McClain Finlon Website Case Study

McClain Finlon came to Fusionbox in order to improve the usability, performance, and search engine rankings for its agency site. Fusionbox used the following strategies to meet those goals:

Usability & Web Best Practices

General

* We reprogrammed the site from all Flash to HTML which sped up the performance of the site significantly. This also means that users who do not have the Flash plug-in will still get to experience the site.
* The HTML site can be viewed using mobile, PDA, and screen reader devices.
* We added McClain Finlon’s logo to the top left hand area of the site. This is a best practice based on eye tracking data. Eye tracking results show that the eye views this area of the browser first.
* We made the logo at the top left a link to the homepage in accordance with web design best practices. See these industry leaders as an example: www.ebay.com, www.netflix.com, www.msn.com, www.amazon.com, www.cnn.com, www.craigslist.org, www.apple.com, www.target.com
* We added a footer navigation with a site map which helps both usability and search engine results.
* We also included a copyright notice to cover all of the content on the site.
* We removed the looping audio from the site to improve site performance.

Home Page

* The landing page has been changed to both a landing page and a home page. This gives an overview of the agency’s capabilities, yet the addition of the audio still gives a Splash page feeling.
* The focus of the homepage is still on McClain’s people without forcing users to go first to the People page.
* The video loads faster and displays a “buffering” message so the user knows to wait for the video.
* The videos are displayed randomly so the next time a user visits the homepage, he or she will see a different video. This gives the user the impression that the site is being updated often.
* The user is not forced to watch the video, or skip through a Flash intro, rather they have an option to go directly to the section of the site that interests them the most.
* If the user would like to see more video, there is a link to view all the videos. This gives the user the option, rather than forcing them to either watch more videos or skip through them to get to the rest of the site.
Portfolio

* The Portfolio is now organized by client rather than by work type. This is easier for the user to navigate and also showcases McClain’s integrated campaigns.
* We toned down the background color of the Portfolio page so the work would show well.
* We added a description for the client, and for each Portfolio piece so that the user can find out more about the Client and the work.
* We increased the window in which the work is appears, so it shows better on the web.
* Each piece now has the option to include a PDF. This allows the user the opportunity to view a high-quality version of the whole campaign. This also gives the viewer the opportunity to read the copy.
* The new layout allows McClain Finlon to showcase many more work examples than before.
* The new format allows for audio, video, and image types.

Client Roster

* We removed the Flash features from the Client Showcase so that users could see the client list all at once.
* We changed the name from Client Showcase to Client Roster because it was less confusing.
* We added logos to this page for visual interest and brand recognition.
* The design allows for a description of the client and the work that McClain did for that client.
People

* We changed the navigation of the People page so that all the thumbnails of the featured People show up at once, so the user does not have to scroll.
* We flattened the design so the text was easier to read.
* We added the person’s title to the roll-over effect so people would know what function each person has without clicking on the thumbnail.
* We changed the design of the Q&A and Bio buttons to be more integrated with the design.

New Things That Matter

* We changed the design to be consistent with the rest of the site.
* We included three categories: Speaker Series, Our Favorite Places, and Work Hard, Play Hard to give the user a feeling of the agency’s culture.
* The New Things That Matter can now showcase, images, audio and video.
About

* In the Shameless Self-Promotion section, we made the design consistent with the rest of the site.
* We added an archive so users could have the option of seeing all older files.
* The Employment section is now fully fleshed out with Departments, Job Descriptions and contact e-mails.
* We added a Second Tuesday link that is consistent with the design of the rest of the site.


Search Engine Improvements
* The site was recoded from Flash to HTML so now Google is able to spider and index all of the content on the site.
* We used Structural CSS instead of traditional HTML which improved the ratio of keywords to code.
* We added relevant and researched meta data (titles, description & keywords).
* A site map was added for search engine indexing.
* Keyword-heavy content was added to all sections of the site through the content management center.
* The ability to add internal links was added in the content management. Creating keywords as links helps boost organic search engine results.

RSS Feed
* The addition of an RSS feed for press releases would provide a new channel for press release distribution.
* This new channel is instantaneous.  As soon as you post a new Press Release, the RSS feed is updated, and news outlets, interested readers, and organizations will pick up the news.
* The addition of the RSS feed will drive traffic back to the site.  By including links within the press release, users will be prompted to link back to the site and explore the site’s content.
* The addition of keyword links within the press releases will raise organic search results.
* This is very cutting-edge for the industry and will make you guys look very technically advanced.