How This Local Lakefront Resort Improved SEO with an Elegant Website
2 Refresh VIP Days & In-Depth Keyword Research
Local Business
The Challenge: A Stale Website That Was Hard to Navigate and Costing Bookings
When Kathy Arp and her family purchased Happy Hollow Resort, they knew their website needed to evolve along with the property itself. The resort had a long history and loyal guests, but the existing website was outdated, confusing to navigate, and didn’t reflect the elevated experience they were creating.
“The current website felt sad and stale.”
Their biggest pain point? The navigating the website was complicated and frustrating, which directly impacted inquiries and reservations.
When asked what they loved about the website, Kathy said, “Nothing except that we can link Reservation Key to it.”
They weren’t just looking for a facelift — they needed a strategic redesign that:
Reflected the beauty of their fully renovated cabins
Retained their existing search rankings (and expanded SEO)
Kept longtime guests feeling welcome while attracting new visitors
Delivered on their new vision: “The ultimate destination for creating timeless memories and genuine, personalized experiences in a picturesque natural setting.”
The Goal: Rebrand, Retain Search Rankings, and Improve Booking Flow
During our 2 Refresh VIP Days + Website SEO Optimization with Brittany Herzberg, we set clear priorities:
Build a more elevated, elegant brand design while keeping the warmth of the resort’s history
Simplify the site structure so guests could easily browse cabins, amenities, and book their stay
Implement comprehensive SEO research and optimization to protect existing rankings and grow organic visibility
Create space for future marketing growth as the resort continues to evolve
The Process: Two VIP Days of Full Website Strategy, Design, and SEO
Expanding the Brand Aesthetic & Creating an Elegant Design
We built upon their existing logo and color palette to create a more refined, elegant design that matched the upgraded cabins and overall resort experience.
Added a calming sage green accent at Kathy’s request: “I’d love to see a sage green added to the mix if possible!”
Sourced and optimized stock images to complement the on-site photography
Balanced rustic charm with an elevated, modern feel that speaks to both returning and first-time guests
Once the homepage design was delivered, the reaction was simple and confident: “Looking good so far.”
With approval on the overall direction, we moved quickly to implement the full redesign.
Building a Fully Functional, Guest-Friendly Website
The new site structure included:
Home: Clear positioning as a family-friendly, elevated lakefront destination
About: Storytelling that highlights the ownership transition and resort history
Cabins: Individual detailed pages for each cabin, complete with photos, amenities, and easy navigation
Amenities: Clear overview of what guests can enjoy during their stay
Contact: Simplified inquiry form and connected reservation system
We also:
Linked directly to their Reservation Key booking software
Added a gallery of guest photos to build trust and visual connection
Streamlined mobile design to make browsing and booking easy on any device
Before
After
Before
After
Deep SEO Optimization to Preserve and Expand Rankings
With the In-Depth Keyword Research add-on, we went far beyond basic SEO:
Conducted extensive local keyword research specific to lakefront vacations, family resorts, and the region
Updated all SEO titles, meta descriptions, image file names, and alt text
Fixed technical SEO issues and tested for any remaining errors
Maintained critical URL structures to avoid losing existing rankings during the redesign
Connected domain, email, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics for full post-launch tracking
The Results: Higher Rankings, More Search Traffic, and Fully Booked Cabins
Within months of launch, Happy Hollow Resort’s website performance dramatically improved:
Ranking for 115 total keywords
Top 3 rankings for 38 keywords (up from 16 before the redesign)
Website traffic up 28% year-over-year
Average search position improved from 50.2 to 24
Clicks from search up 38.4% year-over-year
Search impressions up 19.3% year-over-year
Click-through rate improved 19% year-over-year
46.6% of all visits now come from organic search
And most importantly? The cabins are fully booked for summer 2025 — with a website that reflects the elevated guest experience and supports long-term growth.
Ready to Elevate Your Local Business Website?
Whether you’re rebranding, expanding, or finally taking control of your SEO strategy, your website should reflect the quality of your business—and work just as hard as you do.
A Refresh VIP Day helps you redesign, restructure, and optimize your website to serve your clients and your search rankings.
