When I decided to launch The Travel Lab, I knew exactly how I wanted my clients to feel when they worked with me.
After more than 30 years in the travel industry, I wanted to create a business that reflected the way I believe travel should be planned: personally, thoughtfully and with genuine care.
What I didn’t know was how to translate all of that into a brand and an online presence.
That’s where Matt from Button Web Design came in.
More Than Just a Website
From our early conversations, Matt understood that The Travel Lab couldn’t simply look like another travel agency.
My business isn’t really about selling flights or finding a hotel. It’s about getting to know my clients, understanding how they like to travel and using my experience to create journeys that genuinely suit them.
Trust and personal service are incredibly important to me, so I wanted someone visiting my website for the first time to get a sense of that.
Matt took the time to understand not only what I do, but how I work, who my clients are and what I wanted The Travel Lab to become.
That made an enormous difference.
As the project developed, I realised we weren’t simply building a website. We were working out how The Travel Lab should present itself to the world.
Getting the Details Right
There were so many elements to consider.
We worked through the structure of the website, how my different travel services should be presented, the photography, wording, calls to action and the overall journey someone would take through the site.
Matt helped me find a way of communicating more than 30 years of travel experience without making the website feel corporate or impersonal.
We wanted it to feel sophisticated and professional, but also warm and approachable. Most importantly, it needed to feel like me.
What I particularly appreciated was that Matt was always thinking about the reason behind something. It wasn’t simply a question of whether a page looked beautiful. He was considering what a potential client needed to know, where they might go next and how we could make that experience easier.
That thinking extended beyond the visible design of the website into areas such as search visibility, how I describe my services, my presence here on the Sunshine Coast while working with clients throughout Australia, and how The Travel Lab could continue to build its online presence after launch.
Thinking Beyond the Brief
One of my favourite examples of how the project evolved was the idea of creating a digital business card.
We had been exploring ways of making my contact and business information easily available when I’m meeting people at networking events, conferences or simply while I’m out and about. One possibility was to put the information directly onto an electronic card, but Matt suggested keeping things much simpler.
Instead, we could use a traditional business card with a QR code that takes people to a dedicated, mobile-optimised page on The Travel Lab website.
It means I still have the familiarity and simplicity of a physical business card, but someone can scan the QR code with their phone and immediately access a page created specifically for that moment. It isn’t the normal website homepage or a page full of information they have to navigate. It’s a simple introduction to The Travel Lab, with the information they’re most likely to need and an easy way to continue the conversation.
The page isn’t part of the normal website navigation either. It has been created specifically for people arriving through the QR code, so the experience can be designed around someone who has already met me.
What I particularly like about the solution is its flexibility. The business card and QR code can stay exactly the same, while Matt can update or develop the page behind it whenever we need to.
It may seem like a relatively small part of a much larger project, but to me it demonstrates something I’ve really valued about working with Matt. He doesn’t introduce technology simply for the sake of it. He looks at what we’re trying to achieve and finds a practical way of making it work.
Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one.
A Website Should Work for the Business
Working with Matt has also made me think about the similarities between our two professions.
People often ask me why they should use a Travel Manager when they can book a holiday themselves online.
And of course they can.
But what an experienced travel professional brings is knowledge, judgement and the ability to look at the whole journey rather than simply processing individual bookings.
A good professional asks questions you may not have thought to ask. They notice details you might have overlooked. And sometimes they suggest possibilities you didn’t even know were available.
I think there’s a very similar principle at work here.
There are plenty of ways to build a website yourself. But having somebody who understands what they’re doing—and, importantly, takes the time to understand your business—can result in something very different.
Matt’s approach isn’t simply about building the pages a client asks him to build. His philosophy is to understand the business well enough to identify useful opportunities and remove unnecessary friction for its customers. That certainly reflects my experience of working with him.
The Response Has Been Fantastic
Since launching The Travel Lab, the feedback I’ve received has been wonderful.
People have commented on how professional the website looks, how beautifully everything comes together and how well it reflects me and the business I’ve created.
For somebody launching a new business, that feedback means a great deal.
You know what you want your business to represent, but seeing somebody else bring those ideas together and turn them into something tangible is incredibly rewarding.
I’m proud to send people to The Travel Lab website. It feels established, considered and professional, while still feeling personal.
And that gives me confidence when I’m promoting the business.
Building Something for the Future
Another thing I’ve appreciated is that launching the website hasn’t felt like the end of the project.
The Travel Lab will continue to evolve, and so will the way I communicate with clients and promote the business.
We’ve already explored ideas around social media, content, search visibility and ways the website can support what I’m doing away from the screen.
Having somebody looking after the digital side of the business who already understands the brand means I don’t feel as though I’m starting again every time I have an idea.
There’s continuity.
Matt knows what we’re trying to achieve with The Travel Lab, and I know I can talk through an idea with him and work out the best way to approach it.
For a small business owner, I think that’s enormously valuable.
Would I Recommend Button Web Design?
Absolutely.
One of the things I tell my own clients is that experience matters.
After more than 30 years working in travel, I know there are details you only learn through years of doing the job, solving problems and understanding what works.
I think the same applies when choosing the people who help you build your business.
If you’re starting something new, refreshing an established business or have simply reached the point where your online presence no longer represents the quality of what you do, I’d happily recommend having a conversation with Matt at Button Web Design.
I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve created together and very excited about where The Travel Lab goes from here.
Matt didn’t just build me a website.
He helped me bring The Travel Lab to life.
Sarah Liebenberg
The Travel Lab Australia