CASE STUDY: DUNCANHINES.COM
The clients assigned WDDG to create a platform for sustained, valued, branded consumer engagements. This called for a total overhaul of the previous site to improve its performance across every factor imaginable. The old website hadn't been updated in years, it wasn't search engine optimized, key products weren't represented, community tools weren't operational, and site navigation and page layout made for a challenging experience.
Our strategy was to use – and extend – best practices, especially for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). We developed a deep-linking strategy based on the insight that most consumers use Google to find specific recipes, and we sought a completely new visual expression for the entire site.
We came up with a simple organizing statement: inspire consumers to bake delicious recipes using trusted Duncan Hines products. We would achieve this by highlighting official Duncan Hines recipes, updating the site with seasonally relevant content, and providing community tools so members can generate recipes, tips, reviews and discussions.
A design challenge was how to create a recipe-based baking site that stood out from the many food sites. Our overall visual design was excellent (OK, we're biased), but how would we solve the content problem with hundreds of recipes calling for specific foods? Stock houses had high-end photos, but they were rarely perfect and always expensive. The client hired photographer Dana Gallagher. The results speak for themselves.
A design challenge was how to create a recipe-based baking site that stood out from the many food sites. Our overall visual design was excellent (OK, we're biased), but how would we solve the content problem with hundreds of recipes calling for specific foods? Stock houses had high-end photos, but they were rarely perfect and always expensive. The client hired photographer Dana Gallagher. The results speak for themselves.
When we arrived at the "About Us" section we didn't want to settle for a visually clichéd timeline or a long page of corporate text. We decided to challenge ourselves to go above and beyond. The result is a Flash experience with depth, interactivity and great story telling.
Three months after the site launch, traffic was up 266% vs. the pre-launch baseline, the site received nearly 6MM pageviews, average page views per visit were up an additional page (from 8 to 9), and time spent on site was up from 2 minutes to 4.7 minutes. Organic search also delivered over 100,000 visits. (Source: Google Analytics and Compete.com).
As a phase 2 release, we added a light-weight social network to increase return visits and on site time, among several other changes to the homepage, recipe pages and email templates.
As a phase 2 release, we added a light-weight social network to increase return visits and on site time, among several other changes to the homepage, recipe pages and email templates.
Project:
Client:
Pinnacle Foods Group LLC
Services:
Strategy, Design, IA, Animation, Programming, Content Management, Search Engine Optimization, Maintenance, Email Marketing, Contest Integration, Ongoing Promotion