Building a Consumer Search Channel for a Wholesale Business
How an SEO program built direct-to-consumer search visibility for a business run mostly on wholesale, growing page-one rankings in every window measured and lifting first-year sessions 17.8% and users 20.0%.
Client
Tommy Docks
Services
SEO
Industry
Docks & Waterfront Equipment, E-Commerce
Platforms
Page-One Keyword Growth (YoY)
25.8%
Keyword Growth (YoY)
23.5%
Project Overview
Tommy Docks came to 20North in September 2024 to grow its direct-to-consumer channel. Historically, wholesale and partnership sales drove 80 to 90 percent of revenue, and the website reflected that, serving those relationships more than consumers searching for docks and hardware on their own. The catalog needed consumer-facing search visibility built around the products that drive online sales.
The work centered on expanding and improving collection and product page content for the products consumers search for, dock sections and hardware, supported by SEO blog work and technical cleanup. As AI-driven search reshaped how pages get surfaced, the program adapted content structure to match.
Key opportunities included:
- Building consumer search visibility for a historically wholesale catalog
- Ranking the dock section and hardware products that drive online sales
- Growing the add-on and replacement-part channel beyond full dock systems
- Reaching shoppers earlier with informational, dock-related content
- Resolving technical issues limiting crawling, indexing, and rankings
Project Execution
20North built an SEO program that led with collection and product page optimization, expanded into dock hardware and supplementary products, and reinforced both with blog content and technical fixes.
Collection Page Optimization
- Improved collection pages to target the products and use cases shoppers search for when planning or upgrading a dock
- Optimized collections around different dock types
- Built location-based relevance for docks used on lakes, marshes, rivers, and similar waterfront settings
- Created clearer product category content that supports both search visibility and shopper research
Dock Hardware and Supplementary Product Growth
- Expanded the collection strategy beyond primary dock systems to build the B2C channel for add-on products
- Optimized dock hardware collections and related supplementary products
- Targeted shoppers looking for replacement parts, upgrades, and dock accessories
- Built more entry points for customers who are not shopping for a full dock system
The ranking gains landed on the product terms the strategy prioritized. Page-one keywords grew 16.8%, from 1,017 to 1,188, comparing September 2024 with September 2025, and organic sessions rose 17.8%, from 6,703 to 7,894, with users up 20.0%, from 5,423 to 6,507 over that first year.
Blog and Topic Cluster Strategy
- Wrote and optimized blogs to build authority around dock ownership, planning, maintenance, and product selection
- Created informational content that supports common dock-related searches
- Built topic clusters that strengthen the relevance of core collection pages
- Reached users earlier in the buying journey, before they are ready to purchase
Technical SEO Cleanup
- Resolved technical issues that could create indexing problems or limit the site's ability to rank in search
- Addressed barriers affecting search engine crawling and indexing
- Improved the site foundation so optimized collections and blogs perform better
- Supported stronger long-term visibility across informational and product searches
Recent momentum showed up in the trailing 90 days year over year, with page-one keywords up 25.8%, from 1,155 to 1,453, and total ranked keywords up 23.5%, from 5,366 to 6,628.
Project Results
After partnering with 20North, Tommy Docks built the consumer search presence its site had lacked. The program grew page-one keyword visibility in every window measured and lifted first-year organic traffic, establishing the search foundation the direct-to-consumer channel needed.
Keyword Visibility
- Page-one keywords up 16.8%, from 1,017 to 1,188 (September 2024 vs September 2025)
- Page-one keywords up 25.8%, from 1,155 to 1,453 (trailing 90 days, year over year)
- Total ranked keywords up 23.5%, from 5,366 to 6,628 (trailing 90 days, year over year)
Traffic (First Year)
- Organic sessions up 17.8%, from 6,703 to 7,894 (September 2024 vs September 2025)
- Organic users up 20.0%, from 5,423 to 6,507 (September 2024 vs September 2025)
Search Foundation
- Built consumer-facing content on collection and product pages for the terms shoppers use
- Grew the hardware and add-on channel beyond full dock systems
- Structured blog and page content for traditional and AI-driven search
Testimonial
“I've had the pleasure of working with Hampton and the team at 20North Marketing for the past six months. They've been so easy to work with and have driven some really great results. I highly recommend them to any brand looking to take the next step!” - Colton Kellnhauser
