We were pleasantly surprised when we first met Natalie, founder of Chiquel Salon and Wigs. The unassuming twenty one year old had a concept she was passionate about and demonstrated a dedication and effort she was prepared to endure to see her ideas come to fruition. Surprised by the maturity beyond her age, we knew we had to be part of her success.

Natalie had identified that there was a gap in the market for premium fashion wigs in Australia. Having suffered from alopecia (unexplainable and sudden hair loss), she knew there was a market for people needing wigs; but through her own research had determined that the options in terms of range and style for wigs in Australia were simply lacking.

She also discovered that there is a relatively untapped market of people who simply wanted good looking wigs for fashion and some fun. Not the cheap stuff you can get for $20, but realistic wigs that can give a person a completely different look. “We’re living in a modern and judgemental world where looking great is becoming more of a priority”, Natalie mentions.

 

Suffering the embarrassment of hair loss at such a crucial age, it is easy for a person to derail and lose control over their lives. Natalie's courage and fighting spirit was attributed to the support of her family and friends. Now she just wants to help others who may have experience what she has.

“I just want ask others out there who are going through the same thing to look for help and support. There are others like me who can help you in their own way, and it is a small community so we know exactly where to go for more support. Chiquel can help with getting them into some high fashion wigs, eyelashes, eyebrows, patches and just about anything related to hair loss.”

 

Chiquel comprises of a retail wig store (and salon) and an online ecommerce shop. When this project commenced, the store was reaching its final stages of completion and MessageForce was engaged to look into a low-cost website solution to serve as a pilot and Search engine marketing, including SEO.

Chiquel also independently undertook other forms of marketing including newspaper and magazine adverts, flyer drops and some relationship building. While the website was being built and waiting for the SEO efforts to kick in, Natalie reported “Its quiet at the moment, the only real thing that is working is the networking and the word of mouth. We’ve got some organisations that support us and are referring patients and that is really helping but we’re not making the huge start as I was hoping for.”

 

Three months from the day the website was launched, Chiquel.com.au made its debut on Google; and secured page 1 positions for the keywords “Wig” and “Wigs”. “As if by magic, all of a sudden the phone started to ring all day long”. At the time of interviewing, it was Natalie's turn at “manning the phones”. At times, it was a concern if the interview would even start, let alone conclude.

Chiquel.com.au was a success. Orders were being made from all over the world. “We just got a big order from California would you believe!” She chirps, “I can’t believe the number of people who are flying in from Sydney and Tasmania for just 1 day to spend it at Chiquel.” She also noted a surge in orders from hospitals, especially rural ones who are placing orders for their patients.

In a span of just 6 months, Chiquel grew from no visitors to 2000 visits per month on average and as you read this, this number is climbing steadily with month on increases. Natalie adds “Brand Recognition is up; Word of mouth is up, conversion rates are up.”

When I cheekily posed the question: How would you describe the effect of SEO on Chiquel in one word?

She responded, “Immeasurable”.