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Grey Haze: Optimising E-Commerce Infrastructure and SEO to Drive a 62% Conversion Surge

Executive Summary

Grey Haze, a prominent Birmingham-based retailer and online store, possessed a strong market reputation but was held back by a fragmented digital infrastructure and high operational overhead. By removing reliance on a high-cost external agency, fixing deep-seated technical SEO issues, and hard-coding legacy scripts, I transformed the site into a high-performance sales engine. This resulted in a 62% increase in conversion rates and a £4k+ monthly reduction in operational costs.

Phase 1: Operational Restructuring & Cost Efficiency

The Problem: The business was heavily dependent on an external agency for maintenance and growth, leading to high monthly retainers and slow execution times.
The Solution:

  • In-Sourcing & Streamlining: I overhauled the project management structure to remove the external agency, bringing strategic oversight in-house.

  • Workflow Implementation: Developed internal website guidelines to ensure SEO and merchandising consistency across the team.

  • Impact: Saved the company £4k+ per month in agency fees while significantly increasing the speed of site deployments and updates.


Phase 2: Technical SEO & Search Stabilisation

The Problem: Advertising restrictions in the niche meant organic search was the primary revenue driver, yet rankings were declining due to poor header hierarchy, toxic backlinks, and missing keyword opportunities.
The Solution:

  • Technical Audit: Fixed poorly structured header hierarchies and disavowed toxic backlinks to stabilise site authority.

  • Keyword Expansion: Identified high-volume missing opportunities in the "Disposables" category, creating a new collection with internal linking and schema-marked FAQ sections.

  • Local Dominance: Developed optimised location pages with maps and unique content to drive a 42% increase in local organic traffic.

  • Impact: Expanded search visibility to rank for 300+ commercial keywords.




Phase 3: Performance Engineering & UX/UI

The Problem: Average site speeds and a high volume of legacy plugins/scripts were causing friction in the buyer's journey, leading to "leaky" conversion funnels.
The Solution:

  • Hard-Coding Scripts: Facilitated the hard-coding of essential plugins directly into the theme, reducing JavaScript load and significantly improving LCP (Largest Contentful Paint).

  • Navigation UX: Implemented internal collection tiles and multi-buy offer logic to streamline navigation and incentivise higher Average Order Value (AOV).

  • Logistics Optimisation: Advised on the integration of Royal Mail and DHL to improve delivery reliability and customer trust.

  • Impact: Drove a 62% increase in the online store conversion rate.




Final Outcomes

The project successfully transitioned Grey Haze from a tech-heavy, agency-dependent model to an agile, high-performance e-commerce brand.

  • 62% Conversion Rate Increase
  • £48k+ Annual Operational Savings
  • 42% Surge in Local Organic Traffic
  • 300+ Commercial Keywords Ranked

Growth Logic

"In a highly regulated niche, growth isn't about outspending the competition; it's about out-optimising them. My focus at Grey Haze was on stripping back technical debt to reveal a faster, leaner, and more profitable e-commerce machine."



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