Cindaro

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Legal of Toyoma Koi

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company imports champion and show-quality Japanese koi from Japan to Southern California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Cindaro to accomplish?

• Create direct online sale and auction features on website
• Improve overall aesthetics and flow of website

SOLUTION

How did you find Cindaro?

Referral

Why did you select Cindaro over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Cindaro were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Scope: Cindaro was engaged to redesign and rebuild the Toyoma Koi International website, with the project scoped around three core objectives:

1. improving organic search visibility,
2. adding a functional auction feature for koi sales, and
3. modernizing the site's overall look and usability — all delivered within Cindaro's managed website model, which bundles design, hosting, and ongoing support rather than a one-off build.

Key Deliverables:

SEO - On-page optimization (titles, meta descriptions, headers, image alt text) aligned to koi/Nishikigoi-related search terms Technical SEO improvements (site speed, mobile responsiveness, structured data/schema) 

Auction Feature - A working bidding system built into the site for koi auctions Listing management for active/upcoming auctions Order and tracking flow so buyers can follow a bid through to purchase

Aesthetics & Function - Full visual redesign (layout, typography, imagery) to match the quality of the koi being sold Improved navigation and site structure Mobile/responsive optimization across devices 

Ongoing Management - Hosting, security, and performance monitoring included post-launch Continued update requests handled through a client dashboard rather than a one-time handoff

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

As the site launched recently, it's too early to report on longer-term metrics like organic traffic growth, keyword rankings, or auction sales volume — those will take time to accumulate meaningful data. What can be confirmed at this stage: all three scoped deliverables (SEO foundation, auction functionality, and the redesigned site) are live and functioning as intended. We'll be tracking over the coming months to measure impact against pre-launch baselines.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Their project management was hands-on throughout the project, and our main point of contact was the founder. He was consistently responsive and accommodating to our schedules, which was often challenging. He was prompt and timely with deliverables on his end; any delays in the project timeline were on our side. Any questions or concerns we raised were addressed promptly, and communication stayed clear and low-friction. Beyond the technical work, he was respectful, patient, and genuinely a pleasure to work with — the kind of professional you want managing your projects.

What was your primary form of communication with Cindaro?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The auction feature stands out the most for me. We really needed someone who could figure out how to build that functionality for us, and Randy got it done right away. His quick problem-solving on something that wasn't just a template request gave us a lot of confidence in the rest of the project.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Cindaro could have done differently?

Not really