ecommerce projects
- I continued working with the brand for two years
- Earned Employee of the Month twice, recognizing consistent performance and results
Key Takeaways
This project demonstrates how ecommerce SEO, when executed with a strong technical foundation, clear keyword strategy, and quality link building, can drive rapid and scalable revenue growth, even in restricted industries like vaping.
SEO Built on Strategy, Data & Execution
Disclaimer:
Revenue figures are shared for illustrative purposes and reflect organic growth performance during the engagement period.
