Seattle Best Tours – Website Revamp & Digital Transformation
Seattle Best Tours partnered with Ebizon to redesign and modernize their website, enhancing usability and performance. The new site ensures a seamless user experience, robust content management, and strong SEO continuity.
Industry
Tour guide
Technology
WordPress
Services
UX/UI Research & Design, WordPress Website Development, Custom Theme & Plugin Setup, SEO Strategy & Implementation, Booking Integration (FareHarbor), Mobile & Cross-browser Optimization
Project Overview
Seattle Best Tours, a premier travel and tour company offering curated experiences around Seattle, collaborated with Ebizon to redesign and modernize their existing website. The goal was to provide a seamless and intuitive digital experience to users, while ensuring high performance, robust content management, and SEO continuity.
Project Objectives
- Reimagine the website with an updated, modern look and intuitive navigation
- Create a fully responsive and mobile-friendly experience
- Integrate FareHarbor for seamless tour bookings
- Preserve and enhance existing SEO rankings
- Provide an admin-friendly CMS environment for easy content management
- Improve site speed, accessibility, and content discoverability
Project Execution
1. Design and Discovery Process
The project began with an intensive research and discovery phase:
- User Research: Insights were gathered around user behavior and expectations.
- Information Architecture: A well-defined sitemap and user flows were created to improve discoverability and user experience.
- Design Principles: The UI focused on simplicity, branding, and accessibility.
- Wireframes & Sketching: Multiple layout directions were ideated, followed by high-fidelity mockups.
- Typography & Micro-interactions: Fonts and interactive elements were selected to enhance readability and engagement.
Designs were created in Figma and iterated upon based on Seattle Best Tours’ feedback, covering essential pages like:
- Home Page
- Tour Listing & Detail Pages
- About Us
- Team & Contact Pages
- Blog & Media Sections
- Reviews page
- Photo Gallery page.
2. Development and Customization
Frontend Implementation
- Developed custom WordPress post types to match content structures
- Integrated form functionalities via Gravity Forms
- Set up features such as Chatbot integration (Tawk.to), ReCAPTCHA, Google Reviews, and Special Offers
- Implemented interactive elements such as “Join Our Centre”, “Schedule Service”, and “Refer a Friend”
- Developed responsive pages with dynamic sections such as Reviews, Photo Gallery, and Tours.
- Developed the pages in a way that allows the client to easily manage the data.
Feature Implementation and Setup
Key features implemented:
- FareHarbor Integration: Enabled users to browse and book tours directly on-site.
- Keyword Search: Users can quickly locate relevant content.
- Newsletter Subscription: Visitors can subscribe to updates and promotions.
- Contact & Custom Forms: Integrated via WPForms.
- Reviews & Testimonials: Displayed across pages for social proof.
- Blog System: For SEO and customer engagement.
3. Data Migration & Performance Enhancements
- Migrated existing content to the new structure ensuring zero data loss.
- Stripped unnecessary scripts and assets for better speed.
- Optimized images and implemented best practices for CSS/JS delivery.
- Ensured core web vitals (CLS, FID, LCP) remained within acceptable limits.
4. Thorough Testing and Quality Assurance
- Functional Testing: Manual and automated checks for all critical flows.
- Cross-Browser Testing: Verified on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
- Mobile Testing: Ensured flawless experience across phones and tablets.
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Client reviewed an Alpha release before deployment.
Quality control covered:
- Page responsiveness
- Booking workflows
- Interactive elements
- Form validation
- Accessibility (basic a11y checks)
5. URL Redirection and SEO Preservation
Maintaining SEO integrity was critical:
- On-page SEO: Keywords, meta titles, descriptions, and headings were preserved and optimized.
- 301 URL Redirection: Old URLs were carefully mapped and redirected to new equivalents to avoid broken links.
- Yoast SEO Plugin: Used to guide on-page SEO configuration.
- Post-launch Setup:
- Google Analytics (GA)
- Google Search Console (GSC)
- Google Tag Manager (GTM)
- Sitemap & robots.txt submission
These steps ensured no ranking drops post-launch.
6. Launch
The final phase included:
- Resolving issues identified during UAT
- Hosting setup with SSL and domain mapping
- Deployment of the production build
- Security and performance reviews
- Client training with a user/admin guide
A Beta Launch preceded the full Go-Live, allowing for real-user feedback. The project was delivered within the projected 5-6 week timeline.
Results & Feedback
Key Outcomes
- Improved page load times and overall website performance
- Increased user engagement and conversions
- Smooth migration with zero downtime or SEO penalties
- High client satisfaction and streamlined internal operations
Client’s Feedback
“EbizON Digital delivered a completely updated website for my business that matched exactly what I envisioned. From start to finish, their team was responsive, professional, and attentive to our needs. They consistently provided timely deliverables, communicated effectively, and kept us in the loop throughout the entire process. The final result exceeded my expectations — the website looks great, functions smoothly, and truly reflects the quality of our brand. I’m extremely pleased with the outcome and highly recommend EbizON Digital.”
— Earl Alexander
Puget Sound Tours dba Seattle’s Best Tours
What Our Customers Says
reviewed by JOE WILLIAMS
Senior manager, Remedy Liqour
Head of Business Engagement, WRI
“Ebizon is one of the best in the business and they back this up with their quick and friendly support. The team is relentless to listen to our issues and come up with a solution. Have seen the team stretch beyond their knowledge to help us.”
reviewed by JOSEPH CURLEY
Vice President, Sokolin
Content Officer, Society for Science & Public
“My experience with this partnership has been positive. The support Ebizon extended towards us was commendable. It perfectly fulfils our requirements with their support we had no hassle.”
reviewed by Beat Walder
Manager, Forester Beauty
Chief of Staff, Strategic Dentistry
“I’m the owner of Forester Beauty in Switzerland. I’ve contacted Dee and he led me through the whole process of migrating our online shop to Shopify, including custom elements to enhance user experience. The whole Project Team at Ebizon has a very professional attitude and provide their support and insights promptly.”
reviewed by Wilma Pretorius
Managing Director, Cranimals
For fully managed WordPress installs, WPEngine is my Go-To
“The Team worked well with my company to migrate our Magento store to a new Shopify store. Ebizon was able to implement required applications to enable a near seamless transition. Thanks Team!
reviewed by Raul
Senior Manager, Emporium Embroidery
Head of Business Engagement, WRI
“Emporium Embroidery – customization module / Magento upgrade Thank you Ebizon and a great thank you to the team who was always very helpful on this journey.”
reviewed by Alexandre Salem
eCommerce Manager, Ada Cosmetic
Chief of Staff, Strategic Dentistry
“Thanks to EbizON solution, the platform enabled the company to sell products efficiently. The team worked in sprints and held weekly meetings, ensuring accurate outcomes.”
reviewed by Po Ming Lam
Manager, Avec Plaisirs Chefs Traiteurs
For fully managed WordPress installs, WPEngine is my Go-To
“Ebizon is helping our Magento development needs. Their customer oriented approach has made our experience very pleasant and efficient. We are definitely sending more work to them and recommend others to try them out!”
