Creative web design agency Mud has launched a new website for The HR Dept, giving the national consultancy a clearer, more confident digital experience and cutting 95% of its pages in the process, with no loss in organic performance.

The brief

The HR Dept is a national HR consultancy operating through a local franchise model. Its website had grown tired and, page by page, more confusing. For a brand built on trust – and one that people often contact at moments of urgency – that was a problem.

Behind the scenes, the complexity couldn’t be ignored either. A national franchise network and thousands of existing pages meant any change had to improve the experience without disrupting visibility or performance.

The ambition was simple but significant: create a more polished, intuitive experience that made it easier for people to find the right support.

Sam Pardey at The HR Dept said:

“We turned to Mud when looking to rebuild our existing website and freshen up our brand. From the first meeting with Matt through to the website launch and beyond, they have been responsive and helpful, providing expert guidance and a keen eye for detail.”

Designed for clarity

The HR Dept wanted users to feel that help was at their fingertips. Mud restructured the site to guide people more naturally through it and developed a refreshed visual language that emphasised professionalism while holding on to the local feeling that matters so much to the franchise model.

Every decision was made with usability in mind: simplifying journeys, reducing friction, and making sure the experience felt purposeful and easy to navigate.

Matt Powell, Creative Director at Mud, said:

“When someone lands on an HR consultancy’s website, they’re usually there because something has gone wrong. That’s not the moment to make them hunt for an answer.

“So the work wasn’t about adding; it was about taking away. A high-end visual identity that signals professionalism, a structure that gets people to the right local team quickly, and nothing to slow them down.”

The website build

The work ran from research and strategy through information architecture, UX design, responsive design and Craft CMS development, with Mud also handling hosting.

The scale of the existing estate was the central technical challenge. Thousands of pages across a national franchise network had to be consolidated into a structure that worked nationally and locally at the same time, without surrendering the SEO equity built up over years.

The site is powered by Craft CMS, giving the team the flexibility to manage content across the network as it grows.

The result

A 95% reduction in pages, with no impact on organic SEO performance. And in the first month after launch, a 30% increase in AI citations — a growing signal of visibility as more people start their search for support in an AI assistant rather than a search engine.

Sam Pardey said:

“We were delighted with the result: a modern, easy to navigate and eye-catching multi-location website that works for our brand both nationally and locally. We were so happy with the service, we are using them to build an additional website for our sister brand. It has been a pleasure working with Mud and we look forward to the partnership continuing.”

About Our Name is Mud

Our name is Mud. We are a web design agency based in Bath, specialising in Craft CMS. We bring a down-to-earth feeling to web design. A feeling that builds trust, focuses on the details and delivers meaningful work that has a big impact.