The 60-Second Version
Hacı Abi Usta operates as a traditional baklava and pastry chain combining classic Turkish flavors with modern presentations. Despite offering exceptional culinary products, the brand lacked sufficient visibility in the digital ecosystem. Alien Road stepped in to bridge this gap by deploying an integrated digital marketing strategy encompassing web development, search engine optimization, social media management, and performance advertising.
By redesigning the digital storefront, optimizing technical and on-page SEO elements, and executing geo-targeted campaigns across Google Ads and Meta platforms, Alien Road successfully translated the physical warmth and high quality of Hacı Abi Usta into measurable digital growth, increased online orders, and higher physical store footfall.
The Numbers That Matter
A systematic approach to digital expansion requires tracking precise performance metrics. Over a twelve-month cooperation period, Alien Road monitored specific key performance indicators to validate the impact of the newly deployed infrastructure, organic search strategies, and paid advertising campaigns.
The Challenge
The primary obstacle facing Hacı Abi Usta was a mismatch between culinary excellence and digital presence. While local patrons appreciated the artisanal baklava and pastries, online discoverability remained low. The existing website suffered from poor mobile responsiveness, lacked an ordering module, and failed to convey the sincere brand spirit. Furthermore, local search visibility was minimal. Competitors dominated keywords related to traditional desserts and pastry cafes in Istanbul.
Without a structured advertising framework, the brand struggled to capture high-intent users searching for catering services, daily treats, or specific pastry products within their delivery radius.
Five Goals
- Rebuild the digital ordering infrastructure to eliminate friction on mobile devices.
- Increase organic search visibility for high-intent pastry and baklava keywords in Istanbul.
- Improve Return on Ad Spend across Google Ads and Meta platforms through tighter geo-targeting.
- Enhance brand trust and engagement on social media channels with original culinary visuals.
- Drive consistent growth in both digital delivery orders and physical store footfall.
A Three-Layer Strategy
Alien Road structured the engagement into three distinct operational layers: infrastructure, demand generation, and trust building. The infrastructure layer focused on rebuilding the digital foundation. This included developing a fast, mobile-optimized website equipped with intuitive navigation, detailed product menus, and a secure online ordering system integrated with local delivery operations.
The demand layer utilized technical and content-driven SEO alongside performance marketing. By targeting high-volume local search terms and deploying location-based ads on Google and Meta, the agency captured active consumer interest and funneled users directly to purchase points. The trust layer involved social media management and content creation. By showcasing original visuals, highlighting preparation processes, and communicating authentic brand stories, Alien Road reinforced consumer confidence and cultivated long-term loyalty.
A Four-Phase Timeline
Phase one involved comprehensive audits of existing web assets, competitor analysis, and keyword mapping. Phase two focused on UX design, infrastructure development, and the launch of the new ordering portal. Phase three scaled performance advertising and localized SEO optimizations. Phase four refined data pipelines, monitored GA4 attribution models, and executed retention campaigns via WhatsApp and email channels.
The Turning Point
A critical turning point occurred during Month 5, following the deployment of the newly redesigned website and the initial batch of optimized category pages. Organic impressions crossed the 45,000 threshold, driven largely by high rankings for long-tail search queries related to artisanal desserts. Concurrently, the adjustment of Google Ads geo-targeting parameters to a tighter radius around physical branches reduced wasted ad spend.
Advertising
Alien Road restructured the paid media accounts across Google Ads and Meta platforms. By creating granular ad groups segmented by product category, such as pistachio baklava, tray orders, and daily pastry assortments, the agency matched search intent with precise landing pages. Dynamic remarketing campaigns targeted visitors who abandoned their online shopping carts, offering a streamlined checkout path. Geo-fencing techniques ensured that ads for delivery services only reached users physically located within efficient dispatch zones.
SEO
The search engine optimization strategy focused on technical remediation and local search dominance. The development team resolved crawling errors, optimized site architecture, and implemented schema markup for local businesses and products. Content writers produced descriptive category copy targeting regional search phrases. Google Business Profile listings were verified, optimized with high-resolution imagery, and managed to accumulate positive customer reviews, significantly strengthening local pack visibility.
Website design
Alien Road completely redesigned haciabiusta.com from the ground up, prioritizing mobile commerce usability. The new interface featured high-fidelity imagery of authentic Turkish pastries, intuitive category navigation, and a frictionless checkout process. Integration with payment gateways and local courier APIs allowed customers to place delivery orders within seconds. Page load speeds decreased dramatically, which contributed directly to lower bounce rates and higher conversion rates across all traffic sources.
Digital marketing management
Management of the multi-channel operation required rigorous data tracking and transparent reporting. Alien Road configured Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager to track end-to-end user journeys from initial ad click to completed transaction. Weekly performance reviews allowed the team to reallocate budgets toward top-performing campaigns. Coordination between social media content planning and performance advertising ensured consistent brand messaging across every digital touchpoint.
Why It Worked
The success of the Hacı Abi Usta campaign stemmed from alignment between culinary quality and digital execution. Instead of applying generic templates, Alien Road built a custom infrastructure that solved specific mobile commerce bottlenecks. By combining technical SEO with hyper-local performance advertising, the brand captured high-intent customers at the exact moment of craving. Continuous tracking in GA4 and Search Console enabled rapid adaptation, turning initial visibility challenges into predictable, scalable revenue growth.
