Most e-commerce stores turn to paid ads when they want fast results. This one didn’t.
A Toronto-based online plant store tripled its sales in just three months. No Google Ads. No paid social campaigns. The only change was a focused SEO strategy built around clear goals and customer intent.
The project was led by digitalmktg.ca, and the results were stronger than even the client expected.
About the Client
The store sells houseplants, planters, soil mixes, care tools, and botanical accessories. Their product quality was solid. The customer service was already dialed in. The brand had personality and a loyal base of repeat customers.
What they lacked was search visibility.
They were invisible on Google for the kinds of searches that drive real revenue. Most of their traffic came from direct visits or social media. SEO wasn’t just underperforming. It was almost non-existent.
They wanted that to change.
The Challenge
Spring was around the corner, and the team wanted to be ready for peak planting season. But they didn’t want to rely on paid traffic. They were looking for sustainable, long-term growth that didn’t depend on ad budgets.
The goal was simple. Grow organic traffic. Increase conversions. Build authority in their niche.
We set clear benchmarks:
- Increase organic traffic by 150% in 90 days
- Rank for 25 high-intent plant-related keywords
- Achieve a 300% increase in revenue from organic traffic
The site had potential. But it needed structure, strategy, and technical cleanup.
Where We Started
We began with a complete audit.
There were basic issues all over the site. Poor metadata. Missing image alt text. Thin product descriptions. A messy URL structure. The blog hadn’t been touched in months. Page speed was slow. No sitemap had been submitted.
We fixed the technical problems first. That included image compression, meta tag updates, lazy loading, internal linking improvements, and mobile performance upgrades. We also submitted a fresh sitemap and restructured the navigation to support SEO and user experience.
From there, we focused on content and keywords.
Targeting the Right Searches
The original site copy was filled with branded or decorative names. Product titles like “The Jungle Queen” or “Sunshine Starter” were nice for aesthetics but useless for SEO.
We replaced them with names people were actually searching for.
Instead of guessing, we did deep keyword research to uncover what buyers were typing into Google. That research showed clear patterns. People weren’t just searching “buy plants online.” They were searching things like:
- Low maintenance indoor plants
- Pet friendly houseplants Canada
- Best plants for apartments
- Indoor plants delivered in Toronto
We rewrote product titles and descriptions to align with search intent. We also built landing pages for categories like:
- Air-purifying plants
- Hanging planters
- Plants for low light
- Beginner-friendly houseplants
Each page had a clear keyword target and was written to convert.
Building Out the Blog
Content had been neglected. So we launched a blog strategy aimed at search visibility and customer education.
Topics were chosen based on a mix of keyword volume and seasonal relevance. Titles included:
- Best indoor plants for Canadian winters
- 5 plants that thrive in low light apartments
- How to repot your houseplants without making a mess
- Which plants are safe for pets?
Each post linked to relevant product pages and helped support the internal structure of the site.
We posted weekly, kept the content clear and helpful, and avoided fluff. Every blog served a purpose.
Earning Quality Backlinks
Once the foundation was in place, we turned to outreach.
We secured backlinks from Canadian lifestyle blogs, gardening sites, and interior design resources. We submitted the store to relevant local directories and earned mentions in a few gift guide roundups focused on sustainable shopping and home decor.
No automation. No link farms. Just real placements from sites that aligned with the client’s niche.
Over the course of three months, we secured 20 quality links to key product and category pages. That helped improve authority without bloating the backlink profile.
Results After 90 Days
The store saw improvements early on, but the real growth hit in the second and third months.
Here’s what changed:
- Organic traffic increased by 245%
- Sales from organic traffic jumped by 302%
- 27 target keywords landed in the top three spots on Google
- Bounce rate dropped and average time on site went up
The store went from being invisible in search to outranking national competitors for key local and product-focused searches.
The best part? The client didn’t have to increase their marketing budget. The growth came from the existing infrastructure, just optimised and aligned with what their customers were already searching for.
Why This Worked
A few things made this campaign a success.
First, the product offering was strong. There was real demand, but the store wasn’t capturing it.
Second, the SEO strategy focused on intent. We weren’t just chasing traffic. We targeted people who were ready to buy.
Third, we handled the fundamentals. Metadata, site speed, structured content, internal links. All the basics that still matter.
Finally, we didn’t overcomplicate it. No overuse of tools. No unnecessary A/B tests. Just consistent execution and content that answered real questions.
The Bigger Picture
This case shows how effective SEO can be when it’s grounded in the right work. No shortcuts. No buzzwords. Just a smart approach to getting found.
For e-commerce brands in Canada, especially those in niche verticals like plants or home goods, there’s often huge untapped opportunity in organic search. Paid ads are quick, but SEO builds equity.
If your online store is solid but underperforming in search, SEO Company Canada offers the kind of SEO that gets real results-without the fluff.
