Baby Republic Case Study

Case Study: Baby Republic — Explosive eCommerce Growth Through SEO, Content, YouTube & Affiliate Marketing

Client: Baby Republic · Toy & Gift Wholesaler
Services: Technical SEO · Content Creation · YouTube Channel Launch · Wholesale & Retail Web Builds · Google Ads · Affiliate Program Management
Websites: www.babyrepublic.co.uk · www.simplytoys.co.uk · shop.elfontheshelf.co.uk
Location: United Kingdom

Client Overview

Baby Republic is a fast-growing toy wholesaler supplying retailers nationwide. They also operate consumer-facing brands — Simply Toys and the official Elf On The Shelf UK store — serving both B2B and B2C audiences. They approached Milton Keynes Marketing to consolidate their digital strategy across SEO, content, paid media and affiliate channels.

The Challenge

  • Limited organic visibility and technical SEO issues on legacy sites.
  • Weak ranking for the competitive keyword “Elf On The Shelf”.
  • Separate wholesale and retail sites lacking coherent branding or analytics integration.
  • High Google Ads CPL (cost per lead) and no structured remarketing.
  • No centralised affiliate program to leverage influencer reach.
  • Under-utilised YouTube and content potential in a visual, seasonal market.

Objectives

  1. Fix technical SEO and indexation issues across all domains.
  2. Achieve top-3 ranking for “Elf On The Shelf” within 12 months.
  3. Build distinct wholesale (Baby Republic) and retail (Simply Toys) websites.
  4. Reduce Google Ads CPL by > 75 %.
  5. Launch an affiliate program to recruit 2 000 + publishers and influencers.
  6. Grow organic traffic and brand awareness via YouTube and content.

Strategy & Approach

1️⃣ Technical SEO & Content Expansion

  • Complete crawl and technical audit for Elf On The Shelf site.
  • Fixed indexation, canonical, schema and internal link issues.
  • Created a content calendar covering gift guides and seasonal keywords.
  • Added rich media content and structured data for products and FAQs.
  • Achieved page-2 to page-1 movement on core keywords within 3 months.

2️⃣ Website Development (Wholesale & Retail)

  • Built a bespoke B2B wholesale portal for Baby Republic — complete with tiered pricing and bulk ordering.
  • Designed a user-friendly retail store under the Simply Toys brand for direct sales.
  • Implemented cross-site tracking and data layer integration for analytics.

3️⃣ Google Ads Optimisation

  • Re-structured search campaigns by intent and product line.
  • Introduced shopping ads and dynamic remarketing for seasonal peaks.
  • Implemented conversion tracking and negative keywords to cut waste spend.
  • Reduced Cost Per Lead by 80 % within six months.

4️⃣ YouTube Channel Launch

  • Developed the official Baby Republic YouTube channel featuring short-form toy demos and seasonal videos.
  • Integrated videos into retail pages and ads for enhanced engagement.
  • Reached thousands of target parents and retailers in the first quarter.

5️⃣ Affiliate Program Build & Management

  • Set up affiliate tracking software and landing pages.
  • Recruited and onboarded 2 500 + affiliates across the UK and Europe.
  • Designed automated email flows for recruitment and promotion.
  • Delivered steady monthly referral sales from partners and bloggers.

Results

  • Organic traffic up 400 % year-on-year.
  • Elf On The Shelf ranked # 2 UK for target keyword within 12 months.
  • Cost Per Lead down 80 % through Google Ads optimisation.
  • Successful launch of Baby Republic (wholesale) and Simply Toys (retail) websites.
  • Over 2 500 active affiliates recruited and managed.
  • Rapid growth of YouTube channel and brand visibility.

Tech Stack & Tools

  • WordPress / WooCommerce · GA4 · Search Console · Google Ads · YouTube Studio · Affiliate Platform (SaaS)
  • SEO schema and structured data · Retail & Wholesale site integrations
  • Cross-domain tracking · High-performance hosting stack

What We Delivered

  • Technical SEO foundation that quadrupled traffic.
  • Dual-brand web architecture for wholesale & retail sales.
  • Drastically improved Google Ads performance and ROI.
  • Multi-channel content & video strategy driving awareness.
  • Scalable affiliate marketing ecosystem with thousands of partners.

Want Results Like This?

If you’re a wholesale or eCommerce brand looking to scale SEO, PPC and affiliate growth, book a free marketing audit or learn more about our SEO, PPC and Affiliate Marketing services with Milton Keynes Marketing.