- URL : https://nativecigarettes.com/
- Business Type : Business to Consumer
- Focus : Ecommerce
- Client Industry : Tobacco / Ecigarettes, Vices
- Platform : WooCommerce, WordPress
- Services Provided : AI SEO, Email Marketing, Local SEO, SEO, Web Development Retainer
Overview
NativeCigarettes.com is a Canadian ecommerce retailer selling tobacco products. The client partnered with us to increase visibility, improve performance, and build systems that drive consistent revenue.
See how our SEO, AI SEO, local SEO, web development, and email marketing services helped grow visibility, ranking positions, and revenue. Within the first year, the site saw major gains in traffic, engagement, and sales. Organic sessions increased by 730.8%, conversion rate improved by 134.7% and email ROI reached 13x within the first two quarters of our email marketing partnership.
Problem
The client’s website had several technical and structural issues. Page speed was low on both desktop and mobile, which impacted rankings and conversions. On key collection pages, heading tags were misaligned with H2 and H3 tags appearing before the H1. This confused search engines and negatively impacted ranking positions for multiple pages.
The About page contained Lorem Ipsum dummy text, potentially reducing trust and credibility. We found 47 plugins installed on the site, many posing security and performance risks.
At the time we kicked off our campaign, when compared to the previous 6-month period, overall traffic had decreased by 34.6%, organic traffic had fallen by 45.2% and organic revenue had dropped by 32.2%.
The website needed to be updated. The client wanted the products page to show shoppers information on their rewards program. “How to Redeem Rewards” information was buried in the footer, leading to customer confusion during checkout.
Furthermore, email marketing was underdeveloped. There was no consistent campaign cadence, no structured automations, and limited list growth strategy. Traffic and revenue were low compared to that of competitors.
Solution
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Our SEO team conducted keyword analysis and competitor research to develop the brand’s SEO strategy. We capitalized on the brand’s unique selling proposition (USP) with the intent to position Native Cigarettes as a leading brand in the cigarette market. Our copywriting team added high-quality, optimized content tailored to highlight product innovation and safety, with multiple calls-to-action placed across key landing pages. We also added multiple blog posts to answer common customer questions and enhance on-page SEO. Our team corrected heading hierarchy issues so H1 tags appeared first and product names were properly structured.
Moreover, we improved indexing, strengthened internal linking, and continued link building. Category pages were optimized and product ratings and review counts added to build trust and grow visibility. We also enhanced the checkout process, making it more streamlined and user-friendly.
AI SEO
To improve visibility in AI-driven search results, we focused on LLM optimizations, and improved crawlability. We targeted natural language and long tail keywords that reflect how people ask questions in AI tools. These updates supported stronger indexing, expanded visibility, and increased AI referred traffic.
Local SEO
We optimized the brand’s Google Business Profile to improve local visibility, adding optimized descriptions, category and label information, and other content to help shoppers find products and health information. Users searching “near me” terms are now able to find answers to questions about orders, payment, shipping, and the business in general. This helped strengthen brand presence in branded searches and improved credibility for new visitors researching the company.
Web Development Retainer
Under our web maintenance agreement, we reviewed hosting backups and ensured proper security coverage. We updated plugins, themes, and removed unused tools after client approval. Our team redesigned the homepage to improve layout and conversion flow. Trust and USP badges were made more prominent, including Free Shipping and Loyalty Rewards messaging. We implemented a fixed Add to Cart button on product pages and ensured that it remained visible to users without interrupting content.
To ensure regulatory compliance, the WordPress Age Gate verification widget was added, requiring visitors to confirm they were 19 before accessing the site. We installed Customer Reviews for WooCommerce to build trust. Our team also added “How to Redeem Rewards” content directly on product pages in a visible tabbed section, reducing confusion during purchase decisions. Dummy text was removed from the About page and replaced with meaningful brand content. We added an announcement bar message to increase the site’s chances of being featured in AI outputs, as well as help traditional SEO rankings.
Email Marketing
We built a strong email system designed to grow with the business on Klaviyo. We identified the problem as a lack of scalability and consistent engagement, so we designed a consistent monthly email schedule to keep customers engaged, promote offers, and highlight product variety, shipping, and other deals. To grow the audience, we launched automated emails that helped recover abandoned carts and bring back repeat customers. The setup also followed compliance rules, including age restrictions, to ensure the right audience was targeted.
Final Product
Results
Year over year, total sessions increased by 105.7% and total users by 200.6%. Organic sessions increased by 431% compared to the previous year. Organic transactions increased by 616% year over year, and organic new users by 201.7%. For this same comparison period, organic conversion rate grew by 463%, organic first time purchases by 682.4%, organic purchases by 587%, and total organic users by 497.5%. Revenue grew by 165% and overall conversion rate by 71.6% year over year, with the latter in later phases improving as much as 134.7%.
The brand also showed up often in AI search tools. Native Cigarettes was often in the top 3 results when compared to its competitors, indicating visibility in AI-driven searches.
165%
Growth
in Revenue
616%
Increase
in Organic Transactions
682%
Growth
in Organic First-Time Purchases
Email became a consistent and scalable revenue channel. Ongoing campaigns averaged a 32.2% open rate and 3.4% click rate, with place order rates averaging 2.2%. For context, ecommerce industry averages typically range around 20-25% open rates and 2-3% click rates. Native Cigarettes consistently met or exceeded those benchmarks, with campaign open rates reaching as high as 56.4%.
Lifecycle automations performed even better. The Welcome Series achieved a 58% open rate and 13.6% click rate. Abandoned Cart flows generated open rates above 38% and click rates above 10%. In ecommerce, abandoned cart open rates often average between 35% and 45%, with click rates closer to 5% to 8%. These flows performed at or above typical benchmarks, especially in click engagement.
Subscriber count doubled within two quarters, form submit rate reached 4.6%, and email ROI reached 13x by the second quarter of engagement. By the end of the first year, new users increased by 61.2% and returning users by 106.5%, reaching a customer retention rate of 42%.
The result was not just more traffic. The brand saw higher-quality visitors, stronger engagement, and rising revenue from SEO and email, alongside greater visibility in AI-driven discovery experiences.
13X
ROI
for Email Marketing
58%
Open Rate
for Lifecycle Automations
42%
Customer
Retention Rate