Auzou Publishing – WordPress Web Design, UX and SEO

The Challenge

Established in 1973, Auzou Publishing is a family-run French publishing house and one of France’s leading publishers of children’s books. Its catalogue includes early-learning titles, picture books, activity books, craft books and fiction for children aged from birth to 13.

As Auzou expanded into the UK, its existing website was no longer suitable for presenting its translated titles to English-speaking audiences. The design lacked the colour and personality of the books, while the catalogue structure made it difficult for parents, educators and booksellers to discover relevant titles.

• The visual design did not reflect Auzou’s playful brand identity
• Catalogue content was difficult to browse and compare
• Confusing navigation limited product discovery
• The website offered little flexibility for future growth
• Content updates were unnecessarily time-consuming
• Weak search visibility restricted awareness in the UK market

The objective was to create an engaging WordPress website that brought Auzou’s personality to life while making its growing catalogue easier to explore and manage.

Discovery and Technical Review

The project began with a detailed review of Auzou’s content, target audiences, and technical requirements. This helped establish how WordPress could immediately support the UK business while leaving room for future functionality.

• WordPress selected as a flexible and accessible content management system
• WooCommerce foundations introduced to support future online purchasing
• Existing catalogue content reviewed and reorganised
• User journeys mapped for parents, educators and booksellers
• Mobile-first wireframes created for important landing and book pages
• Technical and SEO reviews used to identify performance and visibility opportunities

This discovery phase gave the project a clear structure and ensured that design decisions were based on genuine user requirements rather than appearance alone.

UX and Design Research

Auzou’s books are colourful, imaginative and created to capture children’s attention. The new website needed to convey the same sense of energy without overwhelming adults browsing the catalogue.

Our UX and design teams created a visual system inspired by Auzou’s illustrations and book covers, using colour, imagery and playful details to strengthen the publisher’s identity.

• Figma wireframes defined page layouts and important interactions
• Clear navigation grouped books by age, format and category
• Bold imagery gave individual titles greater prominence
• Typography and interactive elements reflected the playful brand
• Page layouts were tested across desktop, tablet and mobile
• Iterative feedback helped balance creativity with usability

The resulting interface feels lively and distinctive while remaining straightforward for parents and trade customers to navigate.

Marketing & SEO Strategy

Launching a UK website required more than adapting Auzou’s visual identity. The platform also needed to help search engines understand the publisher’s catalogue and introduce the brand to a new market.

Our SEO team worked alongside the designers and developers to build search visibility into the website from the outset.

• Keyword research focused on children’s books, activity books and age-specific searches
• Page titles, headings and metadata were optimised
• Catalogue categories were structured around relevant search intent
• Internal linking connected books, categories and supporting content
• Image sizes and page performance were reviewed
• Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager were configured
• Technical checks supported crawling, indexing and mobile performance

This integrated approach helped Auzou improve visibility without compromising the playful experience created for visitors.