CARDBOARD REVIEW – WEBSITE CREATION: MODERN BLOG + COUPON SITE

Developer Briefing Document Version 1.0
Project: CardboardReview.eu

Date: 25 December 2025

1. Project Overview

1.1 What is CardboardReview.eu

CardboardReview.eu is a content-driven affiliate platform focused on Trading Card Games (TCGs) and related accessories (playmats, sleeves, deck boxes, proxy cards, storage, etc.). The platform combines:

• Editorial blog content (in-depth guides, comparisons, Top 10 lists, reviews) (like this: https://blog.hubspot.de)
• A coupon & deals section inspired by MyDealz (like this: https://www.mydealz.de/gutscheine & https://www.mydealz.de/gutscheine/tchibo-de)

The goal is to generate affiliate revenue by:
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• Educating users through high-quality SEO-focused articles
• Converting intent-driven visitors via coupon listings and merchant-specific deal pages

1.2 Target Audience

• TCG players (Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Lorcana, Flesh and Blood, etc.)
• Hobbyists looking for accessories in Europe
• Price-sensitive users searching for deals, discounts, and coupons

1.3 Key Deliverables

• Fully responsive WordPress website
• Mobile-first UX (priority on smartphone usability)
• Blog system with comparison-style articles like https://blog.hubspot.de
• Coupon system with:
◦ Coupon overview page
◦ Individual merchant coupon pages
• Affiliate-ready tracking integration
• Figma mobile design for all core templates (before development)

2. Platform & Tech Stack

2.1 Core Platform
• CMS: WordPress
• Reason:
◦ Strong content management
◦ SEO-friendly
◦ Mature affiliate & coupon plugins
◦ Easy scalability

2.2 Example Reference Sites
• Content & UX Inspiration:
◦ https://blog.hubspot.de (clean layout, typography, mobile optimization)
• Coupon & Deal Logic:
◦ MyDealz.de
◦ MyDealz coupon overview & merchant pages (https://www.mydealz.de/gutscheine & https://www.mydealz.de/gutscheine/tchibo-de)

2.3 Suggested Plugins / Tech (indicative)

• SEO: RankMath or Yoast
• Caching & performance: WP Rocket / LiteSpeed Cache
• Affiliate link management: ThirstyAffiliates or Pretty Links
• Coupon management: Custom Post Type or dedicated coupon plugin
• Analytics: Google Analytics 4 + Search Console

3. Navigation & Information Architecture

3.1 Primary Navigation (Top Menu)
• Home
• Coupons
• Guides & Top Lists
• Blog
• Newsletter
• About
• Search bar that finds brands offering coupon codes

3.2 Secondary / Utility Navigation

• Submit a Coupon Code
• Contact
• Privacy Policy
• Imprint
• Affiliate Disclosure

3.3 Content Hierarchy

Level 1: 
Homepage → Blog → Article with Affiliate Links
Level 2
: Coupons → Coupon Overview → Merchant Coupon Page → External Shop

4. Page Templates & Requirements

4.1 Homepage

Purpose: Entry point combining editorial authority and deal discovery

Sections (inspired by this: https://blog.hubspot.de):

• Featured blog article
• Featured articles
• Large Featured coupon deals
• Popular Magic: The Gathering articles
• YouTube Video carousel
• Popular Yu-Gi-Oh! articles
• Instagram Post carousel
• Popular Pokemon articles
• Newsletter subscription section
• Trust & transparency elements
• Exit Pop-up asking users to subscribe in exchange for a €250 voucher for games-island.eu.

4.2 Blog Article Template

It should have a reading progress bar like this: https://blog.hubspot.de/marketing/urheberrecht-ki

Example Articles:
• Top 10 Proxy Card Makers
• Top 10 Playmat Makers in Europe

Requirements:
• Long-form content (SEO-focused)
• Comparison tables
• Affiliate CTA blocks
• Internal linking
• Mobile-optimized reading experience

4.3 Coupon Overview Page

Inspired by: MyDealz (https://www.mydealz.de/gutscheine)

Features:

• List of all active coupons
• Filters:
◦ Brand
◦ Category
◦ Discount type
• Sorting by popularity / newest
• Clear CTA buttons ("Get Deal")

4.4 Merchant Coupon Page

Inspired by: MyDealz brand-specific coupon pages (https://www.mydealz.de/gutscheine/tchibo-de)

Features:

• Merchant header (logo, short description)
• List of active & expired coupons
• Affiliate tracking links
• Merchant-related blog articles

5. Design Requirements

5.1 Visual Style

Overall Direction:

• Clean, modern, editorial
• Trust-focused (not spammy affiliate look)
• Inspired by HubSpot’s clarity and spacing

Design Principles:

• Mobile-first
• High readability
• Strong typography hierarchy
• Neutral base colors with TCG-inspired accents

5.2 Mobile Design (Figma Required)

Mandatory:

• Figma mobile designs for:
◦ Homepage
◦ Blog article
◦ Coupon overview
◦ Merchant coupon page

Mobile UX Focus:

• Thumb-friendly navigation
• Sticky CTAs
• Fast loading & minimal clutter

6. Project Timeline (Indicative)

Phase 1 – Discovery & UX (1–2 weeks)
• Final sitemap & IA
• Wireframes
• Figma mobile designs
Phase 2 – Development (3–5 weeks)
• WordPress setup
• Theme development
• Coupon system implementation
• Blog templates
Phase 3 – QA & Launch (1–2 weeks)
• Mobile testing
• Performance optimization
• SEO setup
• Soft launch

7. Skills Required

• WordPress Development
• Custom Theme Development
• Mobile-first UX/UI Design
• Figma Design (mobile-focused)
• SEO best practices
• Affiliate & coupon site experience
• Performance optimization