WebCitz started working with this client in 2015
- Client: Custom Cages
- Platform: WooCommerce
- Industry: Manufacturing / Industrial, Retail / E-Commerce, Veterinary / Animal Care
- Services: Digital Marketing, Ecommerce, Maintenance / Support, Mobile Apps, Web Development, Web Hosting
The Challenge
Custom Cages is the industry leader for premium bird, reptile, and exotic animal enclosures. They faced a twofold challenge:
- Technical Debt: Their legacy in-house ASP platform was rigid and unable to scale with their complex product variations.
- Market Dominance: They needed to translate their reputation for physical quality into digital dominance through search rankings and a “white-glove” online configuration experience.
Phase 1: Engineering & Development
WebCitz executed a massive migration and custom software build to move the business into a modern Magento environment:
- ASP to Magento Migration: We oversaw the transition of thousands of SKUs and decades of customer data into a robust, scalable Magento architecture.
- The “Suncatcher” Configurator: We engineered a proprietary, logic-driven tool for their outdoor enclosures. This wasn’t just a simple form; it was a spatial design application that allowed users to:
- Choose between rectangular or polygonal layouts.
- Define custom dimensions and cage heights.
- Select per-panel fabric/wire (different materials for different sides of the same cage).
- Integrate safety catches (single or double) to prevent accidental escapes.
- Configure complex roof systems (open or solid metal) and pull-out waste trays.
- Intelligent Add-ons: We built logic that recommended specific accessories based on the final configuration and allowed users to save their progress to return later.
Phase 2: Digital Marketing & SEO
Once the “engine” was built, we spent years optimizing the traffic flow to ensure a high ROI:
- Search Engine Optimization: We performed deep technical audits and executed an aggressive backlink-building strategy. This established the site as the ultimate authority for terms like “custom bird aviaries” and “reptile enclosures.”
- High-Intent Paid Ads: We managed Google Ads campaigns focused on conversion, utilizing custom-built landing pages to ensure that someone searching for a “snake cage” landed on a page designed specifically for that need, rather than a generic homepage.
- Data Transparency & Reporting: We provided the client with granular visibility into their growth using a “best-of-breed” tool stack:
- Ahrefs for competitive gap analysis.
- Raven Tools & WebCEO for comprehensive, digestible progress reports.
- Client Training: We provided direct training in Google Analytics and Google Search Console, empowering the client to understand their own data, track user behavior within the configurator, and see exactly where their sales were coming from.
The Result
The Custom Cages project is a prime example of a 360-degree WebCitz partnership. By merging high-level software engineering (the Suncatcher tool) with a decade of data-driven marketing, we helped Custom Cages maintain its status as the world’s premier manufacturer of exotic animal enclosures. The site serves as both a powerful design tool for customers and a high-performance sales engine for the business.
