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Charle

Search-first Shopify and Shopify Plus agency.
Location

London, England, United Kingdom

Employees

11-50

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Overview

Charle was founded in 2018 by Nicholas Dunn in London and operates as a Shopify Plus accredited agency built around a “Search-First” methodology, the idea that organic search, experimentation, and commercial outcomes should shape how Shopify stores are designed from day one rather than being layered on after launch. The team works from London, Manchester, and New York and runs five integrated service lines (Charle Search for SEO and GEO, Charle Launch for new builds and migrations, Charle SiteLab for CRO and experimentation, Charle HelpDesk for support and maintenance, and Charle Retain for email and SMS) alongside a newer Charle AI / Agentic Commerce offering. Reported network metrics include £300 million+ in revenue through Charle stores, 44% average conversion uplift, 31% average organic traffic increase, and 29% average customer LTV lift across 100+ live stores. The free monthly Charle Observatory report draws data from inside that store network and has 8,500+ subscribers. Public client work includes Cambridge Satchel, 111SKIN, Samsung, Beauty Bay, Billionaire Boys Club, Candy Kittens, Muc-Off, RNLI, Au Départ, Gray-Nicolls, Gilbert Rugby, Vollebak, Bio & Me, CleanCo, Harbour Lifestyle, Case Furniture, Sunnamusk, and Unndr.

Services

Email Marketing sits inside the Charle Retain practice and is delivered primarily on Klaviyo (a tech partner), covering lifecycle campaigns, automations across welcome, browse abandon, cart abandon, and post-purchase flows, with SMS as a paired channel and integrations into subscriptions, reviews, and loyalty programs through partners like Skio, ReCharge, LoyaltyLion, and Yotpo. SEO is the foundation of the Search-First methodology and covers Shopify SEO, broader Ecommerce SEO, AI SEO, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) for visibility inside ChatGPT and other AI search products, and SEO migrations as a dedicated workstream, combining technical optimization, content marketing, and digital PR. Conversion Rate Optimisation runs through Charle SiteLab, a retainer-based experimentation programme that uses behavioural insight, heat mapping, visitor recordings, and continuous A/B testing (often delivered through Shoplift) to lift on-site conversion rate, AOV, and CLV against industry benchmarks.

Industries

Fashion and apparel is the most documented vertical and is explicitly named in Charle’s Shopify Partner directory listing as “Clothing and Fashion,” with public engagements including Billionaire Boys Club, Cambridge Satchel, Au Départ, Vollebak, and Unndr. Health and beauty appears through 111SKIN, Beauty Bay, and Sunnamusk in fragrance and premium skincare, where the agency’s experimentation and SEO work tends to focus on PDP storytelling, ingredient education, and high-AOV consideration journeys. Food and beverage is anchored by Candy Kittens in confectionery, Bio & Me in cereal, CleanCo in non-alcoholic spirits, and Xite Energy in functional beverages, with most engagements pairing custom Shopify Plus builds with ongoing SEO and email retention work.

Top Case Studies

FAQ

What does Charle's "Search-First" methodology actually mean?
Search-First is the agency’s framework for sequencing decisions during a Shopify build or retainer, with organic search, AI visibility, on-site experimentation, and commercial outcomes treated as inputs to design and development rather than tasks added after launch. The argument is that stores designed first and optimised later tend to leave performance, discoverability, and scalability as afterthoughts. Search-First is intended to compound growth over time by making sure each design decision serves a measurable commercial or organic ranking outcome.
Search-First is the agency’s framework for sequencing decisions during a Shopify build or retainer, with organic search, AI visibility, on-site experimentation, and commercial outcomes treated as inputs to design and development rather than tasks added after launch. The argument is that stores designed first and optimised later tend to leave performance, discoverability, and scalability as afterthoughts. Search-First is intended to compound growth over time by making sure each design decision serves a measurable commercial or organic ranking outcome.
Search-First is the agency’s framework for sequencing decisions during a Shopify build or retainer, with organic search, AI visibility, on-site experimentation, and commercial outcomes treated as inputs to design and development rather than tasks added after launch. The argument is that stores designed first and optimised later tend to leave performance, discoverability, and scalability as afterthoughts. Search-First is intended to compound growth over time by making sure each design decision serves a measurable commercial or organic ranking outcome.
Public budget options in the contact form range from £1,000-£5,000 for small projects up to £100,000+ for full custom builds and migrations, with most engagements sitting in the £20,000-£50,000 band for Shopify Plus retainers and £50,000-£100,000+ for bespoke custom store builds. Average reported hourly rate is $100-$149 per hour, with most projects falling between $10,000 and $45,000 according to verified Clutch data.
Internationalisation is treated as its own service line and covers both multi-store and single-store architecture, with the team handling pricing, currency, geolocation, and per-region content management for brands launching across Europe, North America, APAC, or the Middle East. Most international engagements use Shopify Plus markets functionality and pair the build with localized SEO and email programmes through the Charle Search and Charle Retain teams so that organic discovery and retention align with the new storefronts.
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