How a Small Biltong Brand Grew 34% With Hike SEO

If you run SEO for a small business, you've probably wondered whether all your marketing efforts will actually turn into sales. This case study shows how The Weston Biltong Company, a small family-run food brand in Cheshire, used Hike's small business SEO tools to grow online sales by 34% - without hiring an agency or blowing their budget.

From Side Hustle to Local Destination Brand

Ryan and Cheryl Walker started The Weston Biltong Company after falling in love with authentic South African biltong and failing to find anything similar on UK supermarket shelves. What began as a DIY biltong project for friends and colleagues in a call centre quickly grew into a niche food brand with a loyal following and customers literally queuing at Ryan's desk for more.

As demand increased, the business moved from home production into a small industrial unit, then into a larger premises that now houses a dedicated shop minutes from junction 16 of the M6. Thanks to strong local SEO for small business, people regularly discover the brand on Google, pull off the motorway, and visit the store as a planned stop on their journey.

The SEO Challenge: Competing as a Small Ecommerce Brand

Like many owners figuring out SEO for ecommerce, Ryan initially relied on older tactics such as cramming pages with keywords, which used to work “10 years ago” but no longer delivered results as Google evolved. Over time he tried several approaches and spoke to big agencies promising overnight rankings, but the costs and guarantees didn’t fit a growing small business.

The main problems:

• Agencies offered “we’ll get you to number one” pitches that set alarm bells ringing.
• Fees for ecom SEO work were “not sustainable for a business such as ours.”
• There was little transparency over what work was being done and how it contributed to SEO results for small businesses.

Ryan needed an affordable SEO for small business solution that would let him choose either done-for-you SEO, or DIY SEO in a structured way, without needing to become a full-time SEO expert.

Why Weston Biltong Chose Hike’s Small Business SEO Tools

Ryan came across Hike online at a moment when “a few things had changed within our business” and SEO was back on the agenda. From the first call, Hike’s positioning felt different to other providers pitching for small business SEO.

Honest Expectations, Not Snakeoil and Hype

Instead of promising quick wins, the Hike team was upfront:

• “This will not happen overnight. This is a long journey.”
• The focus “would be on laying foundations and building sustainable organic traffic” over a longer period of time.
• “If you want overnight results, we are not for you” - a message from Matt on our customer success team that Ryan describes as reverse psychology that actually built trust.

For small business owners searching how to increase organic traffic for small business without gambling their cashflow, that honesty is critical.

Done-for-You SEO, Guided Step by Step

Hike’s platform - including its AI assistant, Kit - is designed as a small business SEO tool that walks non-experts through exactly what to do.

• The software “literally walks you through every step” of its recommendations.
• It takes care of core tasks like on-page optimisation, Google Business Profile, and directory submissions behind the scenes.
• If you get stuck, customer support is available so you’re never left guessing.

This makes it ideal for a busy small business owner like Ryan - Hike owns the strategy and implementation, as well as the complexity and prioritisation you’d usually pay an agency for.

What Hike Does Behind the Scenes

Once Weston Biltong joined Hike, the first three months were spent setting up technical foundations and getting used to the platform. After that, Hike became the always-on engine behind their ecommerce SEO and local visibility.

Stronger Local SEO for Small Business

Hike ensures Weston Biltong’s Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) stays active and optimised - something Ryan believes many small businesses “vastly underrate.” Research backs up his point of view: 8% of local searches result in a purchase, so it’s key to have website, SEO and Google Business Profile all in one place.

• Regular posts keep the profile fresh, signalling relevance to Google.
• Hike pushes the business into relevant directories and local platforms Ryan had “never heard of,” expanding their footprint through 40+ citations.

For a brand that relies on both online sales and in-person visits, this blend of local SEO for small business and ecommerce SEO is crucial.

Clear SEO Audit, Rank Tracking and AI Reporting

Each month Ryan receives a plain-English summary of exactly what Hike has done.

• The platform surfaces a live “score” and trendlines for their SEO health, effectively acting as an ongoing SEO audit that updates as tasks are completed.
• Built-in rank tracking lets him see how key terms move over time compared to competitors, instead of guessing whether changes are working.

Because the data and impact are transparent, Ryan can confidently attribute changes in performance to Hike’s small business SEO tools rather than hoping something is happening in the background.

Focused Keyword Research and Page-Level Optimisation

A recent feature Ryan calls a “real game changer” is the ability to choose which pages Hike works on each month.

• Previously, Hike automatically picked three relevant pages to optimise.
• Now Ryan chooses the three priority pages, and Hike applies its keyword research and optimisation recommendations there before moving on to the next set.

This creates a rolling cycle ideal for SEO for ecommerce sites with many product and category pages: each month a new batch is improved while older pages continue to benefit from prior work.

The Results: 34% More Online Sales From Organic

Six months after starting with Hike, Ryan compared performance before and after using the platform. What he found was a clear uplift:

• Web interactions and online sales had increased by 34%.
• Social media activity, product launches and other marketing remained unchanged.
• The only significant difference was Hike running in the background, executing the SEO plan.

Because the site’s conversion rate stayed “pretty much static,” that 34% increase in traffic translated directly into more ecommerce revenue. In Ryan’s words, “the interactions on the website convert to sales. It’s that simple.”

For anyone looking for real-world SEO results for small business, this is a strong example of how affordable SEO for small business can compound over time when it’s methodical and consistent. The data supports this: a recent study from OpenPR revealed businesses that invest in structured SEO strategies see organic traffic grow by a median of 67% over a year, while those without SEO watch their visibility decline by 23%.

Sustainable Growth, Without the Price Tag

Beyond the numbers, Ryan highlights cashflow and operational stability as major benefits of using Hike as their small business SEO tool.

• Hike runs “constantly in the background,” freeing him from long agency calls and endless reporting meetings.
• Steady, predictable growth means they can scale production and staffing without taking on overdrafts or loans.

Compared to throwing “thousands at Google Ads” for short-term spikes, this approach gives Weston Biltong compounding organic visibility they own.

Ryan’s verdict is simple: “If you want rapid results, don’t use Hike. If you want something solid that’s going to last a long time, use Hike.”

Create Your Own SEO Success Story

If you’re a founder or marketer wondering how to increase organic traffic for a small business, Weston Biltong’s journey shows what’s possible when you combine the right small business SEO tools with a clear, realistic plan. With Hike, you can run DIY SEO for ecommerce or local services, backed by guided workflows, ongoing SEO audits, rank tracking and keyword research - without the agency price tag.

Ready to see what SEO for small business could do for your traffic and sales? Explore more SEO case studies for small businesses. Check out Hike’s pricing and choose the plan that fits your budget.