For this project, I had the opportunity to create a completely new website for RKZ Metall Design GmbH. RKZ is an Austrian company based in Lower Austria that specializes in professional flood protection solutions for windows and doors, as well as custom-made solutions for special situations.

This project was especially interesting for me because my father works at the company, which gave me a closer connection to both the business and its challenges.

Why This Project?

You might be wondering why I suddenly included this project among my master’s projects.

The answer is quite simple. The company had received very few customer inquiries in recent months. During trade fairs and exhibitions, potential customers often mentioned that they could not find the company online. After taking a closer look, it became clear why.

The existing website had several issues. It suffered from poor performance, weak SEO, and limited accessibility. Important legal pages such as the imprint and privacy policy were also incomplete and contained errors. Overall, the website did not represent the quality of the company and its products.

Because of this, I offered my support and took on the challenge of creating a new website from scratch.

Project Scope

One of the biggest problems with the old website was that it had been developed entirely in React. While this worked from a technical perspective, it made content management almost impossible for non-technical employees.

The company wanted a website that they could update themselves. They wanted to be able to change texts, upload images, and maintain content without needing programming knowledge every time.

This became one of the main goals of the project.

Core Features

Before starting the design and development process, I spoke with the client to understand what they needed from their new website.

Of course, the products had to be presented clearly. Beyond that, they wanted customer reviews, information about partners, a contact form, and an overall more modern appearance.

My personal focus was on creating a website that performs well in areas that are essential today: responsive design, SEO, and accessibility. A website should not only look good, it should also be easy to find and easy to use on all devices.

Since the company had almost no digital presence beyond its website, I also created a Google Business Profile and set up Google Analytics to help them understand and improve their online visibility in the future.

Design, Tools, and Technologies

The design process started in Figma. The client requested a visual style inspired by water and waves to reflect the company’s connection to flood protection.

At the same time, I wanted to keep the design clean and professional. The target audience is mostly businesses and homeowners looking for reliable protection solutions, so the website needed to maintain a strong industrial and trustworthy feel.

To make content management easier for the company, I decided to build the website with WordPress instead of creating another fully custom solution. This allows employees to manage content themselves without needing technical knowledge.

To customize the website and provide all required functionality, I researched, installed, and configured several WordPress plugins that support performance, SEO, security, forms, and content management.

What I Learned

This was the first time I created an entire website completely from scratch.

I was involved in every step of the process, from researching hosting options and planning the structure to designing the interface, setting up WordPress, configuring plugins, creating the Google Business Profile, and integrating Google Analytics.

On top of that, I made sure the website worked well on different screen sizes and followed SEO and accessibility best practices.

The project was definitely time-consuming, but it taught me a lot. I gained a much better understanding of how many different areas come together when building a professional website. It was not only about design or development, but also about planning, communication, marketing, and long-term maintainability.

Conclusion and Future Steps

At the moment, the project is not completely finished yet. I am currently waiting for feedback from the company, and some final content such as photos and text material is still missing.

Once these assets are available, I will make the final adjustments, complete the remaining content, and submit the website for indexing so it can be found through search engines.

After that, the company will finally have a modern web presence that better reflects its expertise and helps potential customers find its services online.

Check It Out Soon

The new website will soon be available at:

https://www.rkz-design.gmbh

Feel free to take a look once it goes live.