The old site had been established for many years and although bringing in a steady stream of visitors, conversions to bookings had been slowly declining for some time. The new site needed to really connect with our client's target user profile, encouraging browsing visitors to stay and explore further whilst gaining an appreciation of the property's elegant beauty, and the the B&B's award winning service and five star rating. We concluded that the new design needed a subtle, colour based theme for each page, to help frame the welcoming imagery and set the overall tone, giving visitors a feel for the house's period splendour and the owner's meticulous and slightly eclectic taste. Our client was thrilled with the visuals and we went straight on to recode each page in valid HTML5, optimizing the content for search engines as we did.
We have linked the new site to our client's Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts and incorporated an 'Add This' bookmark function and Google Plus button, allowing visitors to quickly find and and share related content across social networks, increasing the number of visitors overall and widening the site's online profile.
Luckily the days of Arial vs Verdana are beginning to move into the past as WOFF (web open font formats) move into mainstream use and easier web font licensing practices become more established. For this site we have been able to add character and individuality by incorporating bespoke typography throughout. The use of Roman and italic versions of the classic serif font we chose compliment the rich, muted colour scheme, making the site luxurious and warm and helping it to really stand out from the Kent B&B website crowd.
Visit the site now at www.alconburyguesthouse.com and let us know what yout think, we'd love to hear your comments.