How We Improved Our Client’s GT Metrix Score From C Grading to A Grading

ProCoffee

procoffeedrinks.com

  • Website Optimisation

At ProfileTree, we don’t just design websites that look good, we also build websites that perform. When our client ProCoffee came to us for help with their website, we knew what we needed to do and we had a team of skilled web developers on hand to do it (shout out to Marcus in particular!.)

The GT Metrix results don’t lie and despite not having built the website, we were still able to bring the GT Metrix score up to an A standard. This meant that the new ProCoffee website was sleek, fast and high-performing. No more losing visitors to a poor non-responsive website, instead, visitors could spend time browsing ProCoffee products via an interactive, and intuitive digital space.

In this article, we’ll take you through the website design strategy that we implemented for ProCoffee, covering all of the technical web development adjustments for optimum website performance and delving into the SEO content that puts ProCoffee in front of the right target audience. 

ProCoffee - Homepage

The Client

ProCoffee is a unique protein-based coffee blend that offers customers various health benefits alongside a great-tasting beverage. We can attest to the great taste because they were kind enough to bring a sample into the office – it didn’t last long. 

When they came to us they explained the issues that they were having with low website traffic and poor conversion rates. They wanted to improve their SEO performance, attract more visitors and ultimately increase their product sales. We helped them achieve just that through a precise and targeted website redesign strategy. 

Screenshot of ProCoffee Desktop and Mobile with Optimisation Icon overlay

Our Approach 

Our initial approach was two-pronged; to enhance the website’s functionality and to create SEO content to improve the website’s visibility. This strategy would ensure that ProCoffee appeared in front of the right audiences in addition to ensuring that they wanted to stick around on the website for longer. 

ProCoffee - GTMetrix Report Before
Before

Improving the GT Metrix Performance Score

GT Metrix is a web performance tool that offers free and paid analysis of a website’s speed and performance. By inputting a URL, users can get a detailed report on what might be causing their website to load slowly or perform poorly. 

GT Metrix gives scores using Google’s Lighthouse performance metrics, it provides detailed metrics on how long it takes for various parts of your website to load and helps in identifying bottlenecks or problematic resources.

Because we didn’t build the website, we first needed to know the current performance of ProCoffee, which showed us a rating of C. This technical information then allowed our web developer to identify precise optimization adjustments to increase the grade.

As a leading website design and development agency, we understand the importance of regularly checking tools like GT Metrix and value how instrumental they are in ensuring that a website provides a good user experience, which is increasingly vital for SEO and user retention.

ProCoffee - GTMetrix Report After

Improving the GT Metix Score from C to A

Following this analysis from GT Metrix, we brought the performance of the ProCoffee website to an A grade, which is a significant success and credit to our amazing talented team of developers.

Check out the specifics of how we achieved this below.

Minification of code

Minification of code refers to the process of removing all unnecessary characters from the source code of web files without changing their functionality. This is done to reduce the size of the code, which in turn reduces the time it takes to download and load a website.

Image compression

Image compression refers to the process of reducing the file size of an image, either by eliminating unnecessary data from the image file or by using algorithms that efficiently encode the image data. The main goal of image compression is to represent an image using the least amount of data while maintaining an acceptable level of quality.

Added Internal Links

Internal linking was implemented throughout the website, this provided several benefits to the website’s performance including;

  • Enhanced User Experience
  • Increased Page Authority
  • Information Hierarchy Structure
  • Improved Crawling and Indexing
  • More strategic Keyword Targeting
  • Decreased Bounce Rate
  • Prolonged Engagement:

Internal linking is a critical component of website design and content strategy, playing a crucial role in enhancing user experience, site structure, and SEO efforts.

Optimised meta titles and alt tags 

Optimising meta titles and alt tags plays a crucial role in improving a website’s visibility, usability, and SEO performance. A meta title is one of the most significant on-page SEO factors whilst alt tags provide context and information about the image, helping search engines understand and index it. 

Improved Page Headings

We also improved all of the page headings and ensured that they provided clearly structured content that both search engine algorithms and readers could quickly understand. This process establishes a hierarchy of information and helps readers understand the organisation of the content and the relationships between different sections.

Through this technical website optimization we were able to deliver a high-performing and sleek website redesign to our client’s at ProCoffee. The GT Metrix A Score is proof of this optimization and evidence of our technical skill and ability.  

GT Metrix Speed Test

The Speed Index is a type of speed test that represents how quickly the contents of a page are visibly populated. It’s one of the performance metrics provided by GT Metrix when analysing a web page.

The Speed Index is typically represented in milliseconds. A lower Speed Index means the content is displayed more quickly, leading to a better user experience. Several elements can influence a page’s Speed Index, including server response times, render-blocking resources (like JavaScript and CSS), and large media files (unoptimized images or videos).

Speed Index is valuable because it’s centred on user experience. A website might technically load quickly (i.e., all resources are loaded), but if the visible content takes time to appear, users might perceive it as slow.

ProCoffee - Speed Index Before

Speed Index of 1.9s

When we first analysed ProCoffee, their website speed was sitting at 1.9s which wasn’t a desirable metric of optimum website performance. Longer page loading times can be detrimental to the success of a website, frustrating visitors and resulting in higher bounce rates.

Speed Index Increased to 436ms

A good user experience is considered to be 1.3s or less, and we delivered results that produced a speed index rating of just 436ms – a great achievement and one we are very proud of.

At ProfileTree, we have created a bulletproof strategy that produces high-performing websites that can capture the audience’s attention. Our skilled team knows how to implement technical adjustments, ensuring that you receive a functional website build that best represents your brand. 

ProCoffee - Speed Index After

SEO Analysis

In order to ensure a profitable website design, we also implemented a strong SEO strategy to ensure that the website was visible to potential audiences. However, before we could implement this strategy, we have to perform an SEO analysis to direct our efforts. 

Our SEO performance analysis of ProCoffee showed that they were ranking for approximately 20 keywords, with an average position of 95. There was definitely room for growth and we were able to design a content strategy for optimum results.

ProCoffee - Search Position

SEO Content Strategy 

We developed a tactful SEO content strategy that would ensure heightened visibility, improved SEO rankings and ultimately attract more website visitors to generate product sales. This was achieved through a comprehensive package that included the following.

A monthly content plan

This strategic monthly plan would become the backbone of the SEO efforts, ensuring high-quality content was consistently produced in order to grow the website and appeal to search engine algorithms.

Two monthly articles

These two monthly articles would target a predetermined set of keywords, strengthening the brand as a health and fitness expert and targeting like-minded audiences who value a healthy lifestyle.

Monthly keyword research and suggestions

In order to stay ahead of the latest online trends and conversions, we also regularly reviewed the keyword targeted list, ensuring that we quickly identified any emerging trends that we could capitalise on for the benefit of the ProCoffee website.

How We Improved Our Client's GT Metrix Score From C Grading to A Grading 1

Regular reviews of SEO performance 

This comprehensive approach to improving the SEO was underpinned by a commitment to continual improvement. Regular reviews were conducted to gauge traffic influx and assess the tangible benefits of the content strategy, ensuring ProCoffee always remained a step ahead in the digital landscape.

248 Keywords

The results showed an impressive jump in the website’s SEO performance and in just 6 months, ProCoffee was now ranking for 248 keywords, generating a steady amount of traffic and most importantly, attracting the right kind of audiences – those who were interested in protein based coffee and the added vitamins and nutrients that their product provides.

A combined approach for enhancing the GTMetrix Score and SEO

While the content strategy played a pivotal role in boosting ProCoffee and its SEO, it was the technical optimization of their website that laid the foundation for this success. It’s essential to underscore that initiating the technical work was not just a one-off task; it was the bedrock upon which all subsequent strategies were built. 

However, establishing this foundation was only the beginning. To ensure sustained website health and performance, regular content updates and optimization became integral. By meticulously combining both these aspects – rigorous technical refinement and continual content enrichment – we ensured that ProCoffee was able to achieve and maintain an optimised digital presence and stand out in an ever-evolving digital marketplace.

ProCoffee - Homepage

A Comprehensive Digital Marketing Agency 

That’s one of the major benefits of choosing us at ProfileTree, you receive everything you need all under one roof. From optimum website design and development to enhanced SEO content, we are in an ideal position to provide you with a multi-pronged approach that utilises a range of digital marketing tools to your advantage.