How a Bath & Kitchen Retailer Grew Traffic by 1,594% in 3 Months
https://www.bathdepot.com/
Stats
30.3K to 513.3K Monthly Visits
Industry
Ecommerce & Retail
Niche
Home & Office
Reporting Date
March 2024
Bath Depot is a Canadian specialty retailer of kitchen and bath appliances. It was founded in 2008 by four entrepreneurial brothers of the Nadeau family.
Today, Bath Depot has over 40 stores in Quebec and Ontario, with plans to expand in Western Canada.
Bath Depot's website is also undergoing a significant revamp. It's migrating to a new domain to cater to its growing audience, and the move has been monumental for its organic traffic.
In March 2024, Bath Depot acquired its highest traffic ever at over half a million visits.
Join me as we explore how this migration and a few key strategies boosted Bath Depot's online visibility and potentially paved the way for future expansion in the American market.
In This Article
The Catalyst: How Bath Depot Reached 513.3K Monthly Visits
1. Domain Migration From ccTLD to gTLD
To understand Bath Depot's migration, we must look at its two domains.
The first domain is bathdepot.ca.
This website launched in 2012 and uses a country code top-level domain (ccTLD). It targets Canadian customers and traffic.
Then, in 2018, Bath Depot launched its second website: bathdepot.com.
This website uses a generic top-level domain (gTLD), the most common TLD.
Unlike ccTLDs, gTLDs do not suggest ties to any one geographic location.
We’ll focus on the gTLD (bathdepot.com) because this is the domain exploding in organic traffic.
Here’s a graph of its historical organic performance:
Despite launching in 2018, the website didn’t break 1K monthly visits until 2020. Then, in 2023, bathdepot.com averaged 15.5K organic visits per month.
But it’s 2024 that triggered unprecedented growth, as demonstrated below.
And here, we see how the original domain (bathdepot.ca) mirrors a loss in traffic for the same period.
So, how did Bath Depot transfer its traffic to the new domain?
302 redirects.
During this time, Bath Depot implemented 302 redirects from bathdepot.ca to bathdepot.com.
Here are two examples:
302 redirects tell search engines your content has moved temporarily. (I’ll admit I was expecting 301 redirects, which signal a permanent move.)
But search engines are treating these 302 redirects as permanent.
Link equity has already passed from the older domain to the newer domain. This means bathdepot.com ranks for the same keywords the previous domain ranked for, and its address is being served in search results.
Furthermore, the newer domain is outperforming the older one.
The gTLD has more than doubled the ccTLD’s peak traffic, which occurred back in 2021.
And ranking keywords have more than tripled.
But why?
Does a different domain really make that big of a difference?
In Bath Depot’s case, the migration from a ccTLD to a gTLD has completely transformed its online presence and where it gets its traffic.
This is particularly true when comparing Canada vs U.S. traffic.
When we compare the peak traffic month for each domain (so, January 2024 for bathdepot.ca and March 2024 for bathdepot.com), we’ll notice that U.S. traffic has increased significantly.
The new domain now obtains 85% of its traffic from the U.S.
This change could be good or bad, depending on Bath Depot’s business goals.
If there’s potential to expand into the American market, they’re off to a good start.
Conquering the search engine results page (SERP) with new ranking keywords is a great way to boost brand awareness and start introducing American customers to their products.
But currently, there are no options for delivery to the United States. This means American customers cannot convert on the new domain (unless they’re shipping to Canada).
And with Canadian traffic down, where customers can buy, it could affect their online revenue. (This could even out or improve over time.)
Regardless, the impact on global traffic is undeniable and makes this domain migration a fascinating case study.
Why this matters:
Bath Depot's migration holds a valuable lesson for website owners: the type of domain you choose can affect who visits your site.
Domain changes can open doors to new markets, but they may require updates to your website's functionality to capitalize on new traffic.
You may need to enable language and currency settings and add international shipping options to serve customers in other countries and maximize your online revenue.
To help determine which domain type is best for your business, visit this guide on international SEO site structure.
How to migrate your WordPress site to a new domain:
This tutorial shows you how to move your WordPress site to a new domain.
Here’s a quick recap of the process:
- Back up your WordPress site.
- Create a new MySQL database for the new domain.
- Unpack your WordPress site on the new domain.
- Set up permanent (301) redirects.
Once you’ve completed these tasks, you’ll want to test the site and ensure everything runs properly.
Tools for WordPress domain migrations:
All in One SEO (AIOSEO) makes it easy to perform a full site redirect.
All you have to do is enter your old and new domains in the Redirection Manager. This tool automatically implements permanent redirects, ensuring a seamless transfer of your SEO to the new site address.
Now, let’s see how fresh content helped bathdepot.com skyrocket its visibility on the SERP.
2. Triple the Content, 17x the Traffic
Before the domain migration, bathdepot.com operated independently for 5 years.
The site’s page count sat well below 1K URLs during this time.
But in 2024, Bath Depot increased the volume of its content. Pages tripled by March, bringing the site to around 3K URLs.
Now, it's no secret that more content equals more keyword rankings.
After all, the more content you have, the wider net you cast to rank.
Rankings tripled, and traffic was 17x more than just 3 months prior (December).
As for the content itself, Bath Depot built out an extensive product catalog. Bathroom appliances, in particular, have been a central focus of their content strategy.
And in March 2024, these content efforts are paying off.
The top 15 organic pages are all new content for bathroom furniture and fixtures.
Furthermore, the top 5 pages generate 32% of all site traffic.
Why this matters:
Bath Depot's growth story proves how creating more content can drastically boost your website's traffic.
By expanding their online product offering, they saw a massive increase in organic traffic.
However, not every website is going to have it that easy.
You may need to get more creative with your content creation.
A content strategy will guide your efforts and pave the way to success. It helps you:
- Target the right audience.
- Develop a variety of content.
- Optimize for search engines.
- Track and measure results.
How to create a content strategy:
Here's a breakdown of the key steps to crafting your own winning content strategy:
- Chart your course. Start by defining your business goals. What do you want to achieve with your content?
- Know your audience. Identify your ideal customer. Understanding their needs and interests is crucial for creating content that resonates with them.
- Map the terrain. Craft a broad outline of your strategy. What types of content will you create? How will you distribute it?
- Choose the right path. Match your content type to the most effective distribution channel.
- Track your progress. Monitor your content's performance to see what's working and what might need adjustment. This data allows you to refine your approach and ensure your content delivers the best results.
For further reading, this content strategy guide gives you all the details for each step.
Tools for your content strategy:
AIOSEO comes with several tools to make your content strategy a homerun.
One of my favorites is the TruSEO On-Page Analysis.
TruSEO analyzes your content and gives you actionable insights to maximize its reach. It’s way more than just a pass or fail score. Instead, it lets you know exactly what adjustments to make.
For example, the Focus Keyphrase Checklist ensures you’re using your focus keyword in all the right places.
Next, we’ll examine Bath Depot's third and final strategy for transforming its online visibility: images.
3. Images Capture Clicks
High-quality images are a no-brainer for eCommerce businesses.
They showcase your products in their best light and entice potential customers to convert.
But in today's competitive online landscape, simply having beautiful photos isn't enough.
You need to make your images work for you in search results, too.
That's where image SEO comes in.
Image SEO involves optimizing your product images for users and search engines. Ultimately, it can help search engines understand and display your images in search results.
This is called a rich snippet, which can increase the visibility of your products and drive more traffic to your site.
Here’s an example of a rich snippet with images:
In March 2024, Bath Depot ranked for a lot of these types of search results (39K).
Why this matters:
According to SEO statistics, rich snippets get 58% of all clicks.
That’s significantly higher than non-rich results, which have a 41% clickthrough rate (CTR).
In addition to ranking in traditional search results, image SEO can also help you rank in Google Images, where there are over 1 billion searches every day.
How to do image SEO:
Keyword placement is critical in image SEO. You’ll want to include your target keyword in the following areas:
You’ll also want to pay attention to elements like:
- Schema markup
- File size
- Image dimensions
- Captions
For a complete list of items, our image SEO tutorial shows you where and how to optimize for each.
Tools for image SEO:
While image SEO offers significant benefits, it can also be time-consuming. This is especially true if you have a large product catalog or a lot of content.
AIOSEO's Image SEO tool streamlines your workflow for greater efficiency and efficacy.
You can automate tasks like writing alt text or image titles, making image SEO a breeze.
Standout SEO Wins
Beyond the strategies we discussed, Bath Depot has one more search-friendly technique that deserves a mention.
Breadcrumb Navigation: From the Site to the SERP
Bath Depot utilizes breadcrumbs on its website.
Breadcrumbs are navigational links at the top of a web page that show a user's current location within the site's hierarchy.
Here’s an example:
In addition to helping users navigate your site, they also provide a clear site structure for search engines.
Search engines can also use this information to display breadcrumbs on the SERP, like the image below.
Ultimately, Bath Depot creates a win-win situation by enabling breadcrumbs. It improves site navigation and can boost your visibility on the SERP.
Tool: You can use a breadcrumb plugin to add breadcrumbs to your WordPress site. AIOSEO Breadcrumbs give you full control over how they’re displayed and adds schema markup for you.
Takeaways
Bath Depot's website offers valuable lessons for website owners looking to boost their organic traffic.
Here's a breakdown of key takeaways you can put into action:
Top 3 Strategies to Emulate
- Choose your domain wisely. Bath Depot's migration from a country-specific domain (ccTLD) to a generic top-level domain (gTLD) significantly impacted its traffic. Consider your target audience and long-term business goals when selecting your domain. If you plan to expand globally, a gTLD might be a better choice than a ccTLD. And if you're migrating a site, be sure to implement proper redirects to ensure search engines understand the move and transfer link equity.
- Content is king, but strategy is queen. Don't just create random content and hope for the best. Develop a well-defined content strategy that identifies your target audience's needs and interests. This allows you to create content that resonates with them, attracts them to your site, and establishes you as an authority in your field.
- Leverage images to stand out in search results. High-quality graphics and image SEO can help your brand get clicks on the SERP. Images are a powerful way to grab users' attention and entice them to visit your site. Plus, when you optimize your images, you can also rank in Google Images search. There are over a billion daily searches here, making it a valuable opportunity to drive more traffic to your site.
Bottom 3 Strategies to Reconsider
- Don’t overlook the details. Bath Depot won several image rich results, thanks to some strategic optimizations and strong on-page SEO. However, there's room for improvement in their image SEO. For example, they don't currently optimize image filenames and title tags. Optimizing these details can increase the chances of your images appearing as rich results in image carousels. Ultimately, this can make your content look more compelling and earn more clicks. Plus, it’s easy to automate these tasks with AIOSEO’s Image SEO tool.
- Ditch lengthy meta titles and descriptions. Metadata that's too long gets cut off in search results, leaving viewers with incomplete information. Aim for clear and concise titles (around 60 characters) and descriptions (around 160 characters) that accurately reflect your content. You can even use an AI metadata generator to write them for you. You should also run them through a SERP snippet tool before publishing to make sure you like how they look.
- Avoid duplicate meta titles for clarity. Duplicate meta titles can create confusion for both users and search engines. Every indexable page should have a unique meta title that entices users to visit your page. An optimized title will help your content stand out from the competition and engage users. You can use the previously mentioned tool (SEO title tag generator) to write them.
Steal Our Winning SEO Strategy: A Checklist for Your Website
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Unleash Higher Rankings and More Traffic With AIOSEO
Replicating Bath Depot’s organic success doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task.
With AIOSEO, you’ll get a comprehensive suite of tools that make SEO, helping you unlock your next level of growth.
With thousands of 5-star reviews and trusted by over 3 million website owners, you’ll get everything you need to put your site at the top of the SERP. Plus, you’ll save time on streamlined optimizations that get results.
Here are some of our favorite features:
- Redirection Manager: Prevent humans and bots from getting lost when you move content or domains. Our Redirection Manager helps you easily choose and implement the best redirect type that preserves SEO.
- TruSEO On-Page Analysis: Get a snapshot view, or go into detail, of your content’s on-page SEO with this innovative tool. TruSEO analyzes your content optimizations and gives you actionable insights to maximize its reach.
- Image SEO: Turn on automatic image alt text and title attributes with a single click. You’ll save time from manual entries while helping users and search engines understand your images.
- Breadcrumbs: Create a trail for users and search engines to understand where they are in your site hierarchy. Breadcrumbs are a great way of facilitating navigation and can generate sitelinks on the SERP.
- AI Title & Description Generator: This time-saving tool creates compelling metadata for any page on your site. With the click of a button, you’ll harness the power of AI and get options for unique meta titles and descriptions.
- WooCommerce SEO: Streamline your eCommerce SEO to win higher rankings for your product pages and collections. This time-saving tool helps you customize and automate meta titles and descriptions so your product stands out on the SERP.
