SEO & SEO Migration Case Study for Access Hardware

Access Hardware is an Australian online supplier of architectural and commercial door hardware, stocking brands such as Lockwood, dormakaba, Legge, Kilargo and Sabre for trade and project buyers. The business partnered with LION Digital in November 2022 to grow organic search, and later to protect that growth through a full replatform to Magento 2.

Growth first, then a migration without the fall

1. Laying the SEO foundations

Our first month set the groundwork: a competitor analysis, a new information architecture, keyword mapping across categories and products, a full technical SEO audit and rank tracking. From there, monthly work added product review and FAQ schema, link acquisition and Google Business Profile reviews, all reported in a live SEO dashboard.

2. Organic revenue grew within months

By early 2023 the results were showing. Organic revenue was up 78% year on year in January and 91% in February, with organic conversion rate up 13% in February. In March and April, organic AOV rose 26% and 47% year on year as the site ranked for more valuable, commercial search terms.

3. The migration challenge

In mid-2023 Access Hardware moved its store to Magento 2. A replatform puts hard-won rankings at risk: URL structures change, redirects can break or chain, inbound link value can leak, and a slower new site can drag performance down for months. We mapped every risk, rated it, and agreed a mitigation plan with the Access Hardware team before launch.

4. A controlled, tested launch

Redirects were rolled out as 302s in small batches, tested, then converted to permanent 301s, with single-hop redirects to avoid chains. We mapped the old and new site architecture, captured a pre-launch ranking and performance baseline across 782 keywords, and prepared category content matched to the new structure so it could go live within the first month.

5. Rankings held, then climbed

Comparing the same keywords before and after launch, the site saw very little real ranking loss, and the terms that dipped recovered quickly. Between August and November 2023, “door closers” moved from #5 to #2, “panic bar” and “offset hinge” reached #1, and “lockwood door handles” climbed from #10 to #3.

6. Reliable data and bigger keywords

After launch we rebuilt GA4 eCommerce tracking for the new platform and checked it against store sales, so decisions were based on accurate revenue data. We then focused on high-volume category and brand terms, taking pages for “door hinge”, “mortice locks”, “door seals” and “dormakaba” onto page 1 of Google.

7. Content and links that compound

Across the partnership we created and optimised 33 SEO content pieces, refreshing them when Access Hardware restructured its product categories, and secured 23 high-quality backlinks. In Q1 2024, Google clicks rose 11.5% on the previous quarter and average position improved from 22.2 to 18.8, while non-branded organic traffic grew 10.5% between December and April.

In our final months together, we focused on website optimisation and content that would keep supporting Access Hardware’s visibility well beyond the engagement. The result was a faster-growing organic channel, a replatform that kept its rankings intact, and accurate tracking to measure what comes next.