Can website design drive business strategy?
Our latest client site launch could be a case study illustrating the role of web design in implementing and driving a well-thought-out business strategy.
The client is American Home Improvements, based in Elkhart, Indiana. In business since 1959, they're a regional leader in kitchen and bath remodeling, replacement windows and doors, deck and garage construction, as well as roofing and siding.
Identifying both a demographic opportunity from the aging population and a gap in the regional market, they decided to expand their services to include a new Safe Bathrooms division focused on the installation of walk-in tubs, accessible showers, and other home safety related products. The challenge would be in developing this new category without sacrificing their hard-won market leadership in traditional remodeling and construction services.
We came on board to update their prior website and, more importantly, to help implement this strategic shift. Our first step was to get a clear read on their competitive advantage, business model and target markets. From this analysis we proposed a web strategy to implement their business strategy.
Next, we focused on translating their new strategy into a website design that would explain their value proposition in a simple, clear, compelling way. In the interest of building trust, we included a prominent reference to their many years in business in the site's header as a point of differentiation from their less experienced competitors.
Top-level navigation was designed to highlight Safe Bathrooms, as well as Interiors and Exteriors as main headings with drop menu access to sub-pages under each. A grid of six photos illustrating their services was provided as a secondary navigation path to pertinent interior pages.
New content was developed to increase search relevancy related to the Safe Bathrooms division with dedicated pages to explain the benefits of hydrotherapy, share health tips, provide statistics and explain the features and benefits of select products. (Improved organic search results are already evident.)
With the new website launched, our next step in driving their business strategy is to increase targeted traffic to the website with a refined mix of traditional and online marketing.
This is a case of following a three-step process (Strategy + Design + Marketing) we've developed helping clients achieve significant growth in a dozen different industries. We expect like results for American Home Improvements. You can see their new site here: American Home Improvements
Can website design drive business strategy? Based on our experience the answer is, absolutely.
