Portrush Surf School: custom WordPress website with ecommerce

A custom WordPress website built for Portrush Surf School

Portrush Surf School is one of Northern Ireland's leading surf schools, running lessons, experiences and equipment hire from its base on the Causeway Coast. When they came to us, the brief was clear: build something that captures the energy of the brand and makes it far easier for customers to book, buy and browse in one place.

The old website no longer reflected who they were or where they were going. Customers visiting on mobile had a frustrating experience. Booking, merchandise and gift vouchers all lived in disconnected places. The team were spending time on admin that a well-built website could handle automatically.

We designed and developed the new site from the ground up using WordPress, with all design work completed in Figma before a single line of code was written. No off-the-shelf templates. Every page was built to feel connected to the North Coast and the experience of being in the water.

Designed mobile-first, built for the coast

Most customers find Portrush Surf School while they are already travelling, already on the coast, already looking for something to do. That shaped every design decision we made.

The site was designed mobile-first from day one, with bold typography, strong imagery and layouts that load fast and feel natural on a phone screen. The creative direction balances energy with clarity. It feels like surf culture without becoming difficult to navigate.

Every page connects back to a single goal: get the customer into a booking or a purchase with as little friction as possible.

Booking integration that reduces friction

A clear and accessible booking journey was central to the project. Customers can explore available experiences, understand what is included and move directly into the booking process without being passed between disconnected platforms.

The booking system is integrated directly into the WordPress site so the transition feels seamless. For the Portrush Surf School team, it is easier to manage availability and keep on top of bookings without juggling multiple tools.

This is the kind of detail that makes a real difference to conversion. Fewer clicks between interest and commitment means more bookings completed.

E-commerce, drop-shipping and automated gift vouchers

The website includes a full online shop for Portrush Surf School merchandise, connected to a drop-shipping fulfilment process. Products can be sold online without the team manually packaging and dispatching every order, giving the business an additional revenue stream with minimal added workload.

Gift vouchers were also introduced as a digital product. Customers can purchase a surf experience as a gift directly through the website and receive it automatically. No manual processing, no chasing emails, no delays. The voucher system runs around the clock so the business keeps selling even when the team is out on the water.

A website the team can actually manage

The site was built with a straightforward content management system. The Portrush Surf School team can update content, swap images, add products and make changes without touching code or waiting on a developer.

That matters. A website that is difficult to update becomes outdated fast. We build for the long term, not just the launch.

Search built into the structure

Search engine optimisation was built into the site from the start, not added on afterwards. Pages are organised around the services and experiences customers are actively searching for, with clean page structures, optimised metadata and locally relevant content.

The site is built to perform well for searches related to surfing, lessons and outdoor experiences in Portrush and across the North Coast of Northern Ireland.

If you want to take that further with a dedicated SEO strategy or get your business appearing in AI-generated answers through AEO, we can build on this foundation.

The result

Portrush Surf School now has a website that works as hard as the business does. Customers can discover activities, book experiences, buy vouchers and shop for merchandise through one connected platform. The team has a site that is easy to manage, supported by automated systems, and built to grow.

This is what a website should do: remove problems, reduce admin and bring in more customers.

See the live site

Visit https://portrushsurfschool.com to see the finished website.