Vilniaus Alus
About the Project
In creating the new UAB "Vilniaus Alus" website, "Ubaltic" performed the role of technical implementation and architectural design.
Website link: https://www.vilniausalus.lt/en/
Scope of Work:
Technical and SEO analysis of the old website.
Preparation of SEO strategy: trends, directions for improvement, and tactical actions to improve positions in "Google" search.
Design of the new website's technical architecture.
Programming of design and functionalities.
Integration of the Content Management System (CMS).
Implementation of internal SEO (On-page SEO).
Project management, UX, and UI design were executed by the "Kibis" team. You can read more about this design award-winning company on their website.
Updates Implemented:
Technologies: Transition to modern architecture.
Structure: Optimized information hierarchy.
Content and SEO: Semantic markup and content rewriting.
Improved performance: Fast website loading and navigation speed.
Technical Implementation
The website was built using Next.js technology based on "React" (SSG – Static Site Generation). For content management, PayloadCMS, a system operating within the "Next.js" ecosystem, was selected.
Structure
13 unique page types were created, including: product categories, individual product pages, store pages with maps indicating their locations, and a keg rental calculator page.
Functionalities:
Language Switching Function: Content display in multiple languages while maintaining navigation context (e.g., if you are on a product page and switch languages, you are redirected to the same version of that product in the other language).
Interactivity: Dynamic keg rental form with a price calculator.
Adaptability: Responsive design for all devices.
Instant Navigation: Statically generated pages (SSG) and Client-side routing ensure immediate page transitions.
Easy Visitor Contact: Email sending upon filling out website forms.
Convenient Content Editing: A Content Management System (CMS) configured according to the company's specific needs.
Newsletter Subscriptions: A method to collect visitor email addresses (MailerLite integration).
Analytics Tools: "Google Analytics" integration.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Clean HTML Structure
Semantic HTML structure ensuring the correct hierarchy of headings (H1-H6) and other elements.
Why is this useful? A clean HTML element structure allows for a clear indication of information hierarchy on the page. Every topic and subtopic has its own heading—this makes it easier for website visitors to find and read information. It also allows "Google" bots and visitors using screen readers to accurately understand the importance and context of the content.
Implementation of Structured Data
Structured data (Schema.org) helps "Google" bots classify page content. Implementing certain schemas creates the possibility that links to website content in search results will feature additional information. A link with more information not only stands out from others but can also increase the probability of being clicked—thus bringing a potential client to your website.
Implemented Schemas:
Product
"Product" schema contains information about a product. Few of the most important bits of information about the product is it's price and user rating. Both of these can appear in search results and provide additional data points which can increase the likelihood of the link to be clicked.
Brewery
The "Brewery" schema specifies the company name, activity, VAT code, address, and other details. This data has the potential to appear in the "Google Knowledge panel," which displays a summary of the entity. Our goal is to provide accurate information about the company UAB "Vilniaus Alus". This schema can help the site transform in the eyes of search engines from a "page about beer" to a "page of the company known as 'Vilniaus Alus', which produces beer"—which is far more specific and valuable.
BreadcrumbList
This schema is applied to every page and indicates the page's place in the site hierarchy in search results (e.g., vilniausalus.lt > beverages > beer), instead of a simple URL.
Job Posting
According to "Google," implementing this schema helps display interactive job search results, which can include the company logo, reviews, ratings, and general job posting information. This can encourage a higher number of more motivated applicants, as this schema allows job seekers to filter job offers by various criteria—such as location, position, or salary.
NewsArticle
Instead of the news page appearing in search results as a simple link with a title and description, implementing this schema enables "Google" to present news in the "Google" Top Stories carousel.
Structural Website Changes
Analyzing the old version of the website, we noticed that store data was accessible, but the stores themselves did not have their own pages, meta tags or implemented structured data (schema). Consequently, they could not be indexed as separate entities. Without a separate page, it was also impossible to set meta data for a store: Title, Description, or Images, which would make a specific store easier to find.
Although the content existed in the old version, its full potential was not utilized. Our solution was to create separate pages for each store, thus utilizing the SEO potential of this existing content: making each store easier to find on the "Google" search results page.
Semantically Significant URL
The URL structure is a significant source of information for the user. It can indicate the language in which content is presented, the target market, where the user is within the content hierarchy, and what content will be accessible. A poor URL structure can not only mislead users but also deter a potential user from clicking the link by causing uncertainty about the accessible content.
Information Significant to the Visitor
URLs in the old website version contained information semantically insignificant to the user: id-xx.
Example:
https://vilniausalus.lt/lt/katalogas/alus/tushi-quantum-nealkoholinis/id-53
In the new version, excessive information was removed from the URL structure.
Example:
https://vilniausalus.lt/gerimai/nealkoholinis-alus/tushi-quantum-nealkoholinis/
Language Consistency in URLs
Mixed language issues in the URL structure were fixed. In the old website version, URLs were sometimes composed of multiple languages. This is semantically messy—information in a language they do not understand offers no value to the user.
Example:
https://www.vilniausalus.lt/pl/katalogas/beer/id-1– the Polish version used Lithuanian "katalogas" and English "beer"—these words have no meaning to someone who only understands Polish.
In the new version, a semantically valuable URL was created:
Example:
https://www.vilniausalus.lt/pl/napoje/piwo/– indicates the Polish language, followed by the category "napoje" (beverages), and finally the drink type "piwo" (beer). It becomes clear to the user which part of the site they are in, i.e., the beverages section, beer category.
Migration
When replacing the old website version with the new one, it is very important to preserve existing organic traffic and link equity in search engine results like "Google".
The Problem
If the content location, i.e., the URL (e.g., https://vilniausalus.lt/gerimai/alus/alus-basteja/) on the new site does not match the old one, users clicking on the old link will be redirected to a non-existent, usually generic error page ("404 Not Found"). If "Google" notices that a link no longer leads to the content a person is looking for, it will simply stop showing it.
The Solution
To ensure the seamless operation of old URLs, it is important to create redirects from the old site links to the corresponding content links in the new version. For example, from https://vilniausalus.lt/lt/katalogas/alus/basteja/id-21, a redirect must be created to the new content location https://vilniausalus.lt/gerimai/alus/alus-basteja/, thus preserving the seamless operation of content links and, simultaneously, the ranking in "Google" search results.
During the migration from the old to the new website version, nearly 300 redirects were made from old links to new links of the same or related content to preserve as many search result positions as possible.
The Final Product
The website not only gained a modern image with a more intuitive and convenient user interface (UX) and implemented search engine optimization (SEO), but it also became modernly fast.