Summary
Ski Georgia, the primary booking agent for Gudauri Ski Resort (Georgia’s largest and most well-known ski resort), contacted us with a website that was actively harming their business due to multiple critical issues.
Their main concern was a malware infection which added random pages to their website. What’s worse, their visitors were redirected to random automotive parts selling websites.
Additionally, their outdated website suffered from page load times exceeding 6 seconds, causing them to drop to the second page of Google search results even for their strongest keywords.
The platform failed to showcase the unique appeal of skiing in Georgia, while security vulnerabilities and poor SEO optimization meant they were losing bookings to competitors.
What started as a malware cleanup and performance fix quickly evolved into a complete website redesign.
Combined with thorough security remediation, performance optimization, and strategic SEO content optimization, we transformed their online presence, resulting in doubled bookings and significantly improved search visibility for high-intent keywords related to Gudauri ski packages.
Project Details
- Client: Ski Georgia
- Industry: Winter Tourism
- Website: https://skigeorgia.com/
- Platform: WordPress CMS, Elementor Page Builder
- Project Duration: 12 weeks
- Performance Improvement: 150% faster page loads, improved search rankings, and doubled bookings
Business Impact
Prior to our work on Ski Georgia website was experiencing:
- Significant ranking drop in Google search results
- High bounce rate due to slow-loading pages and random redirections to malicious sites
- Lost revenue from abandoned checkout process
- Poor user experience affecting brand credibility and customer trust
Root Cause Analysis
Ski Georgia’s WordPress website was built with an outdated theme and a collection of poorly coded plugins that had accumulated over years of patchwork updates.
Our initial security scan revealed the site had been compromised with malware injections hiding in theme files and database tables, which not only threatened user data but also triggered Google security warnings that were damaging their search rankings and user trust.
Beyond the security crisis, the website suffered from severe performance issues with page load times exceeding 6 seconds—well above Google’s recommended thresholds and a primary factor in their declining search visibility.
Our comprehensive technical audit uncovered multiple critical issues:
- No security plugin running to protect website from WordPress attacks
- Malware infection embedded in theme files and database entries
- Bloated and unoptimized images (png images some of which exceeding 3MB)
- Outdated PHP version (7.2)
- No caching implementation whatsoever
- Render-blocking CSS and JavaScript resources
- Poor mobile responsiveness with broken layouts
- Weak SEO foundation, thin content with missing meta descriptions and poor keyword targeting
- Confusing booking flow with 4+ steps causing user drop-off
- Outdated design that failed to showcase Gudauri Ski Resort’s appeal or build trust
Our Solution: Website Redesign with Elementor and Content Optimization with Surfer SEO
Phase 1: Security & Foundation
Malware Removal & Security Hardening
- Installed and configured Wordfence security plugin with real-time threat defense
- Conducted comprehensive malware scan and removed all infected files from theme and database
- Cleaned compromised database tables and removed malicious entries
- Updated WordPress core from outdated version to latest stable release
- Upgraded PHP from version 7.2 to 8.3 for improved security and performance
- Changed all access credentials and implemented two-factor authentication
- Utilized Cloudflare for hardened security, bot protection, and speed improvements (lower TTFB)
- Implemented Cloudflare Turnstile captcha for contact form to avoid bot submissions
Hosting & Server Optimization
- Enabled OPcache and tweaked OPcache parameters like
interned_strings_buffer,memory_consumption, andrevalidate_freqfor optimum performance - Installed and configured Redis Object Cache for database query optimization
- Added high performance keys (indexes) to WordPress database tables using Index WP MySQL for Speed plugin
Phase 2: Complete Website Redesign
Design & User Experience Overhaul
- Built modern, conversion-focused design using Elementor with clear value propositions that communicated Gudauri’s unique appeal and simplified the booking journey.
- Added clear calls-to-action on every page to drive booking conversions
- Created visually stunning hero sections showcasing Gudauri’s mountain landscapes using authentic resort photography instead of stock images
- Redesigned booking flow from 4+ steps down to streamlined 2-step process
- Implemented trust signals (customer reviews, National Geographic feature, partner logos)
- Optimized mobile responsiveness with streamlined booking forms and improved readability
Performance Optimization
- Compressed and optimized all images using WebP format (reduced file sizes by 70%+)
- Installed and configured Perfmatters plugin for frontend optimizations
- Enabled Speculative API and set prefetching with moderate eagerness
- Implemented lazy loading for below-the-fold images
- Excluded LCP images from lazy loading and set fetch-priority=high
- Preloaded critical assets to improve LCP
- Configured browser caching for static assets with proper expiry headers
- Deferred non-critical JavaScript and delayed tracking scripts until user interaction
- Reduced page load times from 6+ seconds to 2.4 seconds (60% improvement)
MOBILE
DESKTOP
Phase 3: SEO Content Optimization
Keyword Research & Content Strategy
- Conducted comprehensive keyword research targeting high-intent searches for Georgia ski holidays and Gudauri accommodations
- Identified primary keywords with strong commercial intent: “Gudauri ski resort,” “ski Georgia packages”, “Gudauri ski rental prices”
- Discovered long-tail opportunities like “best time to ski Gudauri” and “Gudauri vs European ski resorts”
- Mapped keyword clusters to specific landing pages to improve topical authority
- Analyzed competitor rankings and content strategies to identify untapped opportunities and content gaps
On-Page SEO Implementation with Surfer SEO
- Created SEO-optimized content for key landing pages using Surfer SEO content editor that answers all the facts that searchers looking for
- Achieved 75+ Surfer SEO content scores on primary landing pages
- Optimized all meta titles, meta descriptions, and H1 titles for target keywords
- Implemented proper internal linking structure to distribute page authority
- Added schema markup for relevant elements like FAQ
- Optimized image alt texts with relevant keywords
- Created destination guides and content targeting informational queries
Technical SEO Fixes
Optimized URL structure for clarity and keyword relevance and properly and implemented proper 301 redirects from old URLs to new URLs
Submitted updated XML sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
Fixed duplicate content issues and canonicalization errors
Phase 4: Monitoring & Continuous Improvement
- Monitored speed performances using PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix
- Tracked booking conversion rates
Results
As of early October 2025, Ski Georgia has achieved improved search rankings, increased organic traffic, and most importantly, doubled bookings.
Key Takeaways
This case study demonstrates how addressing critical website issues through comprehensive redesign and SEO optimization can transform business results in a short period of time.
Security first, growth second: Malware infections don’t just compromise user data; they destroy search rankings and user trust. Addressing security vulnerabilities was the foundation for all subsequent improvements.
Performance drives conversions: Reducing page load times from 6+ seconds to 2.4 seconds (60% improvement) eliminated a major friction point. Faster websites don’t just rank better; they convert better, as visitors are more likely to complete bookings when pages load quickly.
Strategic SEO beats guesswork: Using data-driven tools like Surfer SEO to optimize content for high-intent keywords ensured we weren’t just creating content, but creating content that ranks and converts for searches that matter.
Design impacts trust and action: Modern, professional design with authentic imagery and streamlined booking flows addressed visitor hesitation. The combination of visual appeal and simplified user experience directly contributed to doubled bookings.
Holistic approach delivers compound results: Security remediation, performance optimization, modern design, and strategic SEO worked together synergistically. Each improvement amplified the others. Faster speeds improved rankings, better rankings brought more traffic, and better design converted that traffic into bookings.
Measurable ROI proves value: Doubled bookings aren’t just a vanity metric; they represent real revenue growth that continues month after month, demonstrating how strategic website investments deliver lasting business impact.
Ready to Transform Your Website Performance?
Is your website suffering from security issues, slow load times, or poor search rankings that are costing you customers?
Our expert team specializes in comprehensive website solutions that combine security hardening, performance optimization, modern redesign, and data-driven SEO optimization to deliver measurable business results.
This case study showcases how we helped Ski Georgia double their bookings through a holistic approach to website improvement.
Contact us today or book a discovery call to discuss your website challenges and discover how we can help you achieve similar growth.
