Case Study: eCommerce – Launching a Digital-First Beauty Brand

How a Full-Funnel SEO Strategy Delivered Early Organic Success—and Why Ongoing SEO Matters in Competitive Markets

Executive Summary

Executive Summary

In 2019, Client commissioned BlueMagnet to design their brand identity, product packaging, and a national B2C eCommerce website to launch their online tanning product in South Africa.

As a completely new entrant to a highly competitive market, BlueMagnet developed a foundational keyword strategy and content plan to fuel SEO performance and buyer engagement. Within four months, the site ranked for 30% of its target keywords. Over 60% of conversions originated from organic search, with organic conversion rates averaging 13%—nearly triple the industry benchmark of 4.55% for Beauty & Personal Care.

Background

  • Industry: Beauty and Personal Care
  • Target Audience: Women in South Africa (National)

  • Campaign Duration: 3 Months 

  • Business Model: Business to Consumer (B2C), eCommerce Transactional Platform.

  • Location: South Africa (National)

Challenges

It was a brand-new business aiming to sell a single tanning product exclusively through an online store targeting women across South Africa.

As the brand had no previous online footprint, it required a clear go-to-market strategy supported by SEO, content marketing, and conversion-focused design.

Key Issues Included:

  • No Visibility: As a new business, the website launched with no domain history, authority, or traffic.

  • High Competition: Entering a saturated market alongside major online retailers like Takealot, Clicks, Dischem, and Amazon.

  • No Brand Awareness: No existing customer base or recognition in the South African beauty market.

  • Limited SEO Budget: SEO was implemented at launch, but no retainer was in place for post-launch growth due to budget constraints.

Solution

Branding & Visual Identity:

  • Designed a catchy, professional CI and logo to stand out in the beauty market.
  • Developed product packaging to compete confidently with established brands in major retail channels

Keyword & Content Strategy:

  • Conducted competitor and keyword gap analysis to guide content priorities.
  • Mapped 200 keywords across the buying funnel (awareness, consideration, action).
  • Created SEO-optimised landing pages, blog articles, FAQs, and transactional content to match user intent.

Website Design & Development:

  • Built a mobile-optimised eCommerce website using WordPress + WooCommerce.
  • Applied SEO best practices from the ground up, including internal linking, fast-loading templates, and structured product/category pages.
  • Integrated a Blog and FAQ section to drive long-term organic growth and answer user queries.
Solution

Results

30% Organic Rankings

30% of target keywords were ranking on page one within the first 4 months of launch.

70% Engagement Rate

Engagement rate from organic traffic exceeded 70%, significantly above the 43% average of other channels.

13% Conversion Rate

Organic traffic had a 13% conversion rate, exceeding the industry benchmark of 4.55% for Beauty & Personal Care.

60% Organic Conversions

in lead conversions, exceeding expectations.

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