Bookies.com
From SEO text wall to a homepage that shows, not tells
- Role
- Product and brand designer
- Team
- Senior director, product owner and dev team
- Timeline
- August 2025 – December 2025
- Platform
- Web (WordPress)
- Status
- Live
- Problem
- The old homepage was built almost entirely around SEO copy, with little for a visitor to look at or act on.
- My role
- Product and brand designer on the redesign, working with a senior director, product owner and dev team.
- Key decision
- Lead with previews of the latest articles and picks, each with a sportsbook exit, and keep SEO content without letting it dominate.
- Result
- Live on a new brand system and WordPress platform, with live data feeds in sections that were previously static.
The brief
A brand refresh, built for speed
Senior management wanted a brand refresh alongside a move off legacy tech. The move to WordPress was the main driver, for better performance.
The other goal was a lighter brand that's easier to take in, and a homepage with more to offer than plain text. We wanted to surface a bit of everything the product offers, so visitors don't have to dig for it.
The old homepage was built almost entirely around SEO copy, with little for a visitor to look at or act on. The brand direction was simple and modern. I carried it through new typography, an updated logo and a refreshed colour palette.
What started as a product redesign grew into a full brand refresh. That meant more stakeholder conversations and a longer timeline than first planned.
Before / after
Previews and exits, not paragraphs
What changed
Previews of the latest articles and picks replace the wall of SEO text.
Each preview carries an exit link to the relevant sportsbook.
SEO content stays on the homepage, but it's no longer the dominant element.
Design decisions
Designing with SEO, not against it
I worked closely with the SEO and content team throughout, so their needs shaped the design instead of being worked around. SEO content still has a place on the homepage. It's just no longer the main thing.
The biggest constraint was the navigation. The tools we had limited what we could do, so we adjusted the flow to fit. That limitation is still there today.
The WordPress migration ran mostly separately from these decisions. One exception: comment sections were dropped from the first release to reduce scope.
Where it stands
Live, faster and richer with data
The redesign is live on the new brand system and WordPress. Performance improved across the site, and we pulled live data feeds into team pages and other sections that used to be static. The SEO team now manages the homepage content.
Lesson
Looking back
What I learned
I learned how much good communication in the team is important especially when a simple redesign project transforms into a brand redesign also along the way.
What I'd do next
Keep building on the redesign and add new features that would attract more users specifically on sports data.