Results at a Glance
0%
seconds of downtime during national TV appearance
171%
increase in organic traffic through SEO
£1.43
PPC conversion cost
+212%
growth in overall site conversions
The Challenge
Mud Foods, founded by award-winning pie maker Christian Barrington, began in 2009 with a simple mission — to make Britain’s best pies. Over the years, the brand has won 145 awards and built a loyal customer base across the UK.
In 2022, Christian appeared on Channel 4’s Aldi’s Next Big Thing — and after winning first place, Mud’s exposure and sales surged overnight. This sudden national attention brought a new challenge: the existing website needed to withstand high traffic, deliver flawless performance, and represent Mud’s premium brand at scale.
They turned to Rococo Digital to future-proof their online presence, combining advanced development, automation, and digital marketing to support their growth.
The Strategy
Our Partnership Approach
We began working with Mud in 2021, providing web development and technical support. When demand increased, we transitioned into a full partnership — managing their website development, SEO, PPC, and performance marketing.
Our goal was to build a platform that not only looked beautiful, but performed flawlessly under pressure. That meant blending cutting-edge technology with a scalable architecture designed for high-traffic e-commerce.
01
Headless Architecture — A New Way of Building Websites
To prepare for long-term growth, we developed a headless website, connecting the React JS frontend to the Shopify backend.
This architecture provides faster speeds, stronger security, and complete creative flexibility — allowing Mud to evolve their content without compromising performance.
02
Speed, Stability, and Scalability
We used GatsbyJS for a lightning-fast, responsive frontend and Netlify for cloud hosting, ensuring rapid load times anywhere in the world.
When Mud’s Channel 4 episode aired, their site handled thousands of simultaneous visitors with zero downtime (0 seconds) — a milestone moment that proved the strength of the build and hosting infrastructure.
03
Enhanced UX and On-Page SEO
We completely restructured Mud’s on-page SEO and UX. This included improved page layouts, keyword optimisation, metadata refinement, and schema integration.
The result was a 171% increase in organic traffic, with higher visibility across branded and non-branded search terms like “award-winning pies,” “British handmade pies,” and “best steak pie online.”
04
PPC Campaigns, Converting Traffic Into Sales
We implemented a series of Google Ads campaigns targeting high-intent users searching for premium British pies and gift boxes.
By refining audience targeting, ad copy, and landing page experience, we achieved a £1.43 cost per conversion, delivering consistent ROI and driving a 212% increase in total site conversions
05
API Integrations & Automation
To support sales and marketing automation, we integrated:
- Yotpo API – to showcase verified reviews and build trust.
- Klaviyo API – to capture user data, abandoned carts, and deliver targeted email flows.
Google & Facebook Shopping Feeds – to extend product visibility across online marketplaces.
06
Continuous Innovation
As Mud’s brand evolved, so did the website. We introduced Dark Mode, optimised mobile layouts, and continuously refined performance. Every enhancement was built around reliability, scalability, and maintaining a best-in-class user experience.
The Results
The results speak for themselves
Mud Foods now operates with a future-proof digital platform that reflects their brand, supports their national reach, and continues to deliver measurable business growth.
- 0 seconds of downtime during a major national TV appearance
- +171% increase in organic traffic
- £1.43 PPC conversion cost
- +212% growth in overall site conversions
- Faster site speed and improved mobile experience
- Seamless scalability for nationwide demand
Client Testimonial
“When we set about refreshing the Mud website, we had several key objectives that were crucial to us and the advancement of our e-commerce store.
Rococo grasped our goals from the very beginning — offering solutions that showed a higher level of skill and understanding than any other developer we’d approached.
Their technical knowledge and creativity make them a formidable partner for any business that needs a unique, cutting-edge website that performs. Working with Rococo has been a revolution — they’ve delivered on every aspect of the brief and their attitude has always been, ‘leave it with us, we’ll find a solution.’ That’s rare, and it’s why Rococo will always be in our corner.”
– Christian Barrington, Owner, Mud Foods
Behind the Work
This project combined Rococo’s expertise in headless development, SEO, and PPC to create a digital ecosystem that scales effortlessly.
Led by our development and strategy teams, we engineered a platform that balances creativity with technical precision — proving that even in traditional industries, innovation drives results.