500% increase in local seo
VIP Vaping was one of Europe’s largest independent e-cigarette brands, with strong high-street visibility through kiosks, mass product giveaways, and national TV advertising aimed at adult smokers. Following its acquisition in 2014 by US-based Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corporation (later ECIG), the business entered a phase of rapid expansion and increased commercial ambition.
However, this growth was not fully supported by its digital and omni-channel capabilities. My work focused on strengthening VIP’s online performance to better complement its strong physical retail presence. This included improving ecommerce conversion, aligning online and in-store propositions, and significantly enhancing Local SEO to drive both website traffic and store footfall.
Many small to medium-sized retailers underperform in local search, limiting both website traffic and in-store footfall. In this case, the retailer had a disjointed online and in-store proposition, with inconsistent offers, strategy, and brand activity. Their local SEO setup was weak: store pages were not dynamic, all locations were listed on a single page, and local visibility on Google was poor. As a result, stores struggled to appear prominently in local search results, missing valuable non-brand traffic and customer engagement opportunities.
A structured Local SEO strategy was developed alongside wider ecommerce and SEO improvements. The core focus was creating dynamic, individual pages for each of the 120 stores and aligning online and in-store propositions. A phased plan was implemented:
Phase 1: Enhance the store finder, create and optimise Google My Business profiles, and consolidate accurate store data.
Phase 2: Acquire and integrate customer reviews to build authority and improve visibility.
Phase 3: Meta and content optimisation to target broader local search terms and improve conversion.
Within four months, local store visibility improved significantly. Maps views increased by 3,000%, local searches by nearly 500%, and phone call actions by over 800%. These improvements drove increased website traffic, higher in-store footfall, and stronger local brand authority, demonstrating the powerful impact of a focused Local SEO strategy.
Like what you see? The results above didn’t happen by accident—they came from clear goals, thoughtful planning, and hands-on execution. If you’re curious about what this could look like for your own business, feel free to reach out. I’m always happy to chat, answer questions, and see if we’re a good fit to work together
