Your website isn't just a sales tool. It's the "hub" of all your online and offline marketing activities and a reflection of your company's knowledge and expertise in your particular industry. Often times, it's the first touch point a customer - or potential customer - has with your business, and the first place they will begin to form opinions about you. First impressions and appearances matter in the digital world just as much as they do in the real world.
A website that hasn't been updated in several years, isn't designed to support your key business objectives, and isn't following industry best practices, isn't going to provide you with much benefit. It's not going to help you increase your client base, sell more products or services, or create buzz about your company. In fact, it may affect you negatively, especially when prospective clients visit the site and see an outdated design and disorganized information. The last thing you want is a prospective client to form an opinion about your company based on a sub-par website. Unfortunately, though, it does happen.
Keeping your website current and updated with new images and fresh content not only adds value for your website visitors, it helps position your company as an industry expert and sets it apart from competitors. It shows clients your range of capabilities, demonstrates your expertise, and allows them to better visualize different ways you may be able to help them.
This was the realization Rabe Environmental Systems came to a few months ago. The company is an industry leading mechanical contractor specializing in the design, installation and service of HVAC, piping, plumbing and energy management systems for industrial, commercial and institutional applications. It has a skilled, knowledgable team and expansive resources to facilitate even the largest projects, but its website had been created many years ago and hadn't been updated since.
It basically served as a static online brochure and wasn't designed or optimized to connect with its target audience or communicate its complete abilities to visitors. The company decided it needed to re-design its website in order to highlight its expertise and set it apart from competitors, and reached out to Werkbot to assist with this process.
Werkbot worked closely with Rabe in order to understand its target audience and their needs, as well as the range of services it offers to clients. It developed a plan to re-organize and optimize the website, and created a new, more modern looking design. Goals for the new site included:
- Creating new "capabilities" pages that communicate each service Rabe offers
- Creating new "markets" pages to cater to searchers looking for a mechanics contractor in a specific industry
- Creating an "experience" section that highlights high-profile, regional projects Rabe has facilitated
- Revising and updating website copy and images to better reflect Rabe's expertise
- Adding more information about Rabe's team, including new head shots and contact info
The new layout Werkbot proposed to Rabe was clean, modern, and designed to provide the best user experience possible. The pages and content were geared to highlight Rabe's core areas of focus, to demonstrate the professionalism and skill set of its team members, and to communicate the importance of safety throughout all projects. Not only does the new design look more professional, it helps users find the answers to their questions more quickly and efficiently, and positions Rabe as a leading mechanical contractor in the industry. The new website offers visitors a much better experience overall and makes a great first impression on new visitors to the site.
"We have been very impressed by Werkbot from day one," said Sean Scully, business development manager at Rabe. "Not only did they deliver on what they promised, but they exceeded our expectations."
Each goal for the website that Rabe and Werkbot set out to accomplish was achieved during this re-design process, and the end result was definitely a success. Most importantly, website visitors will be more likely to fully grasp all of the services and the level of knowledge Rabe is able to offer them, and more likely to convert from a visitor into a client.