About this project

Sarah & Kate from Riverhill Himalayan Gardens originally got in touch as they needed to scrap their old outdated website that was not doing justice to their business. Not only was it presenting the business in an unflattering way, it was difficult to promote activities happening at the gardens, and it also completely neglected two core audience types: groups and weddings.

Targeting key audiences & saving staff time

As groups and weddings were valuable income streams, it was a priority to ensure that these audiences had dedicated pages on the new site where the Riverhill team could address them directly, highlighting offerings that applied only to these audiences, rather than treating them as an add-on to the normal public pages. I also migrated their Word document enquiry forms to an online version that made them easier to complete, and added FAQs to help weed out unsuitable enquiries and reduce unnecessary admin time.

To help eliminate the need to update the website frequently, I also created an automated daily feed of what was happening at the gardens that would refresh itself each day, along with an events calendar for future planning, with the option to schedule events to be published at a later date.

Creating a better user experience

Through our consultations, it became clear that another key missing element that was a way for website visitors to explore what is on offer at the gardens, and also to connect with the site’s rich history. I developed a Garden Guide that could act as a virtual tour of the different areas of the gardens, plus a page that allows you to see what’s in bloom when your visit will take place. We also created a page dedicated to the history of the gardens and their restoration through a series of mini photo galleries.

Rapid COVID response to keep the business afloat

Shortly after the website went live, COVID-19 hit and as an outdoor space, the gardens were one of the few places that could re-open open if they could demonstrate that they were taking safety precautions. Having always been an offline payment business, I helped them shift all ticket sales to an online system that they could adjust as needed to limit numbers for safety, adapting built-in Squarespace functionality to deliver this in order to keep business overheads down at a precarious time. The rapid implementation meant the gardens actually generated 35% more revenue in a few months than they would normally have in an entire season, while many other businesses were struggling.

The Riverhill team were so happy with the outcome and the benefit of easier sales reporting, we have continued with an adapted version of the ticketing system even after the pandemic restrictions have been lifted.

Visit the live Website

NOTE: After project completion, all clients receive training to empower them to update their own websites, so bear in mind that anything you see on the live website may not reflect my design work.