I love working with small businesses to provide their users with a customized luxury UI/UX experience. So, when a local guesthouse with incredible customer reviews approached me about re-designing their website with UI/UX best practices in mind, I was thrilled to tackle the challenge. Creating a custom small business UI/UX web design.
As I often find with small businesses, all of their design had been completed in-house and they were seeing that the current design wasn’t resonating with customers. After they redid their website themselves, they experienced a drastic drop in conversion from their previous design.
Website UX Copywriting – Their copy was lengthy, not easily scannable by the user, and didn’t highlight their unique selling proposition. This led to confusion because customers weren’t sure what was or wasn’t included in their package.
UI/UX Design for Navigation and CTA’s – The design wasn’t useful for the user. Information was difficult to find and required a lot of reading. Navigating through the booking process wasn’t clear, and the CTA’s didn’t direct users to the most important information.
My solution was to simplify the site so that users clearly understood what made this guesthouse stand out from others in the area.
By looking through customer communication and reviewing the client’s mission statement, I refined their message down to the simple yet profound statement of Pause, Reflect, Refocus—highlighting the key values of providing a peaceful place of rest for their guests.
1. Refined, Focused Copywriting – Taking the essence of their previous copy, I refined it down to the core principles that would resonate with their customers. I rewrote their biography to highlight their experience and the elements that previous guests had found impactful about their stay.
2. SEO Focused Writing – By adding SEO-focused keywords into the copywriting, I ensured Google would easily index their pages for the necessary keywords and help the company rank above their local competition.
3. Improved UX – I provided users with an updated navigation, centralized vital contact information, and moved key information (room information, highlighted features, and important policies) to the homepage. I made it easy for users to find the information they were looking for, and by creating pages that were easily scannable, I made sure users could compare room offerings to make the choice that was best for them.
4. Transformed UI Design – I selected a simple white color palette for the site to subconsciously communicate the client’s expert cleanliness and attention to detail. With redesigned navigation and appropriately placed CTA’s, I revamped the user flow, ensuring it was easy to use and beautiful to look at. I used visual hierarchy to draw attention to vital information and replaced excessive text with imagery that would capture the user’s eye.
The redesign was a resounding success. The client loved the changes and felt that they clearly articulated their core message and highlighted their unique selling propositions (USP).
The redesign offered a user-friendly experience while modernizing their interface and keeping things aesthetically pleasing. Their site is now optimized for both mobile and web, and within the first week they saw an increase in inquiries through the new “ask a question” chat button.
By embracing change and trusting my design and copywriting expertise, the client not only modernized their brand but also positioned themselves as the most peaceful, restful location to stay in the Shuswap area.
This project showcases the power of a well-executed redesign partnered with expert copywriting to engage users and drive conversion.