Go Fresh Design - Website and Graphic Design - Jacksonville Florida - Portfolio

Ollie Koala’s Website Overhaul

Posted 09/07/10

Ollie Koala's BackYard had a beautiful website. Unfortunately it was built completely in Flash. Search engines didn't pick up anything beyond the launch page, it wasn't viewable on mobile devices, google analytics wasn't able to track visitors and it was difficult to update and expand the site.

My job was to redo the entire website. I designed a new layout incorporating existing branding and illustrations. The new website looks slick and fun. It appeals to children and parent alike. It's easier to navigate than the old website. Built in Expression Engine the Ollie Koala's staff can update most sections of the website on their own. They have a new blog from Ollie's point of view that allows them to discuss sales and promotions and other topics of interest. Site visitors can easily add testimonials which appear on the website once a staff member has approved it. The CMS powered coupon section is a real time saver for the OK staff. Now they can update expiration dates on their own every month. They can also create new coupons on the fly or delete ones they no longer need. Adding a new menu item is as easy as filling out a simple form.

Adding pages that show the different rides, games and prizes gives site visitors a better idea of all the entertainment offered at the BackYard.

The Solspace Freeform powered forms, including the Party Request form can be exported in one click to Excel which streamlines data collection for the OK crew.

This website was a big project and it turned out great. I still have a few things to tweak here and there. Overall this website is a much better solution to the online needs of Ollie Koala's BackYard then the old website. Being able to update it will save the client money, and the HTML based site will be more visible to Search Engines which will increase site traffic. Plus the site analytics will be accurate now which will help the client see where their advertising dollars are best utilized.