Psychedelic Passage: Re-branding & SEO Transformation

Team Lineup

Project management > StatusQuo 
Creative Direction > StatusQuo 
Lead Design > StatusQuo 
Lead Development > StatusQuo 
Designer > Rimbo Design  
Development > Rimbo Designs

In my ongoing collaboration with StatusQuo, I had the privilege to contribute to a rebranding and web development project for Psychedelic Passage.

Psychedelic Passage is a network of trusted psychedelic concierges and guides dedicated to supporting individuals on their transformative psychedelic journeys.

Their mission is to provide safe and supportive environments for ceremonial psychedelic use by offering journeyer advocacy and access to a network of pre-vetted, professional guides in their local area.  

Project Overview:

In this project, I played a key role in web development, facilitating a seamless migration and ensuring optimal SEO performance. While I contributed to certain aspects of the design, the majority of the rebranding was executed by StatusQuo. However I did assist in the following areas: wireframing and information archtecture, the making of a brand guide, email re-designs, PDF-guide re-designs, animations and a few UI/UX sugestions.

Psychedelic Passage already boasted an impressive 100,000+ organic monthly visitors who engaged with their extensive repository of over 200+ insightful articles. Given the pivotal role of SEO in sustaining the web traffic of Psychedelic Passage, our foremost objective was to ensure a seamless migration process. To navigate this intricate task, we collaborated closely with SEO experts and opted to retain the WordPress platform to streamline the migration process and minimize potential complications.

Although I advocated for a migration to Webflow, the client opted for WordPress due to familiarity and risk mitigation. While I initially preferred Webflow for its advanced capabilities, I embraced the challenge of crafting an exceptional website using the more limited WordPress platform. This experience also led me to valuable insights, which I've shared in this indepth Webflow vs WordPress comparison.

‍Optimizations we made for SEO
In the pursuit of peak SEO performance, I methodically orchestrated a comprehensive migration plan. This encompassed precise 301 redirect organization and meticulous on-page optimizations.

We executed a series of optimizations to elevate page speed: fine-tuning file compression to balance quality and filesize, implementing DNS hosting for enhanced load-speed, and minimizing plugin usage.

To address formatting concerns, I provided Psychedelic Passage with practical guidelines for effectively structuring SEO-friendly content through loom videos. Lastly, by harnessing the Linkwhisperer plugin, we seamlessly integrated valuable internal links, reinforcing the SEO impact of each article through heightened connectivity.

Conversion rate enhancement:
Our project aimed not only to enhance SEO but also to significantly improve the conversion rate, as only a small fraction of visitors were converting. To achieve this, we implemented the following strategies:

‍Improved Site Architecture: We streamlined Psychedelic Passage's extensive content into a hierarchical structure, improved navigation clearity and merged similar pages.

Enhanced Information Flow: We thoroughly reworked the site's copy to provide clearer guidance and incorporated strategic calls to action (CTAs) to facilitate deeper exploration.

‍Personalized Branding: Placing a greater emphasis on the human side of the organization by featuring professional imagery of the founders, facilitators, and video testimonials.

‍Professional Aesthetic: Striking a balance between the sacredness of psychedelic experiences and a trustworthy, professional brand image, ensured a more credible and relatable appeal.

‍Motivate to take action: Troughout the new design CTA’s have become clearer and more frequent. We also reduced the amount of clicks necessary to book a call by integrating Calendly into the pages.

‍Social Proof Enhancement: We amplified user testimonials and integrated engaging video testimonials, providing a dynamic and credible portrayal of individuals' transformative journeys.

‍Optimized Offers: Leveraging effective marketing tactics, we fine-tuned how the services are presented, accentuating their unique value propositions.

‍These efforts collectively contributed to an impressive 61% increase in conversions.

‍Development Challenges:
During development, I faced hurdles stemming from the necessity to avoid unnecessary plugins to preserve site structure and mitigate page speed concerns—a priority flagged by SEO experts. In the end, I only used Elementor Pro, which, while powerful within WordPress, had certain limitations. This frequently made me fall back on custom coding, which was time-consuming. One notable limitation was the inability to turn sections into components, hindering responsiveness across the site. This hurdle was particularly pronounced given the project's scale, encompassing over 70 pages.

While my WordPress proficiency played a role, retrospection underscores its relative inefficiency compared to Webflow. Armed with my optimized Webflow workflow, I'm confident I could have halved the development timeline, potentially elevating animations and optimization in the process.

Conclusion

Psychedelic Passage plays a vital role in the psychedelic renaissance, facilitating profound healing and self-discovery through sacred psychedelic experiences. It's a fantastic cause, and I feel very grateful to have been a part of this project.

While I was unable to sway Psychedelic Passage toward a Webflow migration at this time, reflecting on this WordPress migration experience has positioned me to advocate for Webflow in future projects. The lessons learned and insights gained from this endeavor will undoubtedly contribute to my future successes.