seize creative

Nothing feels as good as a fresh clean start. Just ask the Lake Lanier Association, our most recent project to go live.

When we first bid on this project, LLA knew they needed some serious content reorganization, as well as a boost to the visual interest on their site. They had been cranking out posts for several years, many of which had become irrelevant since they were tied to events that had come and gone. And sadly, those posts were all text, no pictures — a recipe for some boring reading.

We approached the site as we do all new clients, with a scrutinizing look at who their target market is and what they are trying to tell that audience. Once we had a good grasp on their goals, we made a list of our own to guide the site redesign:

1. Bring now-hidden information to the surface.
   Our initial efforts were focused on the Home page. We wanted it to be the nerve center for the rest of the site, providing links to everywhere a visitor may want to go. Simultaneously, we wanted to shrink the daylights out of the nav bar, making it super-direct as to what was in each menu. Finally, we wanted to make sure the links to the LLA membership application, annual events and their e-store were front and center, sure to be visited.
2. Go back through the zillions of old posts and extract relevant information.
   Over the 6+ years since the site was brought online, LLA had written posts about everything going on with the lake, relevant legislation and annual LLA events. Some of that info certainly needs to exist indefinitely in an archive, but some of it is fat that should eventually be trimmed. We took relevant info from many of those old posts and built it into the site’s static pages to more fully explain the purpose and activities of the organization.
3. Add some visual interest.
   Of course, Lake Lanier is defined by its beautiful natural vistas and the many recreation-seeking Atlantans who visit each year. There are fishing contests, boat races, and water sports of all kinds going all the time. Images speak their own language and, in this case, provide exactly the support needed to make the written content come alive.
4. Connect to the membership and the outside world.
   Making a connection with the LLA email distribution system was a must, including a simple form for new visitors to sign up for news (right on the Home page!). We also tried to strengthen the connection to the community, giving business members and sponsors a little face time, while encouraging new ones to ante up. And, of course we employed our standard best practices for grass-roots SEO, making sure there are plenty of internal and external links, as well as a direct push from the blog to the LLA Facebook page.

The site went live a few days ago, just before the April Board meeting, and they were truly excited about the new site. And while “the look” is important for drawing in people visiting the site, image isn’t the only thing — greatly improved navigation and organization now rule the site, making it the strong business tool LLA needs to attract and educate members.