Full-stack migration to Vercel + SEO overhaul to outrank competitors #3720 — ccantynz/hibiscus-to-airport

Originally written by @ccantynz-alt on GitHub.
Imported from https://github.com/ccantynz-alt/Hibiscus-to-airport/pull/27

Summary

Complete migration from Render to Vercel serverless + comprehensive SEO overhaul based on full audit of frontend, backend, competitive landscape, and UX.

Backend: Render → Vercel Serverless

api/index.py — FastAPI entry point for Vercel Python runtime
api/_shared/ — All backend modules ported (booking, admin, auth, utils, db, cockpit, agents)
api/_shared/db.py — Per-request connections with pool shim for serverless
Vercel Cron Job — Day-before booking reminders at 6 PM NZDT daily
Frontend config — BACKEND_URL now empty string (same-origin API)

SEO: 47 Pages Now Have Unique Meta Tags (Was 3)

Every service page, suburb page, school page, and Matakana page has unique <title>, <meta description>, and canonical URL
react-snap prerendering — Static HTML at build time so Google can index all 50+ pages (was only indexing 5)
BreadcrumbList JSON-LD schema on all pages
LocalBusiness schema variants per suburb for local SEO
OG image created for social sharing (was 404)

New Pages

/pricing — Suburb price tables, comparison vs taxi/Uber, FAQ schema
/north-shore-airport-shuttle — 800+ word page targeting high-volume keyword gap

Competitive SEO Improvements

Footer SEO links — Internal links to all 12+ suburb pages + service pages
Homepage quick-quote widget — Above-fold entry to booking flow
Improved homepage title targeting "Hibiscus Coast Airport Shuttle"
Phone 021 743 321 added to Header (desktop + mobile icon) and Footer

Backend Security Fixes

9 database indexes on frequently queried columns
All HTTP 500 errors now return generic message (no stack trace leaks)
Constant-time hmac.compare_digest for admin key comparison
Fixed bare except: clauses

New Features

Reviews table + API — POST /api/reviews for post-trip feedback, GET /api/reviews for public testimonials
Post-trip review collection endpoint ready for email integration

Competitive Analysis Summary

Hibiscus Shuttles (main competitor): 32 years, toll-free 0800, crawlable suburb pages
Your advantage: Online instant booking, private rides, transparent pricing, modern UX
Key gap fixed: Google only indexed 5/50 pages → react-snap fixes this
Keyword gaps filled: North Shore, pricing, suburb-specific terms

Env Vars Needed in Vercel

DATABASE_URL, STRIPE_SECRET_KEY, STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET
MAILGUN_API_KEY, MAILGUN_DOMAIN, SENDER_EMAIL
TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID, TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN, TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER
GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY, JWT_SECRET_KEY, ADMIN_API_KEY
CRON_SECRET (for day-before reminders)
FRONTEND_URL=https://hibiscustoairport.co.nz

Post-Merge Actions

Update Stripe webhook URL to https://hibiscustoairport.co.nz/api/webhook/stripe
Claim/optimize Google Business Profile
Start collecting Google reviews
Consider www vs non-www canonical redirect

Test plan

Verify Vercel deployment builds successfully with react-snap
Test booking flow end-to-end (create booking → Stripe → confirmation)
Verify /api/cron/reminders endpoint responds with CRON_SECRET
Check all suburb pages render unique titles in browser tab
Confirm phone number visible in Header and Footer
Test /pricing page loads with correct price tables
Verify og-image.svg renders for social sharing
Test POST /api/reviews endpoint

https://claude.ai/code/session_01UDJiM4pxR2V5R82bSAiXzn