Case Study

Freed Photography is a prominent photography firm in the Washington, DC area. An Edgeworks’ client since 2003, we’ve had the opportunity to really understand their business and keep our finger on the pulse of their marketing goals. A great part of our success with Freed and other customers is that we stay plugged into their business needs. As their priorities change, we change our tactics. This year, it was time for a major overhaul, to put their site in sync with the new goals and objectives of the company.

GOALS

• Update the branding and design of the site to show a more contemporary image
• Use as much of the existing site structure and content as possible to keep costs down
• Add more marketing elements to the site and bring them forward as calls to action
• Update the photo galleries to highlight the work of the firm
• Increase “conversion” rates on the site by engaging prospective clients and offering more opportunities to take action on the site

SOLUTIONS

• Provided the site with a “facelift” and used most of the current site content and structure to stay within budget
• Modified the site to accommodate a more aggressive marketing approach to engage visitors
• Create the framework to add more “calls to action” for visitors
• Modified the current search marketing strategy to support the promotional aspects of the site and expand it as new business is generated.

RESULTS

The new design and marketing approach has been a big winner with prospective clients. Freed tells us that the volume of incoming leads has increased since the launch of the new site. Site traffic has jumped 22% in the first months after launch and we’ve seen a solid increase in the average time spent on the site and the number of pages viewed.

Case Study

The National List of Attorneys (NLA) is the leading debt collection attorney referral service. NLA has both a print and web directory.

With an online presence for several years, they felt it was finally time to upgrade their online image, make it easier for their customers to do business with them, and increase their exposure online through search marketing. The project was an integrated approach between web design and development, application development, and online marketing.

GOALS

• Update the overall company image and show its international reach
• Create a new site design that looks current, professional (appropriate for the legal industry), highly usable, and has a friendly feel
• Develop an efficient and functional site so users can quickly get the information they need and transact business online
• Develop and execute an aggressive online marketing campaign to start with search engine optimization

SOLUTIONS

• Created a new logo and brand image that updated the company image and shows their global reach
• Created a new site design that incorporates a flash-based people-centric presentation, graphics, and colors that project a friendly and inviting site
• Developed new functionality including a Quick Attorney Search, ability to submit and bond claims, view account history, and join NLA
• Developed a user-friendly navigation scheme that gives users graphical visual queues and breadcrumbs to know where they are and navigate easily
• Optimized the site for the search engines and began an ongoing search marketing program

RESULTS

NLA is very pleased with the site and customers are enjoying their new ability to submit and bond claims through the website. This is a major improvement over what was a manual process. Search engine rankings have greatly improved and we’re seeing a solid increase in the volume of site traffic and the amount of time users are staying online.

Case Study

Goodstone Inn and Estate is a luxury property surrounded by 265 acres of Virginia hunt and wine country in Middleburg, Virginia. A new client this year, Goodstone is a great example of taking a strategic approach to developing and marketing a site. Goodstone came to us with a dated site, very poor usability, and limited photography. Site statistics showed that more than 80% of the people coming to the site left after one page view. Search engine rankings were low, with weak online booking. With little to start with, (the logo was tossed too) the Edgeworks team had their work cut out.

Goals

• Update the logo to reflect the true image of this prestigious property and integrate it into the new site
• Design should reflect the uniqueness and overall feel of the Estate
• Support and extend the current marketing campaign,
  “Unlimited, Unique, Inspiring” with content and imagery within the site
• Promote the new gourmet restaurant (Hilltoppers)
• Increase site traffic through search marketing
• Engage visitors to book online and or by phone
• Create online tools to start building relationships with customers

Solutions

• Created a new logo to reflect the luxurious and stately image of the property
• Created a design that begins by communicating the breadth of the estate visually and the feel of the environment musically
• Used the marketing theme throughout, but especially in the Galleries, where we tied photography to each of the themes
• Created a flash-based interactive map of the estate to enable visitors to explore the property and show its uniqueness
• Selected and incorporated new photos from photo shoot
• Developed a site structure and content for the site that engaged visitors and moved them into action (making reservations)
• Integrated an online reservation system
• Implemented an aggressive search engine optimization strategy both on and off the site

Results

Goodstone couldn’t be happier with their new site and the results it’s bringing them. Online reservations are up sharply and the phones are ringing. The property is completely booked through the fall season and now we’re focusing on filling the rooms/houses for the winter. Search engine rankings are moving up and driving increased traffic to the site.