SEO & SEO Migration Case Study for R.M.Williams
Organic Keywords on the Top-3 positions were up by 195%- Organic Keywords on 4-10 positions increased by 194%
- Organic Keywords on 10+ positions increased by 118%
- Organic Keywords were up by 128% overall
- CTR on 8.4%
- Clicks on 646.6K
- Impressions up by 7.7M
In its nine decades, R.M.Williams has built a globally respected brand celebrated for its quality and craftsmanship. Initially designed for the rugged Australian Outback, the iconic one-piece leather boots have become a staple worldwide. R.M.Williams recognised the need to expand its digital presence and partnered with LION Digital to tackle this challenge head-on. What followed was not just a digital marketing project but the beginning of a 2.5-year relationship that saw substantial growth, transformation, and results.
The Journey Begins with a Single Step
When LION Digital first connected with R.M.Williams, the brand already had several agencies and a substantial internal team managing its digital presence. Yet, the brand's Head of eCommerce saw something others didn't - the opportunity to strengthen the company's digital strategy by partnering with a specialist eCommerce team that truly understood retail and footwear.
He recognised the value in our experience across more than 20 tier-one and tier-two retail brands and believed our practical retail background could help refine the customer experience and unlock new areas of growth.
We worked closely with the R.M.Williams team to identify untapped revenue opportunities and build a strategy around the gaps none of the other agencies nor the in-house marketing team had addressed. Our approach gave the R.M.Williams team the confidence to bring us in alongside its existing partners.
What started as a single opportunity has grown into one of our most successful long-term partnerships.
We Quickly Achieved Extraordinary Results
Our relationship began with a modest monthly Retainer, a (shoestring budget) for a huge brand like R.M.Williams. To fit these budget constraints, LION Digital focused on improving foundational SEO elements. We performed a thorough technical audit and addressed critical issues, such as page cannibalisation and misaligned metadata. Leveraging market analysis, we reworked existing content to better match buyer intent and target high-impact keywords. Within just six months, our methodical approach led to significant improvements in traffic and impressions and resulted in a remarkable 36X return on investment.
Expanding Across Global Markets
Impressed by the early results, R.M.Williams quadrupled its investment, underscoring the profound impact of LION Digital’s strategy. Now, we were managing the brand’s SEO across 14 international markets, including the UK and New Zealand. For each market, we conducted thorough localised research, understanding the distinct cultural contexts and search behaviours that would influence how the different audiences engaged with the R.M.Williams brand online. The scope of the task was enormous, but LION Digital’s expertise in eCommerce SEO specifics ensured smooth operation and far-reaching success.
The Migration Challenge
In 2022, R.M.Williams embarked on a massive platform upgrade, migrating from its old Demandware site to Salesforce Commerce Cloud. The stakes were enormous - with more than $50 million plus in annual revenue tied to organic search, there was no margin for error. Platform migrations are one of the biggest pitfalls in eCommerce; when they fail, they can cost brands significant traffic and revenue. At LION, we focus on turning these challenges into growth opportunities by building a comprehensive SEO migration strategy beyond matching old URLs to new ones. Every part of the plan was designed to mitigate risk and unlock upside.
This was one of the largest eCommerce migrations in APAC, involving over 70 specialists across three teams, and the results were equally impressive.
Keyword Research & Elite Site Architecture
LION Digital focused not just on preserving existing traffic but on creating a foundation for future digital expansion. Our team invested hundreds of hours in market keyword research, evaluating search intent, buyer behaviour, and growth potential. From this research, we designed a new SEO site architecture that created significantly more eCommerce segments (landing pages) optimised for both brand terms and broader category search intent. This architecture was carefully crafted to improve user experience, increase time on site, reduce bounce rates, and boost conversion rates - setting the stage for R.M.Williams to expand its digital footprint and enhance its multi-channel presence.
Driving Growth through Migration
Most eCommerce migrations result in temporary traffic and revenue drops, but with a new sophisticated site architecture, we prevented losses and transformed the migration into a growth opportunity.
Critical commercial terms like "Chelsea boots", "leather wallet", and "men's wallet" rose to top positions, driving stronger engagement and revenue. Click-through rates, Google clicks, and overall impressions experienced substantial rises, showcasing the impact of our data-driven architecture and well-managed migration.
RESULTS
R.M.Williams had entrusted us with a revenue stream worth hundreds of millions of dollars over time, and we delivered exceptional results:
- 128% increase in total organic keywords appearing for R.M.Williams (from 10,555 to 24,097).
- Keywords in Top-3 positions increased by 195%, from 992 to 2,926.
- Keywords in positions 4-10 grew by 194%, from 398 to 1,171.
- Keywords in positions beyond 10 expanded by 118%, from 9,165 to 20,000.
- Impressions increased by 7.7M.
- Site visibility improved with a 19% increase in non-branded traffic.
36x
ROI
195%
Increase in Organic
Keywords on Top-3 position
194%
Increase in Organic
Keywords on 4-10 positions
This success rippled across all digital channels, as improved SEO architecture enhanced performance across paid media and email marketing.
Ongoing Revenue Protection
From a humble SEO retainer to leading one of the largest eCommerce migrations in the Australasian region, our collaboration with R.M.Williams is a story of trust, transformation, and long-term success. We approached each phase with meticulous attention to detail and strategic foresight to redefine the R.M.Williams website as a powerful revenue driver.
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