1. Introduction – Visit LeopardYala.Com

Ruwan, an experienced local Yala safari driver, was operating under the shadow of a famous hotel, where his hard-earned fees were significantly reduced by high commissions. This arrangement not only limited his personal income but also inflated the cost of safaris for tourists.

Driven by a desire to offer travelers a high-value, reasonably priced safari experience powered by his 25 years of expertise, Ruwan decided to launch his own independent venture.

When Ruwan approached us, we developed a comprehensive roadmap for his new business:

• Phase 1: Digital Presence: A professional website to showcase his packages and trip details.
• Phase 2: Trust & Authority: Setting up a Google Business Profile for reviews, social media accounts, and legitimate tour guide registrations.

This case study focuses on the crucial first step: the development of the Home website, and how we delivered a high-performing landing page for a minimal investment of just Rs. 15,000.

2. ⛰️ The Challenge

The primary challenge was budgetary constraint. As a small, independent safari rider breaking away from a large operation, Ruwan did not have the large marketing funds typically seen in the tourism industry. Recognizing Ruwan’s commitment to supporting local tourism and providing genuine value, we embraced the project with the goal of proving that world-class digital presence doesn’t require a prohibitive price tag.

3. 🛠️ Our Solution

Our approach focused on maximum impact through strategic simplicity, performance, and clear messaging.

Website Development – A Minimalistic Landing Page

We advised Ruwan that he didn’t need a complex, multi-page site like the big hotels. Instead, a well-designed single-page landing page would be more effective.

• Focus: The site was designed to be authentic, directly showcasing his packages, the relevant trip details, and the high-value experience. We avoided fancy distractions, letting Ruwan’s 25 years of experience speak for itself.
• Design & Experience: We used high-quality, engaging imagery alongside clear, concise content to develop a modern, simple, and minimalistic webpage at Home . Essential features like booking pop-ups were integrated smoothly for seamless user experience.

Branding and Identity

Since a new business needs a distinct identity, and given the budget constraint, we took the initiative to create a professional foundation:

• Logo Design: We leveraged accessible tools like Canva to design a simple yet distinctive logo, ensuring Ruwan’s brand looked legitimate and appealing without incurring high design fees.

The SEO Foundation: Getting Found

A beautiful website is useless if tourists can’t find it. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was a critical, non-negotiable step.

• Keyword Strategy: We conducted basic keyword research to identify the high-intent terms tourists use, focusing on keywords such as “Yala safari,” and “Yala National Park.”
• SEO Setup: A foundational SEO setup was implemented, ensuring the website was optimized to rank for these keywords, allowing Ruwan to attract customers who are actively searching for a safari guide.

4. The End Result – High Performance, Low Cost

The successful launch of Home provided Ruwan with the professional platform he needed to start his business independently.

The final website is a testament to the power of focused design and optimization, boasting impressive results:

• Fast Loading & Super Responsive: The site delivers a smooth and consistent experience across all devices, from mobile phones to desktop computers.
• Exceptional Performance Grade: It achieved an A Grade with 98% performance, reflecting its highly optimized and efficient build.
• Rapid Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): With an LCP of 890ms, users experience a quick and seamless visual load, which is crucial for engagement and search engine ranking.

For a total development cost of just Rs. 15,000, Ruwan now has a high-quality, competitive, and reliable digital presence ready to drive bookings and provide affordable safaris to travelers.