Case Study -- Retail and Fashion

Agency lock-in, a website they didn't own.
We fixed both.

Client: Jon Paul Menswear
Sector: Retail and Fashion
Services: Website rebuild, SEO, training
Ongoing since: 2020
Delivered by: Optimise Your Marketing
59.3%
of all website traffic from organic search
169,000+
searches made for suits in the market area
2020
ongoing relationship, still working together today
100%
website control returned, edits made independently
The challenge

Paying for a website they didn't own

Jon Paul Menswear is a Derby-based suit hire and menswear retailer offering wedding suits, prom suits, children's suits, and a full range of formal occasion wear. Based in Derby and serving Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Swadlincote.

When OYM got involved in 2020, they were trapped in a restrictive contract with a previous agency. They couldn't make a single change to their own website without being charged a fee. No control over their content. No ability to update pages or add products without going back to the agency and paying.

They needed out of the contract, back in control, and a new site built to rank for the searches that drive suit hire bookings in Derby.

What OYM did

Contract exit, rebuild, SEO and training

OYM handled the full transition from a restrictive agency contract to a website Jon Paul Menswear owns outright and manages themselves.

Contract exit

OYM helped Jon Paul Menswear exit the restrictive agency contract and recover control of their digital presence, managing the transition cleanly so the business could move forward without disruption.

Website rebuild

OYM rebuilt the site on Squarespace, structured specifically to rank for the search terms that drive suit hire bookings in Derby and Derbyshire. The full range is covered: suits, waistcoats, children's suits, dog suits, blue, black, grey, traditional wedding, and vintage tweed.

Local SEO

OYM built an SEO strategy focused on the local and category searches that matter most to a suit hire business. Over 169,000 searches are made for suits in the relevant area. 59.3% of Jon Paul Menswear's traffic now comes from organic search without any paid advertising.

Training and handover

OYM trained the Jon Paul Menswear team to manage and update the website themselves. They can now make changes, add products, and update content without needing to call anyone or pay a fee.

Ongoing support

OYM has continued to work with Jon Paul Menswear a few times a year since 2020, providing strategic support without the restrictive contract that caused the original problem.

The results

Organic traffic. Full control. Six years and counting.

Jon Paul Menswear went from paying for a website they didn't own to managing their own site, ranking for their core terms, and generating the majority of their traffic without paid ads.

59.3%
of all traffic from organic search
169,000+
searches for suits in the market area
2020
still working together today
100%
site control returned to the business
Why it worked

Fix the foundation first

The agency lock-in problem is more common than it should be. Businesses sign up for a website and ongoing management without fully understanding what they are agreeing to, then end up paying repeatedly for changes to something they thought they owned.

OYM's first job was to fix that structural problem before anything else. The rebuild was then built around one question: what do people in Derby and Derbyshire search for when they need a suit? That answer drove the site structure, the page names, the content, and the SEO.

The training element is what makes this a long-term win. A business that can update its own website can respond to changes and keep content current without cost, delay, or dependency on anyone else.

"A 59.3% organic traffic share is the result of building a site that answers local searches clearly and consistently. Not a site that looks good but can't be found."

59.3%
organic traffic share
0
agency fees to make a change
What this means for you

Are you paying for a site you don't control?

If you are paying an agency a monthly fee for a website you don't fully control, or being charged every time you need a change made, OYM can help you understand your options, exit the arrangement cleanly, and rebuild on foundations you own.

For any local retail or service business where people search before they buy, organic search traffic is the highest-value channel available. OYM can build and manage the SEO that puts you in front of those searches, and train your team to maintain it.

Talk to OYM about website rebuilds and SEO
Relevant BIG12 pillars

What we used for Jon Paul Menswear

This project touched Website, SEO, Local, and Google Business Profile across the BIG12 framework, with an ongoing Test and Measure layer to track organic performance.