Branding, web design and development for a yoga studio with a masculine edge
The Yoga Soul team asked us to help them develop the brand identitiy for a new yoga studio they would be opening up in Manchester as well as build the website through which their clients could make bookings for classes and events. For founders Sammy and Will it was important that the brand conveyed the masculine edge they were bringing to the city with their studio. It also needed to feel at home in the heart of Manchester where they were basing themselves.
BB were super helpful in responding, delivering on time throughout the whole process...
- Sammy, Yoga Soul MCR
The Brand
Defining the "soul" in Yoga Soul
The Yoga Soul logo it also needed to feel at home in Manchester It was important for the Yoga Soul team to have a brand image that would carry a feel of masculinity, yet still carry aspects of the yoga community.
The icon of the Yoga Soul logo is a triangle, the most sacred easter symbol of OM, representing creation. The negative space in the triangle reveals a Y for our logo. Lastly, the separate imperfect triangles combine to create one whole triangle, showing that imperfect parts put together can create something perfect, strong and robust.
The SEO
A search-friendly foundation
As a new studio trying to win a loyal following, we knew the Yoga Soul website needed to have an edge in search results.
Whilst no new website shoots to the top of Google immediately after launch, we wanted to give the site the best possible chance of claiming a top spot amongst its competitors over the years.
Research
We began the process with competitor research to see how other studios were achieving strong positions in search results. Next we carried out keyword research to get a sense of how Manchester’s yoga community were looking for yoga classes.
Site Structure
Based on this we were able to draw up a site structure that would help Google recognise Yoga Soul as a real hub for yoga classes and events in Manchester.
For example, we knew we needed to build a site that would offer clear “answers” to searchers looking for specific classes (for example “hot yoga in Manchester”. This meant creating a separate page for each yoga class.
UX Mapping
Finally, we worked with Yoga Soul to capture a range of user stories that would help us ensure everyone using the site would find what they needed.
The Website
Everything a yogi needs
It was a priority for Yoga Soul to have a website through which their visitors could easily view and book classes and events.
The website integrates with the MindBody booking system to provide a user-friendly booking experience for classes and events.
We added a dedicated landing page for each class and event (which does great in search) and created teacher profile pages so clients could get to know the yogis leading their classes. The site also features a news section so the Yoga Soul team can communicate about the general goings on.
The website was built on the WordPress content management system and following a brief training session, is now administered by the Yoga Soul team.
