In today’s digital world, whether you run a small startup in Johannesburg or a seasoned business in Cape Town, your online presence isn’t optional anymore. Your website often becomes your first handshake. It’s where your prospects form their first impression. For many South African businesses, making a strong digital impact means finding the right partner—someone who understands both the technical side of web design and the art of SEO that actually works. That’s where the company I’m writing about here comes in: Oonie, accessible at oonie.co.za.
From my own experiences working with digital agencies, I’ve seen the big difference between websites that “just look nice” and ones that deliver results—traffic, leads, sales. Oonie positions itself in the latter camp: building sites that perform and helping businesses grow. I’ll walk you through who they are, what they offer, and how you can decide whether they might be a good fit for your business.
Meet Oonie: Background, ethos, what makes them different
Founded in 2007, Oonie has been helping entrepreneurs, startups, and established brands in South Africa (and beyond) with web design, search engine optimisation (SEO), e-commerce development and digital marketing. Their founder is Lindsay Campbell, and from their “About” page I found out that she built the business on a belief in ethical online practices, experimentation (rather than just following every buzzword), and creating websites that not only look good but work.
What stands out to me is this: many web agencies will design a site and walk away. With Oonie, there is visible emphasis on results—their clients are meant to see more leads, better traffic, and improved conversions. On their homepage they say they help with “fast websites & proven SEO”. That aligns with what I believe matters: it’s not about having the flashiest design, it’s about having a design that supports your business goals and is discoverable.
Another part of their ethos is ethics. In a space crowded with agencies promising “#1 on Google tomorrow”, I like that Oonie emphasises doing things the right way—data-driven, long-term. From personal experience I know that sustainable SEO is more valuable than quick tricks. So their approach feels credible.
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Core services overview
Here’s a breakdown of the main services Oonie offers, and why each matters.
Web design & development – They build websites, with a focus on WordPress. A strong website is your digital foundation. If it loads slowly, looks messy on mobile or has messy code, you’re already handicapped. Oonie says their websites are “results oriented” and they offer e-commerce sites too.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) – They list services including “SEO services”, “SEO roadmap”, “SEO analysis”, “site speed”. SEO matters because it’s how people find you online. You can have a great website, but if it’s buried on page 10 of Google, you’re missing out.
Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) – It’s one thing to get visitors, another to convert them (buy, contact, sign up). They mention “conversion rate optimisation” explicitly.
Graphic design & branding – They cover logos, branding, print design. A cohesive brand helps build trust, especially in crowded markets.
Maintenance & growth strategy – They don’t only build and leave you hanging. They mention site maintenance and ongoing digital marketing.
Service deep dive
Let’s go deeper into each service with explanations, why it matters, and some example scenarios—drawing on my personal observations as well.
Web design & WordPress
WordPress remains one of the most flexible and accessible website platforms. Oonie builds WordPress sites tailored to the client, which is smart for a few reasons:
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It gives clients control. Many businesses like being able to update content themselves (blog posts, images, promotions).
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It has a large ecosystem of plugins and tools.
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It’s cost-efficient compared with building a site from scratch.
But there are also pitfalls: if the theme is heavy, the code unoptimised, or if mobile responsiveness is ignored, performance suffers. Oonie emphasises “fast websites” and results-oriented design. That matters. Slow load times cause visitors to bounce; Google considers speed and mobile usability in its ranking. From my own experience, I’ve seen a site with a slow load drop in traffic, simply because users leave before it finishes loading.
If you’re a small business in South Africa—whether retail, services, or B2B—having a WordPress site built well means you can focus on your business, rather than constantly fiddling with the website.
SEO: What Oonie offers & why it matters
SEO is often misunderstood. Here are some key components and how Oonie addresses them:
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Site speed: A fast site improves user experience and helps SEO. Oonie mentions site speed on their services list.
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SEO roadmap & analysis: You need a clear plan—what keywords to target, what technical issues to fix, content strategy. Oonie offers “SEO roadmap” and “free SEO analysis”.
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Ethical SEO: Instead of short-term hacks, using ethical (white-hat) methods is better long-term. Oonie emphasises doing things ethically.
From my experience working with SEO providers, the ones who deliver value are those who do both: fix technical issues (e.g., broken links, slow speed, mobile usability) and think about content, keywords, and user behaviour. Oonie appears to cover both sides.
eCommerce & Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO)
For clients selling online (retail, product-based, services), it’s not enough to just have a website. You need a site built for eCommerce (shop pages, payment, checkout), and you need to optimise the path from visitor → customer.
Oonie lists eCommerce sites and CRO as part of their service. That means they don’t just build a shop—they aim to make it work: reduce bounce, improve checkout flow, increase average order value. From working in eCommerce, I’ve seen businesses invest in a beautiful store but then ignore things like product page speed, checkout friction, mobile usability—result: lots of traffic, few sales. An agency that focuses on CRO as well as design helps address those gaps.
Graphic & brand design
Your brand is more than a logo—it’s the visual and emotional memory people have of you. Oonie mentions branding, graphic, logo, print design. Especially in South Africa’s competitive landscape, having a recognisable, professional, consistent brand helps you stand out and build credibility. From personal experience, I’ve seen clients with good branding command higher trust (and prices) compared with those who look “DIY”.
Ongoing maintenance & growth strategy
Websites and SEO are not “set and forget”. Technology changes, Google’s algorithms update, your business evolves. Oonie includes site maintenance and growth strategy. That aligns with what I often advise: treat your website as an evolving asset, not a one-time project. If you launch a site and then leave it for years without updates or monitoring, you risk losing ranked positions, security vulnerabilities, and stagnation.
Client success stories & case studies
One of the best ways to trust an agency is to see real examples. Oonie lists various case studies: pool cover website, clothing website, medical eCommerce, skin-care eCommerce, non-profit website, B2B furniture site.
From these examples you can infer: they’ve served clients across industries (which helps—they bring cross-industry insights). I like the variety—they’re not just doing one niche. That means they likely have experience adapting to different business models (which is important if you’re not in “standard” retail).
While I don’t have all the metrics for each case study, the fact they present them shows they’re willing to be transparent. When you talk to them, you should ask: what were the results (traffic increase, conversions, sales growth)? What timelines? Which tactics worked? A good agency will talk specifics.
Why choose Oonie?
Putting it all together: what makes Oonie a good choice (and what you should confirm when comparing agencies)?
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Experience: Since 2007. Having been around that long shows stability.
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Location & understanding: Based in Cape Town, South Africa. Local agencies often have better context on local market behaviour, culture, and business environment.
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Comprehensive services: Web design + SEO + CRO + branding + maintenance. This means you can have a more integrated solution instead of booking separate vendors.
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Ethical, data-driven approach: They emphasise ethical SEO and measurable results rather than shortcut promises.
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Variety of clients and industries: They’ve worked with eCommerce, B2B, non-profit, etc. That breadth suggests adaptability.
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Clear focus on results: They ask: “Your website isn’t getting enough traffic?” on their homepage. oonie.co.za
When you evaluate Oonie (or any agency), I suggest you ask them:
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Can you show recent case studies with metrics?
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What specific improvements have you made for past clients (e.g., load time improvements, keyword ranking gains, conversion rate increases)?
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How do you handle maintenance and updates after launch?
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What is your process from design to launch to optimisation?
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What are the costs, deliverables, timelines?
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Who will do the work—internal team, freelancers, subcontractors?
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How will you measure success and report to me?
How to engage with Oonie
If you decide Oonie might be the right partner, here’s what the process typically looks like (and what you should prepare). From their website contact page: they are at 8 Cavan Rd, Wynberg, Cape Town.
Step 1: Clarify your goals
What do you want your new website or SEO campaign to achieve? More leads? More online sales? Improved brand presence? Be clear. Oonie highlights that you should define your goals before looking for an agency.
Step 2: Share your current status
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Current website (if any) and analytics (traffic, bounce, load time).
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Current issues (slow site, low ranking, poor conversion).
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Budget and timeline.
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Target markets and audience.
Step 3: Proposal and roadmap
Oonie offers a “free SEO analysis” and then they likely provide a roadmap: what will be done, when, how. You should ask for a detailed roadmap: design/development phase, SEO phase, launch, post-launch optimisation.
Step 4: Build & launch
Oonie builds your WordPress site, optimises for performance, ensures responsiveness on mobile. You should be involved: approving design, checking content, ensuring branding aligns.
Step 5: Post-launch optimisation & maintenance
Once site is live, the SEO work continues: monitoring traffic, adjusting content, adjusting keywords, improving conversion path. Oonie’s maintenance offering makes sure you’re not left alone.
What to watch out for / pitfalls in web design & SEO
Since I’ve worked with several agencies, I’ve seen some common pitfalls. It’s worth keeping these in mind when you evaluate Oonie (or any other):
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Hidden costs: Sometimes a quote looks low, but updates, maintenance, extra plugins cost extra. Ask for clear breakdown.
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Unrealistic promises: “Page 1 of Google in 1 week” is usually misleading. Ethical SEO takes time. Oonie emphasises ethics, which is a good sign.
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Ignoring mobile & speed: If the site is slow or not mobile-friendly, you’ll lose visitors.
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Lack of ongoing optimisation: Launching a site is only the start. Without ongoing SEO and conversion optimisation, results will plateau. Oonie offers maintenance and optimisation which covers this.
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Poor clarity of roles: Who handles content updates, security, backups? Make sure post-launch responsibilities are clear.
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No measurement or reporting: You need to know what success looks like and how it’s measured. Ensure your agency gives clear metrics.
With Oonie, you’re in a good position because they check many of these boxes: clear services listed, emphasis on performance, and ethical practice. But still ask the right questions.
My opinion & experience
From my vantage point, having interacted with digital agencies and seen websites evolve, I believe the difference between a mediocre site and a high‐performing one comes down to two things: focus on the user and ongoing iteration. Oonie seems aligned with both. They emphasise fast, results‐oriented websites (user focus) and include SEO, analysis, maintenance (iteration).
If I were to pick one thing to ask them more about, it would be their measurement & communication process: how they report results, what benchmarks they set, how often they update the strategy. Because even a great launch needs continuous refinement.
For a business in South Africa (especially in Cape Town or targeting South African markets), using a locally based agency like Oonie offers advantages: they understand local context, audiences, business culture, and may provide more accessible communication. So if you’re reading this and you’re a business owner in South Africa, Oonie is worth a serious look.
Conclusion
To wrap up: if you’re a business owner looking to build or improve your online presence in South Africa, you want more than just a “nice website”. You want a website that works, that draws traffic, turns visitors into leads or customers, and adapts over time. Oonie, via oonie.co.za, offers a full-service solution: web design (WordPress, eCommerce), SEO, conversion optimisation, branding and maintenance. They’ve been in business since 2007, are based in Cape Town, and emphasise ethical, data-driven work.
When evaluating them (or any other agency), I recommend you: clarify your goals, ask for case studies with metrics, get a detailed roadmap and contract, and ensure you understand post-launch responsibilities. If Oonie ticks those boxes for you, they could be a strong partner in growing your digital presence.
FAQ
Q: How much does Oonie charge for a website or SEO service?
A: They do not publicly list fixed prices on their site. You’d need to contact them with your project specifics (scope, goals, complexity, timeline) and request a proposal. Make sure the quote is detailed, and clarifies what’s included (design, development, SEO, maintenance).
Q: How long does it take for SEO to show results?
A: SEO is a medium-to‐long-term strategy. Although some improvements (site speed, technical fixes) can show results in weeks, significant organic traffic and ranking improvements often take months (3-6 months or more) depending on competition, niche, and how much work is required. Agencies that promise overnight success are generally risking delivering sub-par results.
Q: Will I be able to update the website myself?
A: If Oonie is building your site on WordPress (as they advertise), then yes—you should have the ability to update content, change images, add blog posts, etc. But you’ll also want clarity on what they handle (core updates, security, backups) and what you need to manage.
Q: Does Oonie work outside South Africa?
A: Their website says they cater to clients across South Africa and internationally. If you are outside South Africa, discuss details (time zones, communication, support).
Q: How do I prepare before engaging Oonie?
A: Get clear about what you want your website or SEO campaign to achieve (leads, sales, branding). Gather analytics data for your current site if you have one (traffic, bounce rate, conversion). Identify budget and timeline. Prepare any branding assets (logo, colour scheme) and content ideas. This will help the agency provide a focused proposal.
