Case Study · Webflow Build · SEO · Strategy
Michael Malih
Michael Malih is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer with two decades of work behind some of the most recognized names in contemporary music. Age of Aquarius is his first release under his own name.
Live site michaelmalih.com ↗Web Design & Development
Webflow, Custom Code, Performance
SEO & Search Visibility
GSC, Sitemap, 100 SEO Score
Strategy & Infrastructure
Design QA, Domain, Hosting
Creative & Editorial
Copy, Voice, Artist Tone
The Overview
Michael Malih came to this project with a fully formed creative direction already in place. An AI-generated mockup had established the visual world: dark, atmospheric, and deliberately immersive. The files were unstable, running three simultaneous video layers on infrastructure that could give out without warning. Page speed was unpredictable and the site had no search presence of any kind.
Age of Aquarius was designed as a meditative experience where the quality of the visuals held equal weight to the music itself. That integrity was non-negotiable. The build had to carry it technically and structurally, constructed from scratch, with a hard launch date five days out from the first conversation.
The Complete Build
The site runs a full background video, a preload sequence, and a press-play embed simultaneously. Each required a different handling strategy based on where it sat in the load order and how much it weighed against the overall score.
The background video and noise textures were optimized before being brought into Webflow. The video embed was lazy-loaded. Everything else in the build was kept as lean as possible to offset the visual weight the project demanded.
The result is a site that performs like a lightweight build while carrying the kind of immersive visual experience that normally tanks a PageSpeed score entirely.
What Was Built
01
Full Webflow Build from Scratch
Every section was constructed div by div with no templates and no pre-built components. Custom code runs throughout the build, from the noise texture on the hero to the frosted glass overlay on the story section. Clean architecture designed to carry the visual weight.
02
Three-Video Performance Strategy
The site runs three simultaneous video assets: a full background, a preload, and a press-play embed. Each was handled based on its function. File optimization happened before upload and load sequencing was structured so the videos perform without dragging the scores down.
03
Google Search Console and Sitemap
Michael had no search presence as a solo artist before this build. GSC was configured from scratch, an XML sitemap submitted, and the site was indexed and actively tracking data on launch day. That visibility now exists permanently under his own name.
04
Cost and Infrastructure
The existing IONOS account carried overhead with no justification at this stage. Hosting, SSL, and virus scan were removed. Domain registrations stayed. Webflow Core with a Basic Site Plan came to $14 per month, with custom code replacing what would have required paid plugins.
Results
Built, optimized, and indexed.
The site passed every technical benchmark, delivered visuals at the quality the project demanded, and launched with a fully established search presence. From the first conversation to a live, indexed, high-performing website in five days.
97/100
PageSpeed
Desktop
100/100
SEO
Score
96/100
Best
Practices
88/100
Mobile
Performance
5 days
First Call
to Launch
Day 1
Search Presence Established prior to
Launch Day
Desktop
Performance
Accessibility
Best Practices
SEO
Mobile
Performance
Accessibility
Best Practices
SEO