Vulkana Drift
Spa boat in Tromsø
A digital presence that didn’t yet reflect the quality of the experience, completely redesigned using a custom WordPress platform designed to convert international visitors into bookings.
An extraordinary experience. A website that didn't quite do it justice.
Vulkana is a 1957 fishing boat that has been converted into a floating Arctic spa, located in the heart of Tromsø Harbor in Norway. It’s a popular destination for visitors from around the world.
The onboard experience is unique. As for the digital presence, it hadn't caught up yet.
The Wix platform had several limitations: a mobile display that needed improvement at a time when 85% of traffic came from smartphones, an SEO structure that needed to be optimized, and a booking process that needed to be clarified. That’s where I stepped in.
Customer & Date
- Vulkana Drift AS, Tromsø
- Migration: February 2026
Sector
Wellness & Tourism
Scope
- Content strategy
- SEO
- Webdesign
- WordPress (from Wix)
Previously: Wix
- Generic template, no brand identity
- Mobile layout not optimised (85% of traffic)
- No SEO structure or metadata
- User experience not optimized
- Unclear booking process
- No e-commerce tracking or conversion
After: WordPress
- Custom design, strong brand identity
- Clean, fully owned platform
- Mobile-first, 100% responsive
- On-page SEO, semantic structure, metadata
- A clear booking process with every scroll
- GA4 E-commerce + Conversion Tracking
Mobile experience
Designed for the 85% of users who browse on their phones
With the vast majority of visitors accessing the site via mobile devices, every page has been designed with a mobile-first approach—from the immersive hero slider to the booking process, including navigation and editorial pages.
Design Approach
Bringing the Arctic atmosphere to life through a digital experience
The goal: to give Vulkana a website that perfectly captures the onboard experience—calm, contemplative, and unique—while remaining focused on conversion.
Every design decision is tied to a business objective:
- immerse the user in the world of the Vulkana Spa Boat before they even set foot on board
- guide users as they explore the boat and the activities on offer
- guide the user through the booking process with as little friction as possible.
Visual Identity
The visual identity draws inspiration from the worlds of Vulkana, Tromsø, and the Arctic: the deep navy of the Arctic night, the lighter blue of the sky reflecting in the crystal-clear waters of the fjords, the pink of the endless sunsets during the midnight sun, the expansive white spaces, and the consistently immersive photos and videos…
A serif font for editorial storytelling, to add a touch of poetry to the navigation, and a clean sans-serif font for navigation and the UI.
The Services page has been redesigned as an immersive grid; the About page has been reimagined as a long-form brand story.
Polar Night Blue
#052A4F
Midnight Sun Pink
#C47BAD
Fjords Water Blue
#304F6E
Typography
Cormorant Garamont Light & Light Italic
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Albert Sans
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
“Atourist visiting Tromsø has 30 seconds to decide whether this experience is right for them. The website had to make them want to visit—immediately, instinctively—before they even thought to compare options.”
Scope
Digital Strategy & Execution: From Brief to Launch
Working directly with Vulkana’s manager, I oversaw all aspects of the company’s digital presence, from technical migration and content strategy to Google Ads campaigns and the implementation of Analytics tracking.
The results
GA4 – Mid-February – April 2026 – 2 months
The numbers speak for themselves
The first few months after migrating to the new WordPress platform.
Encouraging initial figures for a premium product with strong seasonality. The average order value is high (starting at 790 kr per session), and the period covers the winter off-season (late February through March and April).
With 255 transactions over 1.5 months, a engagement rate of 63.5% (compared to the industry benchmark of around 50%), and 7 international markets reached from a local spa in Tromsø, we have already achieved the goal of this redesign and migration.
35
%
Year-over-year revenue growth (Feb–March)
63.5
%
Engagement Rate - Tourism Benchmark ~50%
255
Transactions completed - 488 items purchased
7300
Sessions from organic Google traffic - Top traffic source
7
International markets reached: Canada, UK, US, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy
2800
Sessions from Google Ads - Paid Search
Organic traffic, which was already significant before the migration, has been maintained since then
Google organic traffic was already the second-largest source of traffic to the Wix site (behind direct traffic). After the migration, the stronger SEO structure maintained this performance, with Google organic traffic moving slightly into first place in the rankings.
Early results are promising and the adventure is just getting started.
Updated May 2026.
The business model has changed.
Digital technology has followed suit.
In April 2026, Vulkana switched to a 100% private booking model. No more individual bookings on the website via Acuity, and no more walk-ins—only groups by request. This pivot was decided quickly and affected everything: the booking process, GA4 tracking, the website’s seven pages, and the Instagram season launch strategy.
We had to go over everything again. Quickly.
What has changed
In practical terms
01
Evolving the narrative without disrupting what was working
Repositioning Instagram for a new audience without losing the visual aesthetic that had built the community. The trickiest part wasn’t creating content; it was shifting the message without anyone noticing. Same world, new audience.
03
The website has been completely redesigned
7 pages reviewed, every call-to-action rewritten, a form optimized, and every page aligned with the right message. The site now speaks to groups looking for an exclusive experience or a custom private event.
02
Emails, properly set up
Customer auto-replies, admin notifications, SPF/DKIM configuration, Gmail OAuth routing, and creating response templates. All the behind-the-scenes work that ensures emails are sent and received correctly and project a professional image from the very first interaction.
01
A new booking process
The online booking system has been replaced by a custom request form. Each request receives a personalized response within 48 hours—less automation, more human interaction, and more personalization.
“Thereal question isn’t just ‘Is the website attractive?’ but ‘Does it accurately reflect what we offer today?’ When the answer is no and the start of the new season is approaching, we adapt—and fast!”