About Company
AKA-Inter has been a manufacturer of artificial decorative stone for several decades. They mainly operate via a business-to-business sales model with large retailer chains in Ukraine and abroad.
Before
The prior state was a desktop-only design poorly optimized for loading speed and SEO, with no framework for editing the content and an obsolete tech stack, leading to increased maintenance costs.
Challenges and solutions
The web developer translated the bespoke design using best practices. The QA specialist ensured the functionality met the business requirements and stabilized across different browsers and devices.
| Challenge | Solution |
|---|---|
| Unpopular language choice | JavaScript was the primary language for page templates and on-page dynamic content. This approach allows onboard developers to keep maintenance costs low easily. |
| Content in multiple languages | We introduced Headless CMS with multiple language management support to allow content editors to intuitively change page copy independently from developers. |
| Desktop-only design | Our web designer crafted a visually appealing layout optimized for mobile and desktop devices. We preserved the recognizable brand colors and gave the website a fresh look. |
| High page loading time | We have ensured that images are optimized for low-end and high-end devices to reduce page load time and improve the overall performance score. Previously, web pages were non-static and generated on-flight with every request, causing a noticeable delay. |
| Analytics cause page performance hit | We have shifted to server-side marketing tagging. This approach allows for analytics without compromising the page loading speed. |
| Lack of on page feedback loop | We have added a contact form for the immediate submission of the customer inquiry. |
| Outdated hosting provider | We migrated the website to CloudFlare CDN to enable the latest security protocol with no overhead. CF allows end users to access content at a high speed globally. |
Technologies, tools, and approaches
- Astro. A framework for web development that outputs static web pages using libraries such as React during development. Its distinctive advantage is that it produces no Javascript as a result.
- Tina CMS. Content Management System with multiple languages support and convenience of use.
- AWS Lambda. AWS Lambda handled form submitting logic by forwarding incoming submissions to the corporate mailbox.
- Zaraz. CloudFlare’s service behaves similarly to GTM (Google Tag Manager) but reduces the amount of JS sent to the client, further improving page loading speed.
Results
- The web designer created a bespoke design to accommodate the target audience, which the web developer translated into a performant and accessible website.
- The QA specialist ensured that the product functionality behaved similarly well across various devices and browsers before delivering the product to end users.
- Migration from costly VPS (Virtual Private Server) to free CloudFlare hosting saved money in the long term.
- Improved analytics visibility resulted in reliable business decisions backed by data.
- Headless CMS allows changing page copy without introducing developers, reducing time to publishing.