Developing a 12-Month SEM Strategy for Only Dogs

Published: August 2026

 Overview

For this project, I developed a comprehensive 12-month Search Engine Marketing (SEM) strategy for Only Dogs, an Australian retailer specialising in premium dog products and accessories. The objective was to create a scalable paid search framework that could improve advertising efficiency, strengthen brand awareness and support sustainable business growth.

The strategy combined Google Ads best practices, audience targeting, campaign optimisation techniques and performance measurement to create a data-driven roadmap for long-term success.

 The Challenge

As a growing ecommerce business, Only Dogs needed a paid search strategy that could:

The strategy also needed to balance growth with efficient budget management while providing measurable milestones throughout the year.

 Strategic Objectives

The SEM strategy established measurable business goals, including:

Each objective was supported with SMART targets and aligned with key digital marketing KPIs.

 Strategy Highlights

Keyword & Audience Research

A detailed keyword strategy was developed using competitor research, demographic targeting and search intent analysis.

The strategy included:

This approach focused on improving relevance while maximising advertising efficiency.

 Smart Bidding Strategy

Rather than relying on a single bidding model, the strategy recommended using different automated and manual bidding approaches depending on campaign maturity and objectives.

Recommended bidding strategies included:

This allows campaigns to evolve as more performance data becomes available.

 Continuous Optimisation

SEM success relies on ongoing refinement.

The strategy outlined a continual optimisation framework that included:

This ensures campaigns continue improving over time rather than remaining static.

 Measurement Framework

Performance would be monitored using key ecommerce metrics including:

Regular reporting milestones were established to evaluate campaign performance and support data-driven optimisation throughout the 12-month strategy.

 Technology Stack

The strategy incorporated several digital marketing platforms and tools, including:

Together these tools provide stronger campaign insights, better keyword intelligence and more informed optimisation decisions.

 Budget Planning

A structured advertising budget was developed to allocate investment across:

The proposed investment focused on balancing customer acquisition with sustainable long-term growth.

 Ethical Advertising

The strategy also considered advertising compliance by ensuring campaigns would:

 Key Takeaways

This project demonstrates how a well-structured SEM strategy extends beyond launching Google Ads campaigns. By combining audience research, keyword planning, smart bidding, continuous optimisation and performance measurement, businesses can create a scalable framework that supports sustainable ecommerce growth.

The strategy was designed to establish strong campaign foundations while allowing continual optimisation as more customer and advertising data becomes available.

 Skills Demonstrated