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The Challenge

In 2021, Pacvac operated two separate web properties for their e-commerce strategy:

pacvac.com – the corporate and B2B-facing site
shop.pacvac.com/au – the Australian B2C online store

This setup was intended to deliver localized content and shopping experiences for different audiences. However, it led to serious SEO complications:

Split domain authority between the two websites
Search engine confusion around geographic targeting and user intent
Keyword cannibalization where both domains were competing for the same non-branded commercial terms (e.g., "backpack vacuum")

As a result, despite implementing hreflang tags and geo-specific targeting, the setup was underperforming. Google struggled to understand which domain to prioritize in which region, and rankings were fragmented across both properties.

The Audit

In July 2021, I was brought in to conduct a full SEO audit with a strong focus on geotargeting and technical optimization.

Key Findings:

pacvac.com had a long-standing history and significantly higher domain authority, with strong backlinks and rich anchor text targeting core commercial keywords.
shop.pacvac.com/au was newer and struggled to rank competitively despite being correctly geo-targeted and featuring relevant content.
Hreflang implementation was mostly accurate but flawed by subtle technical issues such as:
- Misuse of the x-default tag
- Missing return hreflang annotations
- URL inconsistencies (e.g., trailing slashes)
Google attributed most semantic keyword relevance to the B2B site, pacvac.com, regardless of the actual user intent.

Strategic Recommendations

I outlined two options for the client:

Option 1: Consolidation (Recommended)

Move the e-commerce store onto the main root domain (pacvac.com) and sunset the shop subdomain. Redirect all URLs from shop.pacvac.com/au to pacvac.com/au using 301 redirects. Use subdirectories (e.g., pacvac.com/uk, pacvac.com/fr) to serve regional content in future international expansions.

Benefits

Combine domain authority under one roof
Eliminate internal competition and cannibalization
Improve Google’s semantic understanding and geotargeting clarity
Simplify expansion strategy with unified hreflang structure

Option 2: Preserve Existing Setup

Canonicalization from pacvac.com to shop.pacvac.com/au
Reassignment of the UK to a separate subdirectory (e.g., pacvac.com/uk)
Full hreflang and return-tag overhaul
Improved backlink strategy to point consumer-focused links to the shop subdomain

Client Response & Implementation

Although the preferred consolidation strategy wasn’t implemented immediately due to internal hesitations, the client revisited the advice in 2023 and decided to move forward with the migration.

What They Did:

Redirected all pages from shop.pacvac.com/au to pacvac.com/au
Centralized their e-commerce infrastructure on pacvac.com
Removed duplicate and cannibalizing content from the homepage
Began preparing subfolders for future regional expansions (e.g., UK store)

The client re-engaged with me post-migration to assess the success of the transition and ensure that no ranking or indexing issues had emerged.

Results

Within just months of implementing the domain consolidation:

Organic traffic tripled compared to the combined totals of pacvac.com and shop.pacvac.com/au before the migration
Keyword rankings stabilized, with pacvac.com ranking higher for both branded and high-intent non-branded terms in Australia and internationally
User experience improved, thanks to a cleaner site structure and simplified navigation
Technical SEO health was greatly improved, with hreflang errors and canonicalization issues resolved

As of today, organic traffic continues to outperform expectations and remains significantly higher than pre-migration levels. The site is now in a stronger position to expand into new regions with minimal structural changes.

SEO growth experienced by Pacvac following an International SEO audit and strategic SEO recommendations. Growth experienced shows 500%

Testimonials

Don’t take our word for it, take theirs!

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Get in touch

We got in touch with David to get a second opinion on our suite of multi-site, multi-geo and multi-audience websites. Even though we've got a skilled in-house marketing team, we found that getting David's opinion was immensely helpful to ensure that we're on the right track. His experience allowed him give examples of others that went through the same challenges. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

Erfan Imani

Lead E-commerce Developer Pacvac

Lessons Learned & Key Takeaways

Subdomains vs. Subdirectories:
Subdomains may work for some large brands, but for growing e-commerce businesses, subdirectories often provide clearer SEO advantages in consolidating domain authority.
Don’t Delay Migrations That Make Strategic Sense:
Although the recommendation was made in 2021, delaying the move by two years likely cost the brand significant visibility and traffic growth in the interim.
Hreflang Is Not a Ranking Signal:
Hreflang annotations help Google understand language and regional intent, but they do not transfer ranking power between domains. Structural fixes are needed to achieve that.
Root-Level Domains Carry More SEO Weight:
Google tends to attribute more semantic and authority weight to root-level domains, particularly those with a long history, strong link profiles, and high topical relevance.

Final Thoughts

This project highlights the importance of having a clear, long-term SEO and geotargeting strategy—especially for international e-commerce businesses. The Pacvac case stands as a perfect example of how aligning technical SEO with business goals can unlock exponential growth in organic performance.
If your business is struggling with split domain visibility or a confusing international SEO setup, this case proves that strategic domain consolidation can yield transformative results.