Case Study: Revamping Korseai Institute’s Digital Presence

Client: Korseai Institute of Historical and Archaeological Research
Location: Fournoi, Greece
Website: korseai.org
Objective: Transforming an outdated and ineffective website into a modern, user-friendly, and visually appealing platform that effectively showcases the Institute’s scope, projects, and achievements.

Korseai’s previous website faced significant user experience (UX) challenges that hindered visitor engagement. The cluttered layout and confusing navigation made it difficult for users to explore the Institute’s wealth of research, projects, and archaeological discoveries. Without a clear structure, valuable content was buried, leading to frustration and decreased interaction with the site.

The design of the website further contributed to its shortcomings. Outdated imagery and unpolished visual elements failed to capture the essence of Korseai’s historical and maritime archaeological work. The lack of a cohesive aesthetic made the platform feel disconnected from the Institute’s prestigious research and European collaborations, diminishing its credibility and impact.

In addition to poor design, the content on the website was outdated and failed to accurately reflect the Institute’s ongoing and future projects. Key details about past expeditions, research findings, and institutional initiatives were either missing or buried under disorganized text. This not only affected the clarity of Korseai’s mission but also limited engagement from researchers, students, and potential collaborators interested in their work.

Another major issue was the lack of search engine optimization (SEO). The website had little to no keyword optimization, ineffective metadata, and unstructured content, significantly reducing its search engine visibility. As a result, potential visitors searching for maritime archaeology, historical research, and related topics struggled to find Korseai online, limiting its reach and influence.

Finally, the absence of mobile responsiveness severely impacted usability. The site was not optimized for smartphones and tablets, leading to distorted layouts, difficult navigation, and slow loading times on mobile devices. With a growing number of users accessing websites on mobile, this limitation significantly hindered accessibility and engagement, making it crucial to implement a responsive, mobile-friendly design.

To create a seamless and engaging digital experience, we completely overhauled Korseai’s website with a fully responsive design, ensuring optimal functionality across desktops, tablets, and mobile devices. The outdated interface was replaced with a modern, visually appealing aesthetic, incorporating high-quality imagery, refined typography, and a clean layout that effectively showcases Korseai’s extensive research and maritime archaeological projects. Additionally, we introduced intuitive navigation, restructuring the site’s information architecture to make content easily accessible and user-friendly.

A visually compelling website requires striking imagery, which is why professional photography played a crucial role in the redesign. We conducted photoshoots to capture stunning visuals of Korseai’s expeditions, historical artifacts, and the breathtaking landscape of Fournoi. We also collaborated with reputable underwater photographers to create and use their different perspectives of the ancient artifacts. These high-resolution images were carefully integrated into the website in WebP, a modern image format that provides superior lossless and lossy compression for images on the web, bringing Korseai’s work to life and immersing visitors in the Institute’s groundbreaking research. By using authentic, high-quality visuals, we ensured the website reflected the prestige and importance of the Institute’s mission.

To match the improved visuals, we developed engaging and informative content that effectively communicates Korseai’s mission, history, and ongoing research initiatives. The outdated text was replaced with compelling narratives that highlight past and future maritime archaeological expeditions, collaborations with European programs, and the Institute’s significant contributions to historical research. This refined content strategy ensures that visitors, researchers, and potential collaborators gain a clear and inspiring understanding of Korseai’s work.

A beautiful website is ineffective without visibility, which is why we implemented comprehensive SEO strategies to improve search engine rankings. Through meticulous keyword research, optimized metadata, and structured content, we enhanced the website’s discoverability for relevant search terms. Additionally, we integrated Google Services such as Google Analytics for visitor tracking, Google Search Console for performance monitoring, and Google My Business to enhance local and global visibility. These tools provide invaluable insights, allowing Korseai to measure engagement and optimize its digital presence over time.

For long-term flexibility, we migrated the website to a user-friendly Content Management System (CMS), empowering the Korseai team to manage content efficiently. This enables them to update research findings, project updates, and upcoming expeditions without requiring technical expertise. With this scalable and easy-to-use platform, Korseai now has full control over its digital presence, ensuring the website remains fresh, informative, and aligned with its evolving research endeavors.

The transformation of Korseai’s website has significantly elevated the user experience, making it more seamless, engaging, and accessible across all devices. Visitors can now navigate effortlessly through well-structured pages, intuitively exploring the Institute’s research, maritime archaeological expeditions, and collaborations. With a fully responsive design, the site adjusts perfectly to desktops, tablets, and smartphones, ensuring a consistent and enjoyable browsing experience. The previously cluttered and outdated interface has been replaced with a sleek, modern layout that encourages deeper engagement and easier access to vital information.

By integrating high-quality visuals, professional photography, and compelling storytelling, we successfully enhanced visitor engagement. The use of striking imagery capturing Korseai’s archaeological expeditions and historical artifacts has created a visually immersive experience, drawing users into the world of maritime research. Additionally, the well-structured and informative content keeps visitors on the site longer, increasing session durations and interaction rates. As a result, researchers, students, and history enthusiasts now find the website not only educational but also captivating and interactive.

With the implementation of advanced SEO strategies, Korseai’s website has experienced a substantial boost in its search engine rankings. Through meticulous keyword research, optimized metadata, and structured content, the site has become more discoverable to users searching for maritime archaeology, historical research, and European research collaborations. The integration of Google Analytics and Google Search Console has further allowed the Institute to track visitor behavior, optimize content, and continually refine its digital strategy to attract a broader audience. Increased organic traffic now ensures that Korseai’s invaluable research reaches scholars, institutions, and potential partners worldwide.

The new website has garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback from visitors, stakeholders, and collaborators, who have praised its professional design, ease of use, and engaging presentation of Korseai’s work. The revamped platform now stands as a credible and authoritative digital hub, effectively showcasing the Institute’s contributions to maritime archaeology and historical research. With its enhanced functionality, compelling content, and strong online presence, the website is now a powerful tool that strengthens Korseai’s reputation, fosters new collaborations, and ensures that its groundbreaking research is accessible to a global audience.

The revamp of Korseai’s website has successfully transformed it into a modern, user-friendly, and visually appealing platform. This new digital presence effectively showcases the Institute’s rich history, ongoing projects, and significant contributions to historical and archaeological research. Through strategic use of photography, copywriting, SEO, and Google services, the project achieved its goal of elevating Korseai’s online presence and engagement.