The German Farmers’ Publishing House (DBV) is one of Germany’s most traditional specialist publishers, reaching a highly specialized audience in agriculture, horticulture, and beekeeping. Its portfolio includes renowned publications such as GartenFlora, Bauernzeitung, and Deutsches Bienen-Journal. In addition to print magazines, the publisher operates its own online platforms, offers e-learning services, and organizes trade fairs as well as the specialist congress Farm & Food 4.0.
Step 1
The Challenge
In relaunching three websites at once — GartenFlora, Bauernzeitung, and Deutsches Bienen-Journal — the German Farmers’ Publishing House faced a complex task: modernizing the sites technically and visually without alienating their loyal readership. WEVENTURE took over digital concept development, UX design, and technical implementation to prepare the publisher for the future, with a focus on user-friendliness, SEO, and digital reach.
Balancing innovation and tradition
The new design had to feel fresher without losing the familiar character of the brands — a particular challenge for established specialist magazines.
Three brands, one unified standard
Despite different content and target groups, all sites needed to offer a consistent structure, navigation, and user experience.
Technical modernization & mobile first
The existing websites were not responsive and no longer aligned with modern UX standards. Mobile usage was at the center of the redesign.
SEO & visibility protection
A relaunch always carries risks for rankings and reach — the goal was to maintain visibility and increase it through new structures.
Complex project management
With multiple teams, stakeholders, and departments involved, a clear project plan with defined communication and responsibilities was essential for success.
Step 2
Our Approach
With multiple teams, stakeholders, and departments involved, a clear project plan with defined communication and responsibilities was essential for success.
Strategic planning & concept development
Goal definition & project structure: In joint workshops with DBV, user goals, design requirements, and business objectives were prioritized.
Unified site concept: Development of a scalable basic structure for all three brands — with identical navigation, UX logic, and editorial modules.
Mobile-first design: Creation of responsive layouts for optimal display on smartphones and tablets.
Content architecture: Structuring the site hierarchy to make topics, articles, and formats easier to find and interlink.
Design, development, SEO
UX/UI design: Fresh, modern design while preserving brand character — visually clear but editorially familiar.
Frontend & backend development: Technical implementation based on modern web standards, focusing on performance and usability.
SEO setup: Technical optimization of all sites, including clean redirects, meta structures, and loading times.
Call-to-action & lead structure: Integration of new contact and interaction elements to strengthen digital revenue sources.
Interdisciplinary collaboration: Regular alignment sessions between Digital Solutions, SEO, and Design for consistent quality control.
Through a structured, interdisciplinary approach, WEVENTURE successfully modernized and digitally repositioned the three brands of the German Farmers’ Publishing House in 968 project hours. The outcome: a unified online presence with improved user experience, higher performance, and a stronger brand identity — ready for future digital business models. (As of May 2020)
3 websites launched
3
GartenFlora, Bauernzeitung, and Deutsches Bienen-Journal in a new, responsive design.
3 landing pages
3
User-friendly structure with clear conversion elements and increased interaction rates.
Additional achievements
Improved mobile usability
Higher interaction rates
Optimized SEO foundation
Stronger brand perception
Learnings
Key Insights
A relaunch is more than a redesign: technical structure, SEO, and user guidance must be aligned from the start to achieve sustainable results.
Consistency builds trust: Three brands — one user experience. Unified UX standards enhance recognition and brand loyalty.
Mobile first is mandatory: Optimizing for mobile devices is not a trend but a prerequisite for reach and conversion.
Close coordination is the success factor: Regular communication between design, development, editorial teams, and SEO prevents friction and ensures quality.
Relaunch as a chance for progress: The technical reboot provided DBV with the foundation to further expand digital revenue models and new interaction formats in the future.
With more than 7 years of experience in UX/UI and SEO, we help you modernize your website and prepare it according to best practices for SEO, SEA, and SMA.