ABOUTTHE CLIENT
Katja and Tjaša are barefoot footwear experts and founders of the Barefoot Universe platform, which consists of:
After years of learning, testing, and exploring the path to healthy feet and barefoot shoes, what began as a personal search for solutions for their own bodies evolved into a mission – to help others discover the freedom, strength, and comfort that start from the ground up.
Their work is no longer a side project but a daily commitment. Helping people transition safely and confidently to barefoot footwear has become their profession and way of life.
They were among the first in the world to write in detail about barefoot shoes, and today they run the largest Instagram account globally in this niche. What began as a personal journey has grown into a platform that actively shapes the barefoot industry – from product development to education and awareness.
They collaborate with some of the largest and most respected barefoot shoe brands and retailers, as well as smaller family-run manufacturers they are proud to support. Brands trust them with new product launches, sizing and fit advice, feedback, and even product development collaboration.
This trust is built on real experience, not theory. Katja and Tjaša have personally tested hundreds of pairs of barefoot shoes – for themselves and their families – learning firsthand what works, what doesn’t, and why. Every list, review, and recommendation on their website is based on actual testing, not just technical specifications or photos.
Many barefoot shoe models we know today were created with their input – they have been part of the discussions and development behind the scenes. That’s why brands trust their advice, and readers return to them for answers. Their work is defined by experience, honesty, and care – values born from the journey they’ve walked themselves.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The purpose of the Barefoot Universe website redesign was to carry out a complete technical and partial visual update of the existing platform while preserving key SEO elements and years of valuable content.
The main goal was to enhance the user experience, optimize site performance across all devices, and establish an affiliate sales system without direct purchases on the website.
The new website is built on the WordPress platform, using a reliable and high-performance theme combined with custom PHP, CSS, and JavaScript code.
The /shop section is set up as an affiliate catalog, where individual products contain affiliate links leading to external retailers. Each product is dynamically linked to the client’s affiliate code, enabling precise traffic tracking and monetization.
Key Functionalities and Technical Solutions:
- Implementation of a /shop section without cart or checkout, featuring advanced attribute filters and custom fields linked to individual product templates.
- Development of popup buttons for easy affiliate code copying.
- Full optimization for all screen sizes and an improved mobile user experience.
- Refreshed website design with a modern, responsive layout.
- Migration of approximately 500 blog posts across three languages, preserving URL structure, content, and visual appearance.
- Retention of original publish and update dates (created/updated date), which was crucial for maintaining SEO rankings and content credibility.
- Implementation of custom blog post attributes enabling advanced filtering on archive pages.
- Ensured full compatibility with the WPML plugin, maintaining all translations without errors.
- The blog editor interface remains identical to the previous system, allowing the client to continue adding content easily without learning a new CMS environment.
The redesign resulted in a stable and scalable structure, enabling the client to efficiently manage affiliate products and content without losing existing SEO authority or brand recognition.
