Project Overview
Client: Suncoast Auto Transport
Industry: Auto Transport Services
Project Type: Full Website Redesign, User Persona Development, and SEO Strategy
Role: Lead Designer and SEO Strategist
Programs Used: Microsoft Visual Studio, WordPress, & Adobe XD
Languages Used: HTML5, CSS, PHP, JS, jQueryÂ
Project Summary
While working at Serious SEM, I led a complete website redesign for Suncoast Auto Transport, a company specializing in vehicle transportation services. The project required a deep understanding of their target audience to create a more user-centered website. To accomplish this, I developed detailed user personas that guided the marketing and design decisions. Additionally, I led the SEO strategy that successfully ranked Suncoast Auto Transport in the top three positions on Google for their core keyword, “Auto Transport in Florida,” driving more organic traffic to their site.
Goals & Objectives
Suncoast Auto Transport’s primary objective was to increase its online visibility and improve user engagement through a redesigned website that would better communicate its value proposition. Their outdated website was underperforming in terms of both user experience and search engine rankings, limiting their ability to attract new customers in the competitive auto transport market.
The goals for the project were:
- Redesign the Website: Create a modern, mobile-friendly, and user-centric website to improve engagement and conversions.
- Develop User Personas: Create detailed personas to guide the design and marketing strategy, ensuring the website effectively speaks to the target audience.
- Enhance SEO Performance: Lead the SEO strategy to improve search engine rankings, aiming to rank within the top three results for the core keyword “Auto Transport in Florida.”
Research & Discovery
To ensure that the website redesign would be both functional and aligned with the company’s business goals, we began with comprehensive research to understand Suncoast Auto Transport’s audience, competitors, and market opportunities.
User Persona Development:
I conducted interviews with the client and analyzed data from previous website traffic to develop a clear picture of Suncoast Auto Transport’s ideal customers. Through this process, we identified key characteristics and behaviors that informed the development of a primary user persona: “The Busy Vehicle Owner.”
- Demographics: Vehicle owners, primarily individuals aged 30-55, looking to relocate or transport cars across states.
- Motivations: Customers needed a reliable, hassle-free service that could transport their vehicles safely and affordably, often during a stressful moving period.
- Pain Points: Users were frustrated by complex booking processes, lack of clear communication, and concerns over vehicle safety during transport.
The user persona guided the design, ensuring that the website was focused on delivering a simple, transparent, and trustworthy experience for these potential customers.
SEO Research:
In addition to user research, I performed an in-depth SEO audit to understand where Suncoast Auto Transport was falling short. The existing website had minimal optimization, slow loading times, and poor keyword targeting. Competitor analysis revealed significant opportunities to improve keyword rankings for search terms like “Auto Transport in Florida.”
Competitive Analysis:
To further refine our understanding of Suncoast Auto Transport’s market position, I conducted a competitive analysis of other leading auto transport companies. This analysis revealed several opportunities where Suncoast could stand out:
- Simplified User Experience: Many competitors had overly complex booking systems that frustrated users. By streamlining the process and focusing on user-friendliness, we could create a competitive edge.
- Local SEO Opportunities: Competitors lacked a strong focus on local SEO. By optimizing for location-specific keywords such as “Auto Transport in Florida,” Suncoast could capture more local traffic.
SEO Audit:
The SEO audit provided further insights into where the current website was falling short. Key findings included:
- Slow Loading Times: The existing website had slow load speeds, especially on mobile devices, contributing to high bounce rates.
- Minimal On-Page Optimization: The site lacked properly optimized meta titles, descriptions, and headers, which hindered its ability to rank for relevant search terms.
- Keyword Gaps: There were significant opportunities to target keywords related to “auto transport” and “Florida,” particularly through the creation of localized content and service pages.
Design & Strategy
The design and SEO strategy were both centered on improving user engagement and driving more organic traffic. Here’s how we approached both aspects of the project:
Website Redesign:
- User-Centered Design: I led the redesign with a focus on ease of use, ensuring that the navigation was simple and intuitive for users to find information about services, pricing, and contact options quickly.
- Visual Design: We modernized the website’s aesthetics, incorporating a clean, professional design with high-quality images of vehicles and transportation processes to build trust. The new design included clear calls to action (CTAs) such as “Request a Quote” and “Contact Us” prominently placed throughout the site.
- Mobile Responsiveness: The redesigned website was optimized for mobile devices to capture users on smartphones and tablets, ensuring a seamless experience across all devices.
- Improved Functionality: We streamlined the booking process to reduce friction, making it easy for users to request a quote or book transport directly from the website. This led to improved conversion rates and fewer drop-offs during the booking process.
SEO Strategy:
- Keyword Optimization: Based on the SEO research, I implemented an aggressive on-page optimization strategy targeting the keyword “Auto Transport in Florida.” This included updating meta titles, descriptions, headers, and page content to align with this keyword and related phrases.
- Local SEO Focus: We created location-specific landing pages to target nearby cities and regions, improving the website’s relevance for local searches. This was key to improving Suncoast Auto Transport’s ranking in the competitive Florida market.
- Technical SEO Improvements: I improved the website’s loading times by optimizing images and code, ensured proper use of schema markup, and created a clean site architecture that was easy for search engines to crawl.
- Content Creation: I led the creation of optimized blog posts and service pages that provided valuable information for users while naturally incorporating targeted keywords, further improving the site’s SEO performance.
Implementation & Development
The implementation phase involved both front-end development and SEO execution, ensuring that the design enhancements and SEO strategy worked in harmony.
Website Build:
I collaborated closely with the development team to translate the new design into a responsive, fully functional website. I ensured that all new design elements were implemented seamlessly, including improved navigation, a modern booking system, and mobile optimization.SEO Execution:
I led the on-page optimization process by writing SEO-friendly copy for service pages, adjusting technical elements like title tags and alt text, and making sure the site followed Google’s best practices for search visibility. The addition of localized landing pages helped the site rank higher for nearby cities and improved its authority for location-specific keywords.User Experience Testing:
We ran multiple rounds of user testing with the updated design and functionality to ensure that the site was intuitive and that users could easily find the information they needed. Feedback was incorporated into final tweaks to improve the booking flow and navigation.
Outcome & Results
The Suncoast Auto Transport website redesign and SEO strategy delivered impressive results, both in terms of user engagement and search engine rankings.
Top Three Google Rankings:
Within three months of launching the new website and implementing the SEO strategy, Suncoast Auto Transport ranked in the top three results for the core keyword “Auto Transport in Florida.” This led to a dramatic increase in organic traffic and local visibility.Increased Website Engagement:
The redesigned website saw a 30% increase in user engagement, with more visitors staying on the site longer and interacting with key features like the booking system. Bounce rates decreased by 20%, indicating that users were finding the site easier to navigate.Higher Conversion Rates:
With the simplified booking process and clear calls to action, Suncoast Auto Transport experienced a 25% increase in quote requests within the first two months of the redesign, helping them capture more leads and improve their sales pipeline.
Lessons Learned & Reflections
This project highlighted the power of combining thoughtful UX design with a well-executed SEO strategy to achieve business goals. By developing user personas early in the process, we were able to design a website that met the specific needs of Suncoast Auto Transport’s customers, resulting in better engagement and higher conversion rates.
On the SEO side, the emphasis on local optimization was a critical factor in boosting Suncoast’s search engine rankings. The lessons learned from this project reinforced the importance of ongoing SEO monitoring and content creation to maintain high rankings in competitive markets.
Moving forward, I would recommend continuing to optimize the site with fresh content and regularly updating SEO tactics to stay ahead of competitors in the rapidly evolving search landscape.