[01]
No website ownership
The existing site was built and hosted by a marketing company. Reliable TSI had no admin access, no control over the codebase, and no ability to migrate — the marketing company was taking the site down by December 28, 2025.
Redesigning the digital front door for a Cambridge curriculum school in Tokyo
UIA International School of Tokyo needed a website their marketing team could actually update. We delivered 58 pages on WordPress + Elementor, migrated their domain from a Japanese vendor, and launched a site that attracted 10,798 users in its first two months.
10,798
Active users first 2 months
4,523
Organic clicks first 2 months
58
Pages designed & built
85%
Traffic from Japan
Project Snapshot
Client
UIA International School of Tokyo
Industry
International Education · K-12 · Cambridge Curriculum (IGCSE + A-Levels)
Market
Tokyo, Japan — 28+ nationalities, ~550 students
Scope
Full website redesign — 58 pages, domain migration, CMS setup
Tech Stack
WordPress + Elementor · No bespoke code · Cloudways hosting
Timeline
Jul 2025 (proposal signed) → Mar 2026 (launch) · ~9 months
Services
UX Research, Wireframes, UI Design, WordPress Development, Content Migration, Domain Transfer, SEO Setup, UAT, Client Training
Integrations
OpenApply (admissions), GA4, Google Search Console, Microsoft Clarity, WP Event Manager Calendar, Bunny.net (video), Google Maps
Website Before we touched it.
Goals and Approach.
Peer-level design credibility
Match the visual standard of Rugby School Japan, Yokohama International, and the British School of Tokyo. A clean, modern, image-heavy design that positions UIA as a top-tier Cambridge school.
Full CMS independence
WordPress + Elementor with zero bespoke code. Travis and the marketing team need to update content, publish job postings, and manage events without a developer.
Seamless content migration
Transfer all legacy content — text, images, documents — from the old coded site to the new platform without data loss or broken links.
Three-audience UX
Serve three distinct user groups: prospective families researching from abroad, current parents and students needing events and resources, and internal editors managing the site day-to-day.
Long-term maintainability
Templateized pages (job postings, news articles, events), Guidde training videos, and an optional maintenance package so the site stays current long after handover.
SEO & performance foundations
On-page SEO, structured data, 301 redirects from the old URL structure, mobile-first indexing, and speed optimization. GA4, GSC, and Microsoft Clarity installed from day one.
Peer-level design credibility
Match the visual standard of Rugby School Japan, Yokohama International, and the British School of Tokyo. A clean, modern, image-heavy design that positions UIA as a top-tier Cambridge school.
Full CMS independence
WordPress + Elementor with zero bespoke code. Travis and the marketing team need to update content, publish job postings, and manage events without a developer.
Seamless content migration
Transfer all legacy content — text, images, documents — from the old coded site to the new platform without data loss or broken links.
Three-audience UX
Serve three distinct user groups: prospective families researching from abroad, current parents and students needing events and resources, and internal editors managing the site day-to-day.
Long-term maintainability
Templateized pages (job postings, news articles, events), Guidde training videos, and an optional maintenance package so the site stays current long after handover.
SEO & performance foundations
On-page SEO, structured data, 301 redirects from the old URL structure, mobile-first indexing, and speed optimization. GA4, GSC, and Microsoft Clarity installed from day one.
Peer-level design credibility
Match the visual standard of Rugby School Japan, Yokohama International, and the British School of Tokyo. A clean, modern, image-heavy design that positions UIA as a top-tier Cambridge school.
Full CMS independence
WordPress + Elementor with zero bespoke code. Travis and the marketing team need to update content, publish job postings, and manage events without a developer.
Seamless content migration
Transfer all legacy content — text, images, documents — from the old coded site to the new platform without data loss or broken links.
Three-audience UX
Serve three distinct user groups: prospective families researching from abroad, current parents and students needing events and resources, and internal editors managing the site day-to-day.
Long-term maintainability
Templateized pages (job postings, news articles, events), Guidde training videos, and an optional maintenance package so the site stays current long after handover.
SEO & performance foundations
On-page SEO, structured data, 301 redirects from the old URL structure, mobile-first indexing, and speed optimization. GA4, GSC, and Microsoft Clarity installed from day one.
Detailed Design Process Over Guesswork.
Onboarding Call
Onboarding Call
The onboarding call took place on 11 July 2025 with Travis White (Marketing Officer) and Tanisha Balraj (Design Lead). Kathrine Callahan (IT Manager) was unavailable but designated as the backend contact. We walked through the onboarding questionnaire covering: school overview (550 students, K-12, Cambridge, 28 nationalities, 15-year history), primary audiences (prospective families seeking Cambridge, current parents needing event updates, internal editors), design preferences (school brand colors retained, clean and sophisticated aesthetic), content strategy (image-heavy, migrated from existing site plus new photography via Google Drive), and key integrations (OpenApply for admissions, event calendar, bus service maps). We confirmed the 58-page sitemap originally drafted in Whimsical and clarified domain ownership — critical given the upcoming transfer from Gaiax. Anand also demonstrated the WordPress + Elementor backend live, showing Travis how text and image edits work, directly addressing the team's frustration with the old bespoke-coded site.
Design System.
Building It *Right.8
Tech Stack
Wordpress
Elementor
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GoDaddy DNS
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WP Event Manager
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Cloudways
.png?2026-07-14T06%3A03%3A00.750Z)
Bunny.net
.png?2026-07-14T12%3A33%3A47.996Z)
Google Analytics 4
.png?2026-07-14T11%3A36%3A21.717Z)
Google Search Console
.png?2026-07-14T12%3A34%3A24.607Z)
Microsoft Clarity
.png?2026-07-14T12%3A34%3A45.938Z)
OpenApply
.png?2026-07-14T12%3A35%3A07.419Z)
Ruttl
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Notable Technical Challenges and Solutions
SEO continuity on launch
Every existing URL mapped and 301-redirected before go-live. Domain authority preserved — rankings improved within weeks of launch rather than the months a reset would have required.
Healthcare schema markup
LocalBusiness, MedicalBusiness, and Review schema implemented across all pages. Direct result: 933 additional clicks from Google Review Snippets — a rich result format competitors without structured data can't access.
Mobile performance at 90+
All images in WebP, lazy loading enabled, WP Rocket caching, and Cloudways server-level caching stacked. GTMetrix and PageSpeed audits run before launch. 90+ scores achieved across all tested pages.
Booking widget integration
The Hearlink booking widget integrated with matching visual styling — no off-brand redirect, no friction break between the site and the booking flow.
Integrations Configured
Google Analytics 4
Traffic, user behaviour, and conversion event tracking
Google Search Console
Search performance monitoring, index coverage, Core Web Vitals
Microsoft Clarity
Session recordings and heatmaps for ongoing UX analysis
Hearlink Booking Widget
Embedded appointment booking system, styled to match the site
GDPR Cookie Consent
ICO-compliant cookie banner and consent management
Live Chat
Patient enquiry chat widget for pre-booking questions
Why We Built this in Webflow
[01]
Budget & Timeline fit
A 40-page custom build at $4,600 in 8 weeks. WordPress's battle-tested ecosystem let us move fast without sacrificing quality. A comparable Next.js build would have added 4–6 weeks and significant cost — not the right trade-off for every client.
[02]
CMS the client can actually use
Ibrahim and Ajmal update clinic hours, staff bios, and blog posts without touching code or raising a ticket. WordPress's admin panel works from day one — no training, no dependency on Quixta for routine content changes.
[03]
Healthcare plugin ecosystem
Schema markup, GDPR cookie consent, live chat, Google Maps, and Hearlink booking widget — all covered by mature, maintained WordPress solutions. Building this in a headless stack would have been cost-prohibitive.
[04]
Full HTML control for SEO
No page builder. No theme. Custom PHP templates for every page type — complete control over heading structure, schema injection, canonical tags, and Core Web Vitals. The 42% position improvement was built into the markup from day one.
[05]
Scalable hosting on Cloudways
Deployed on Cloudways (DigitalOcean), not shared hosting. Server-side caching, WP Rocket, WebP images. Fast, scalable, and the client controls their own hosting account — no lock-in to any proprietary infrastructure.
[06]
Full ownership on delivery
On go-live: full source code, admin credentials, all design files, CMS walkthrough. No retainer required to keep the site running. No per-seat licensing. No platform fee that scales with traffic. The site belongs to them — not to any vendor.
First two months after launch
10,798
Active users
10,574
New users
72s
Avg engagement time
93,541
Total events
4,523
Organic clicks
56,601
Search impressions
8.0%
Average CTR
27.2%
Homepage bounce rate
Month by month Growth Trajectory
The site launched December 22, 2025. Search Console data begins January 20, 2026. Every number below started at zero.
Total clicks4,523
Total impressions56,601
Average CTR7.99%
Avg position8.0
Japan CTR13.88%
Mobile CTR11.09%
Active users10,798
New users10,574
Avg engagement72 seconds
Total events93,541
Homepage bounce27.2%
Admissions bounce20.7%
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Average Google Search position Feb 2025 – Jun 2026. Position improves from ~35 (pre-launch baseline) to ~18 at launch (Sep 2025), settling at ~20 across Jan–Jun 2026.
Keyword rankings & top pages
international school of tokyo111278.7%3.7
uia tokyo338439.3%1.0
uia career535989.8%1.5
uia calendar608967.4%2.9
uia calendar 2026648971.9%2.4
uia careers12013887.0%1.5
uia international school27583233.1%1.8
uia5632,43523.1%5.4
uia international school of tokyo7961,65148.2%1.1
The Live Website - Today.
What makes an international school website different
Multi-audience navigation
Prospective parents, current families, alumni, and staff all need different content. The information architecture must serve all four without overwhelming any of them. UIA's site uses clear mega-menu navigation with six main sections that route each audience to their content.
Trust through transparency
Fees, admissions policies, scholarship programs, subsidy information, waiting list policies — international school parents expect full transparency. UIA's site makes this information accessible, not buried. The Fee Structure PDF is the 6th most-clicked page in search.
Curriculum credibility
Parents comparing Cambridge, IB, and national curricula need detailed academic information — not marketing language. UIA's Academics section spans 10 pages, from Early Years to A-Levels, with specific curriculum details, academic performance data, and university pathway information.
Operational content that changes weekly
School calendars, news, career postings, summer school programs, and event announcements need frequent updates. Without a CMS that non-technical staff can use, schools fall behind. UIA's WordPress + Elementor setup means Travis publishes updates the same day.
Multi-audience navigation
Prospective parents, current families, alumni, and staff all need different content. The information architecture must serve all four without overwhelming any of them. UIA's site uses clear mega-menu navigation with six main sections that route each audience to their content.
Trust through transparency
Fees, admissions policies, scholarship programs, subsidy information, waiting list policies — international school parents expect full transparency. UIA's site makes this information accessible, not buried. The Fee Structure PDF is the 6th most-clicked page in search.
Curriculum credibility
Parents comparing Cambridge, IB, and national curricula need detailed academic information — not marketing language. UIA's Academics section spans 10 pages, from Early Years to A-Levels, with specific curriculum details, academic performance data, and university pathway information.
Operational content that changes weekly
School calendars, news, career postings, summer school programs, and event announcements need frequent updates. Without a CMS that non-technical staff can use, schools fall behind. UIA's WordPress + Elementor setup means Travis publishes updates the same day.
Not every way of building is alike.
Basic tools / MVPs
Every design decision in this project was grounded in UX research, audience analysis, and competitor benchmarking. We don't open Figma until we understand who the patient is.
Mid-level platforms
Technical SEO — schema, 301 redirects, URL architecture, on-page optimisation — built into development, not added after. The site ranked within weeks because it was built to rank.
Advanced / Enterprise systems
The location page template means Direct Ear Care can open a clinic in Leeds and add a ranking-ready page themselves. The digital infrastructure scales with the business.
The Team behind this project.
Anand Ashok
Business Operations
Project Lead, Client Relations, and Domain Migration
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Tanisha Balraj
UI/UX Design Lead
Research, Wireframes, and Full Design System
Chandana Vulivireddy
UX Support
Design Research and Competitor Analysis
Ashutosh Tiwari
Development Lead
WordPress Architecture and Team Coordination
Shilpa Sharma
WordPress Developer
Page Building, Responsive Implementation, and QC
Prayank Sharma
WordPress Developer
Page Building and Elementor Development
Krishna
Server Migration
WordPress Migration and Server ConfigurationWordPress Migration and Server Configuration
Nithyashree M
QA & Content
Quality Assurance, Content Coordination, and Review
What SAA interiors + architecture Said
“"It's been a great experience working with you and your team, and we're really happy with how everything has come together. We truly appreciate all the effort and support in getting us across the finish line."”
Emily Bartels
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A few things people usually ask before reaching out.
UIA's marketing team needed to update content independently — job postings, events, news, and admissions information — without relying on a developer. WordPress with Elementor provides a visual drag-and-drop editor that non-technical staff can use with minimal training, eliminating the dependency on the previous bespoke-coded site.
Pick a time. We'll take it from there.
Schedule a Call to Discuss
Choose a convenient time to discuss your vision, goals, and how we can help.