Case Study
The Golfer's Journal
A quarterly magazine dedicated to the sport of golf.
Key Takeaways
- Before migrating to Convesio, The Golfer's Journal faced significant performance issues, including site slowdowns and crashes during high-traffic events, along with the burden of server maintenance and scalability limitations on their previous host, Linode.
- After switching to Convesio, The Golfer’s Journal experienced substantial improvements, including a 40-50% reduction in page load times, enhanced server response times, and 100% uptime during major events. The migration process was smooth, with direct support from Convesio's team, ensuring a seamless transition.
- Convesio's support extends beyond technical assistance, offering strategic insights into improving site infrastructure, such as optimizing reporting and database performance. This partnership has eliminated previous issues with site responsiveness during high-traffic periods and has significantly enhanced The Golfer's Journal's ability to manage and grow its operations.
About
The Golfer’s Journal launched in the summer of 2017 with a mission to provide an alternative to mainstream golf media. The quarterly journal features long-form storytelling, free from the clutter of advertising, and is filled with unique stories and stunning photography. From remote courses in Scotland to tales involving Hunter S. Thompson, the publication covers eclectic subjects that resonate with its readers. The quality of the photography is often compared to an art book, thanks to a talented team, including renowned golf writer Tom Coyne and celebrated photographer Kojo Kinno.
Over the years, The Golfer’s Journal has evolved from simply offering a subscription to creating a membership-based society called the Broken Tee Society. Membership includes the quarterly journal, access to exclusive events, a game improvement program, and an active Discord community. The journal also boasts a significant online presence, with nearly 97,000 followers on Instagram and 42,000 YouTube subscribers, where its game improvement videos attract hundreds of thousands of views.
Partnerships with big names like Titleist, BMW, Omega Watches, and others have further enriched the offerings of The Golfer’s Journal. The publication’s commitment to quality and its innovative approach to engaging the golf community continue to distinguish it as a unique and valued voice in the world of golf media.
Life Before Convesio
Before partnering with Convesio, The Golfer’s Journal hosted their site on Linode, which handled a variety of functions, including eCommerce, digital libraries, event sales, and backend operations. However, several challenges plagued their previous hosting solution:
- Performance Issues: High traffic during event launches and member appreciation days often led to site slowdowns and crashes.
- Support and Maintenance: Server maintenance was a distraction from core development work, and they struggled to support their international operation. They needed a team that would handle all of this and be available across different time zones.
- Scalability: Their growing community and increasing number of events highlighted the limitations of a self-hosted solution.
These challenges motivated The Golfer’s Journal to seek a more robust and reliable hosting provider.
Finding Convesio
The Golfer’s Journal search for a new hosting solution was straightforward. They were aware of WordPress VIP but wanted to explore alternatives. A quick Google search led them to Convesio, a specialist WooCommerce hosting provider. A few minutes on Convesio’s website convinced them to reach out. After a series of calls with the team, they were impressed by Convesio’s technical expertise and the performance they promised.
Convesio offered them a trial period to test a cloned version of their site on Convesio’s servers and proposed running stress tests to evaluate performance. This approach, combined with competitive pricing and the technical knowledge of Convesio’s team, led them to choose Convesio over WordPress VIP.
The Migration Process
The migration process with Convesio was smooth and reassuring. Within two weeks, they had a cloned site running on Convesio servers, allowing their team to test their deployment pipelines, performance, and compatibility with their bespoke code. While there were some initial hiccups, such as issues with deployment configurations, the Convesio team provided exceptional support, even working through weekends to resolve problems.
The ability to interact directly with named support personnel who felt like part of the team was a significant advantage. This peer-level conversation and rapid response to queries enhanced the confidence of The Golfer’s Journal in Convesio.
Testimonial
Convesio’s stress testing and optimization strategies have significantly boosted our site’s ability to handle high traffic and complex operations.
– Brendon Thomas at The Golfer’s Journal
Significant Performance Improvements
Since migrating to Convesio, their site has shown remarkable performance improvements:
- Page Load Times: Improved from 4-5 seconds to 2-3 seconds, representing a 40-50% improvement.
- App Server Response Time: Reduced from 1400 milliseconds to just over 1000 milliseconds, representing a 28% improvement.
- Event Launch Stability: Achieved 100% uptime during major event launches, with no complaints about site responsiveness.
- Backend Database Performance: Convesio optimized the database performance and cut response times down by 50%.
- User Complaints: No complaints received about site performance during high-traffic periods post-migration.
- Issue Resolution: 1 minute response times on Slack from the Convesio support team.
- Server Downtime: Previously common during high-traffic events, now completely eliminated.
Ongoing Support and Strategic Input
One of the standout aspects of the partnership has been the strategic input Convesio provides. Discussions on improving reporting infrastructure, such as replicating their database to a data repository like BigQuery and using data visualization tools, have been invaluable.
The Golfer’s Journal also appreciates the flexibility and responsiveness of Convesio’s support through Slack, allowing us to quickly address issues and receive immediate feedback from their team.
Partnering with Convesio has transformed TGJ’s ability to serve their community and manage growing operations. Convesio’s technical expertise, personalized support, and strategic insights have made a significant difference in the performance and reliability of their website.
Ready to Switch to Convesio?
As your site grows, it’s important to have a hosting solution that can keep up with the demand. With Convesio, you can be confident that your website will be able to handle whatever traffic comes its way, allowing you to focus on building your products and services.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you take your website to the next level.
