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Case Study

UpSkillz — Accredited Training Provider

Brand identity and website built from the ground up for a UK-wide accredited training provider. Four pillars, one bold design — Transport, Construction, Health & Safety, and E-Learning all under a striking black, yellow and red editorial brand built to stand out in a crowded sector.

Client UpSkillz
Industry Accredited Training Provider
Location Wigan, UK-wide delivery
Scope Brand, Build & SEO
upskillz.co.uk
UpSkillz website built by Mako Digital
Stand out or blend in — there was only one option

UpSkillz is a UK-wide accredited training provider delivering courses across four specialist areas: Transport (Driver CPC, ADR, HGV/LGV, Driver Medicals), Construction (CSCS, CPCS, NPORS, SMSTS, SSSTS, Asbestos, First Aid), Health & Safety (IOSH, NEBOSH, Manual Handling, Fire Safety, Risk Assessment, COSHH), and E-Learning (online accredited courses, CPD recognised, instant certification).

The brief was clear from the start: don't build another training provider website that looks like every other training provider website. The sector is crowded with identikit sites — stock photos of hard hats, blue gradients, and a table of course dates. UpSkillz wanted something different. A brand that had energy, a design that had attitude, and a website that actually communicated the breadth and quality of what they offer.

We handled the full project — brand identity, design system, website build, e-learning integration, SEO landing pages, and Google setup — from a blank canvas to a live site with 10 indexed landing pages, full schema markup throughout, and a contact form routing enquiries directly to the team.

One provider. Four specialist areas.
🚛

Transport

Driver CPC Periodic · ADR Hazardous Goods · HGV / LGV · Driver Medicals

🏗️

Construction

CSCS · CPCS · NPORS · SMSTS · SSSTS · Asbestos Awareness · First Aid

🛡️

Health & Safety

IOSH Managing Safely · NEBOSH · Manual Handling · Fire Safety · COSHH · Risk Assessment

💻

E-Learning

Online accredited courses · CPD recognised · Instant certificate on completion

9 out of 10 delivery checklist services included
Website Design & Build

Website Design & Build

Full brand identity and custom theme — bold editorial design with Black Han Sans, black, yellow and red palette, thick rule dividers, and a scrolling keyword ticker across four training pillars

Built-in CRM & Lead Handling

Built-in CRM & Lead Handling

Course enquiry form capturing training area, preferred dates, and group size — routed directly to the UpSkillz team for fast follow-up

Gallery / Portfolio Pages

Gallery / Portfolio Pages

Not included in this project

Domain Setup & DNS Configuration

Domain Setup & DNS Configuration

Domain configured on Hostinger with SSL, nameservers, and all DNS records set up correctly from launch day

Email Setup & Deliverability

Email Setup & Deliverability

Contact form configured for reliable enquiry delivery with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records ensuring inbox placement

Security Hardening

Security Hardening

SSL certificate, login hardening, firewall configuration, and automated backups on Hostinger hosting

Google Readiness & Indexing

Google Readiness & Indexing

Google Search Console setup, XML sitemap submitted, LocalBusiness, WebPage, BreadcrumbList, and FAQPage schema across all pages — 10 SEO landing pages built and indexed from day one

Performance & Core Web Vitals

Performance & Core Web Vitals

Mobile-first responsive design, optimised assets, server-side caching, and clean code throughout all page templates

Analytics & Conversion Tracking

Analytics & Conversion Tracking

Google Search Console with sitemap submission and page-level indexing — course enquiry form submissions tracked as conversion events

Launch, Support & Handover

Launch, Support & Handover

Full go-live with DNS verification, form testing, e-learning integration check, and team walkthrough on content management

Brand first. Build second. Google third.
01

Brand Identity & Design System

Before a single page template was written, we established the brand. Black Han Sans for display headings — bold, condensed, unmistakable. Epilogue for body copy — clean and readable at any size. Palette: black, yellow and red — high contrast, high energy, completely distinctive in a sector that defaults to blue and grey. The design system uses thick rule dividers, large typographic hierarchy, bold colour-coded blocks per training pillar, and a scrolling keyword ticker that communicates the sheer breadth of courses on offer. The result looks nothing like a typical training provider website — and that is exactly the point.

02

Custom Theme & Page Templates

The entire site is built as a custom theme — hand-coded page templates in a dedicated subfolder for the homepage, each of the four training pillars, individual course pages, contact, and supporting pages. The homepage leads with a bold split-panel hero: the flagship headline on the left, and an interactive course category panel on the right letting visitors jump straight to their relevant pillar. The four sections are colour-coded throughout — blue for Transport, green for Construction, red for Health & Safety, purple for E-Learning — giving the site an intuitive visual navigation system that works even before the menu is used.

03

E-Learning Integration

The e-learning purchase flow is embedded directly into the UpSkillz site — learners can browse available online courses, select their course, and complete their purchase without being bounced away to a third-party platform. The integration connects to the external e-learning system via a secure embedded interface, keeping the UpSkillz brand consistent throughout the entire learner journey from landing page to certificate download.

04

10 SEO Landing Pages

Training providers live and die by their visibility on specific course searches. We built 10 dedicated SEO landing pages targeting the highest-value keywords across all four pillars — Driver CPC, ADR training, CSCS cards, SMSTS, SSSTS, NEBOSH, IOSH, manual handling, fire safety, and online e-learning. Each page has its own URL, title, meta description, heading hierarchy, and body content written around real search intent. All 10 were submitted to Google Search Console via sitemap and manually requested for indexing on launch day.

05

Schema Markup & Google Setup

Every page carries a full suite of structured data: LocalBusiness schema with the UpSkillz address, contact details, and service areas; WebPage schema on every template; BreadcrumbList schema for clean search appearance; and FAQPage schema on course and pillar pages for featured snippet potential. Google Search Console was verified via DNS, the XML sitemap submitted, and all key pages indexed. Yoast SEO handles ongoing meta management across the site as new courses and pages are added.

A brand and website built to compete
4
Training pillars with
dedicated section pages
10
SEO landing pages
built and indexed
4
Schema types across
every page
100%
Custom brand —
designed from scratch
Day 1
Google indexed
and live
9/10
Delivery checklist
services included

Training Provider Brand & Website Case Study: This case study details how Mako Digital created the UpSkillz brand identity and built a fully custom website for a UK-wide accredited training provider based in Wigan. The project covered the complete design system — Black Han Sans and Epilogue typography, black, yellow and red palette, bold editorial layout with scrolling keyword ticker — alongside a custom-coded theme with pillar pages for Transport, Construction, Health & Safety, and E-Learning.

The project also included a secure e-learning purchase flow integration, 10 SEO landing pages targeting specific course keywords across all four training pillars, LocalBusiness, WebPage, BreadcrumbList, and FAQPage schema across all pages, Google Search Console verification, XML sitemap submission, Yoast SEO configuration, and a course enquiry contact form with reliable email delivery. Every Mako Digital project includes our 10-point delivery checklist covering brand, design, build, lead handling, domain setup, email, security, SEO, performance, analytics, and launch support.

Common questions about training provider websites
Yes. UpSkillz is a UK-wide accredited training provider covering Transport, Construction, Health & Safety, and E-Learning. We designed and built a full brand identity alongside the website — a deliberately bold editorial design that stands out in a sector where most training provider sites look identical. The site is structured around their four training pillars, with dedicated sector pages, 10 SEO landing pages targeting specific course keywords, and an integrated e-learning purchase flow.
Training providers need to target specific course-level keywords — searches like "Driver CPC training Wigan", "NEBOSH course near me", or "online manual handling certificate" are far more valuable than generic traffic. For UpSkillz we built 10 dedicated SEO landing pages targeting their highest-value search terms across Transport, Construction, and Health & Safety. Every page was built with LocalBusiness schema, WebPage schema, FAQPage schema, and BreadcrumbList schema — giving Google the full structured picture of what UpSkillz offers and where they deliver.
Yes. The UpSkillz site includes an integrated e-learning purchase flow embedded directly into the site — learners can browse courses, purchase access, and begin their training without leaving the UpSkillz brand environment. The integration connects to the e-learning platform securely, keeping the experience seamless while the course content itself is hosted and managed on the dedicated training platform.
Yes — UpSkillz is a strong example of this. We developed the full brand identity alongside the website: colour palette, typography, design language, and layout system. The brief was to create something bold and distinctive — a training provider that actually looks like it means business. The result is a black, yellow and red editorial design using Black Han Sans for headings and Epilogue for body copy, with thick rule dividers, a scrolling keyword ticker, and strong typographic hierarchy throughout.
The UpSkillz construction pillar covers CSCS card preparation, CPCS (Construction Plant Competence Scheme), NPORS operator certification, SMSTS (Site Management Safety Training Scheme), SSSTS (Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme), asbestos awareness, and first aid at work. Each qualification has its own landing page built with course-specific schema markup and keyword targeting for the searches that site workers and site managers actually use.
The Health & Safety pillar covers IOSH Managing Safely, NEBOSH General Certificate, manual handling, fire safety, risk assessment, and COSHH awareness. These are among the most searched-for compliance training terms in the UK, so each has a dedicated landing page built and submitted to Google Search Console from day one.
Driver CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence) is a mandatory qualification for professional HGV, LGV, and bus drivers in the UK. Drivers must complete 35 hours of periodic training every five years to keep their Driver Qualification Card valid. UpSkillz delivers Driver CPC periodic training alongside ADR hazardous goods training, HGV/LGV licence preparation, and Driver Medical services as part of their Transport training pillar.
Yes. Mako Digital is based in Wigan and UpSkillz is registered at the same address — 6 Seven Stars Road, Wigan. We build websites for businesses across the UK but have a particular depth of experience working with Wigan and Greater Manchester businesses. UpSkillz is a great example of a Wigan-based business with national reach — the website is built to reflect both the local roots and the UK-wide delivery capability.

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