BIER – Case Study
Creating a strong website that reflects organization’s environmental values
The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) is a coalition of leaders in the beverage sector working to improve environmental sustainability within the industry, and inform policy by engaging with stakeholders.
BIER was searching for a new website on a new Content Management System (CMS). They asked Media Relations Agency to create a site that enabled more customization, had a modern design and clearly displayed their values.
BIER now has a much more functional website that also looks great and should perform better in search.
The Challenge
- Create a website that could be further customized and tracked in a new CMS
- Improve the site structure to allow for clear navigation
- Update the design to be more modern and scream “sustainability”
- Set-up ongoing content streams for their team to manage.
Our Approach
WordPress Development: We developed a WordPress site that is unique, easy to navigate and easy to customize. BIER’s previous site was on Wix, which prevented them from making a lot of customization and effective tracking. The new site includes dynamic features, custom posts to enable them to make separate publications, blog posts, and pages, along with other cleaner coding. After developing the site, we taught BIER how to make changes and update their site with any updates needed.
Responsive Web Design: We made a responsive design that looks great on every device and screen resolution. This gives users a positive experience regardless of whether they’re viewing the site on a smartphone, tablet or computer. This design is future-proof, and allows stakeholders and BIER members to easily browse the site wherever they are.
User Centered Design: The old website had a well-defined site structure, but the lack of features on the site made navigation to internal pages difficult, and it was especially hard to find publications. We planned a design with users in mind, including a publications page that put all downloads in one accessible location, added a secondary menu with more links, and fixed linking problems on their old site. Users can now easily find what they need to throughout the site.
Search Engine Optimization: While SEO wasn’t BIER’s main concern, we used a variety of techniques to create a site that would rank well in search engines. This included a well-defined site structure, comprehensive keyword research, minor content optimizations throughout the site, and much more. Now stakeholders, members and anyone interested in the subject can find the useful information on the site.
The Results
The new BIER website has an engaging design that is heavily focused on environmental sustainability and water, which fits perfectly with their values and projects. The WordPress site and user-friendly tools enable BIER to have a professional site that is easy to customize and track. Their research is now easier to find, allowing stakeholders to more easily locate important information. BIER now has a much more functional website that also looks great and should perform better in search.
Increased Digital Engagement
The website generated immediate interest from target audiences, leading to key partnerships initiated at the event.
Sustained Growth Plan
Identified an ongoing strategy to refine and enhance the digital presence and support future product development and partnerships.
