Case Study: Recovering 60% Lost Revenue After a Domain Change
Client: E-commerce Automotive Parts Retailer
Platform: WooCommerce
Services Provided: Google Ads Strategy, Merchant Center Troubleshooting, Conversion Optimization Consulting
The Situation
In late fall, this established e-commerce store made a domain change. While technically executed correctly, the impact on Google Merchant Center visibility was immediate and severe.
Within weeks, product listings began dropping from Google Shopping and free product placements. As Merchant Center trust recalibrated to the new domain, visibility declined sharply — and sales followed.
By November, the numbers told the story:
Revenue down approximately 60–65% year over year
Orders down significantly
Product sales volume cut nearly in half
Nothing about the store had changed — pricing, inventory, demand, and customer behavior were all consistent. The issue was visibility.
This wasn’t a demand problem. It was a traffic pipeline problem.
Performance Overview (Revenue Comparison)
Chart 1: Revenue Comparison (Current Year vs Previous Year)
The Diagnosis
The timeline was clear:
Domain change
Merchant Center disruption
Loss of Shopping visibility
Immediate revenue decline
October still showed positive year-over-year growth because previous rankings and residual Merchant Center authority were still driving traffic.
November reflected the full impact of lost exposure.
Without Shopping placements, the store simply wasn’t being seen at the same scale.
Year-over-Year Impact Analysis
Chart 2: Year-over-Year Revenue Change (%)
The Strategy
Rather than wait passively for Merchant Center to fully recover, we implemented a controlled Google Ads strategy in December designed to:
Restore high-intent traffic immediately
Protect revenue during Merchant Center recalibration
Stabilize order volume
Rebuild growth momentum
Ad spend was approximately $800 per month.
The objective was not reckless scaling.
It was strategic visibility replacement.
The Results
November (Pre-Intervention)
Revenue down ~60–65% YoY
Orders sharply reduced
Shopping exposure largely gone
December (Ads Launch)
Revenue finished up year over year
Orders recovered
Visibility restored through paid acquisition
December confirmed something critical:
Customer demand had never disappeared.
The decline was entirely due to lost exposure.
January (Optimization Phase)
With similar ad spend and continued optimization:
Revenue up over 50% year over year
Orders up nearly 50%
Traffic stabilized and growth resumed
At this stage, paid traffic effectively replaced lost Merchant Center exposure and exceeded prior performance levels.
Revenue Recovery Trend
Chart 3: Revenue Recovery Trend (November–January)
What This Proves
Domain migrations can severely disrupt Merchant Center visibility.
Revenue loss after a migration is often a visibility issue — not a product or pricing issue.
Strategic Google Ads deployment can stabilize and restore revenue quickly.
When demand exists, traffic acquisition becomes the lever that determines growth.
This wasn’t about “trying ads.”
It was about protecting revenue during a temporary algorithmic trust reset.
The Next Phase: Conversion Optimization
Now that visibility has been restored, the next opportunity is increasing conversion efficiency.
We have recommended implementing enhanced Year-Make-Model (YMM) shopping improvements to:
Improve product filtering accuracy
Increase shopper confidence
Reduce friction in the buying journey
Maximize return on both paid and organic traffic
When traffic is strong, conversion optimization becomes the multiplier.
Key Takeaway
If your revenue drops after a domain change or feed disruption, don’t panic.
Diagnose the pipeline.
Restore visibility strategically.
Then optimize for growth.
At 212 Creative, we don’t just run ads — we analyze the business mechanics behind revenue and deploy targeted strategies to stabilize and scale.
If your e-commerce store is experiencing traffic loss, Merchant Center issues, or post-migration instability, we can help.
Visit 212creative.com or call 586-210-5125.
Call us. Let’s begin.