Design, SEO and theApp: the story of my site

Hey everyone!

It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to sit down and give you all an update, so here we go. If you’ve been following my journey, you’ll know that the past few months have been packed with challenges and exciting progress, especially when it comes to my website and mobile app. Let me walk you through everything that’s been happening behind the scenes.

The ongoing quest for a partner (and why it’s so tough!)

As many of you know, I’ve been working hard on building a mobile app that complements my website. But finding the right partner to work on this has been a journey in itself. I’m sure a lot of you can relate to this: talented IT professionals are in high demand, and they’re typically very well-paid, which means it’s hard to find someone willing to jump on board without a huge paycheck right away. Plus, it’s tough to find someone who’s equally motivated by the vision of the project as much as the immediate rewards.

I’ve been here before. Two years ago, I had the same issue with another developer, and I don’t want to make the same mistake twice. So this time, I’m taking a different approach. Instead of putting all my eggs in one basket by relying on external help, I’ve decided to add more functionality directly to the website itself.

Now, don’t get me wrong — this still requires some development work, but here’s the cool part: I’ve been able to make great use of ChatGPT and a whole bunch of plug-ins that my CMS supports. These tools are making things so much more manageable and allowing me to move forward without being stuck in the constant struggle of finding the perfect developer. — tip for the readers, if you want to have an app try and recreate it in the form of a website as close as possible and use CMS with lots of options for plug ins like wordpress. But of course best option is to find someone talented it as equally motivated as you!

Big changes on the website front

Now, onto the website. There have been some major updates that I’m really excited about. If you’ve visited recently, you might have noticed that the front page looks pretty different — about 50% of it has changed! I wanted a fresher, more modern look, and I think I’ve achieved that. The new design feels much more aligned with the direction I want to take things.

I’ll be honest — I didn’t actually measure how much these changes impacted page load time (oops, lol), but visually, I think it’s a huge improvement. And let’s face it, sometimes the aesthetic update is just as important for the user experience!

Key pages revamped

I didn’t stop at the front page, though. Some of the key pages have also had a complete makeover. Pages like “Fun Activities in London,” “Things to Do in London for Couples,” and the “Free Things to Do” page are now looking much sleeker and easier to navigate. The design is cleaner, and in my opinion, way more engaging for visitors.

Now, I haven’t had the chance to update some of the older blog posts, like the one about arcades in London. That’s still rocking the same design it’s had for a while. Not because I don’t want to change it, but simply because time hasn’t been on my side. But honestly, they still look pretty good, so I’m not stressing about that just yet!

Impact on user engagement?

Naturally, with all these design updates, I was curious to see if they would have any impact on how long visitors stay on the site. Surprisingly (or maybe not!), the time spent on page hasn’t really changed. It’s stayed about the same, which I’m actually happy about because at least it didn’t drop!

For me, this means that even though I’ve changed the design quite a bit, the core engagement is still there. And personally, I’m much happier with how everything looks now.

Exciting traffic milestones

In other exciting news, I’ve hit some major traffic milestones over the past couple of months! For the first time, I managed to get over 100 clicks in a single day, which was a huge moment for me. And even better, I’ve also hit 1,800 clicks in 28 days! 🎉 These numbers are super encouraging, and it’s great to see that the efforts I’m putting into the site are starting to pay off.

What’s my secret?

You’re probably wondering what I’ve been doing to see this kind of growth. Honestly, it’s nothing too fancy. My strategy has been all about the basics — regular SEO practices ( appropriate titles, on page SEO, relevant content etc ), consistent blog posts about my journey (like this one!), and the golden rule: regular content updates. — like seriously , expand pages and post as much as you can ( without ruining the UX though )

I can’t stress enough how important regular content posting has been for my site. It’s the key to keeping the momentum going and driving long-term success, especially when it comes to SEO. No shortcuts here — just steady, consistent effort.

Wrapping it up

So, that’s where things stand at the moment! I’d love for you to check out the new site, have a play around with the fresh design, and of course, share any feedback you might have. After all, everything I’m doing is for you guys!

Thanks for sticking with me on this journey — it’s been an exciting ride, and I’m looking forward to what’s next.

Cheers,

Me