Origin Interactive

The need

Become the most professional and technologically advanced broker firm
Aldes’ main business goal is to become the most professional and technologically advanced firm of business brokers in the Southern Hemisphere. In support of this they were in the process of upgrading their broker database and approached us to help them design and develop a fresh and professional looking online channel (website) to move them to a higher level and support their strategy in becoming a market leader and a household name.

Position the brand, increase site visits, increase search engine ranking
Their objectives for upgrading their current online solution was almost predictable; to promote and strongly position their brand, increase site visits, increase search engine rankings and find-ability, increase the number of businesses listed (and sold) and integrate the new online channel into their new broker database.

Another core project requirement was to improve Aldes' search engine rankings and increase the website’s find-ability as well as drive relevant traffic to the site.

'call to action' to contact brokers
In addition to our defined set of deliverables, a strong emphasis was given to educating buyers and sellers on the Aldes process, and the importance of a strong ‘call to action’ to contact brokers. Simplicity of information presentation and ease of finding need-specific content was of high priority. Furthermore, Aldes wanted full control over their new website and to have the ability to add and remove content as and when the need arose, without being dependent on a technology company to do so, simple!

So what did we do for Aldes?

• Defined the User Experience (UX) for the new online solution (website)
• Executed our User Experience Design (UXD) process for the entire online solution
• Visual design
• UX development (Front-end)
• Implement a WordPress Content management system (CMS) implementation
• Integrating the new online solution into the new broker database
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

We took online business broking to a new level

Once we familiarised ourselves with business, technical and user requirements, we embarked on extensive market research and analysis to better understand Aldes’ users and competitors, as well as the online business broking industry in general. By understanding Aldes users and their environment we identified opportunities on how to take the new site to the next level.

A new user-specific search

We put heavy focus on improving the users' journey in finding available business for sale or how to go about listing their business on aldes.co.za, by simplifying the ‘searching for business' process and making it the focus on the home page. Through this we targeted both ‘browsers' and ‘searchers' and enabled users to find relevant information faster by giving them three different search criteria to better refine their search.

Reinforcing the call to action

The main call-to-action for aldes.co.za is ‘Call a broker' as it is the first step in buying or selling a business. We ensured that this was communicated clearly and prominently on every page of the site.

Improved users’ journeys

We focused on improving the users’ journey in finding available business for sale, by simplifying the ‘searching for business’ process and making it the focus on the home page. ‘Browsers’ and ‘Searchers’ now have 3 different ways to find relevant businesses for sale. In addition to this improved way of searching, users now also have the ability to refine their search criteria once on the business search results page.

Made knowledge based decisions, which inspired ideas

During our research phase we identified that users desired market information to assist them with making decisions. This inspired us to form a “Recourses” area. We positioned this new resource are top right on the home page and throughout the site to encourage users to read up about market trends, Aldes buying and selling processes, and other relevant information.

Content management made simple

We developed a custom WordPress solution that enables Aldes to manage every area of content on their new site without really needing to rely on heavy technical expertise. WordPress not only gives Aldes the control they desired, but it also empowers brokers to manage their own mandates through the site quicker and more efficiently. This in turn, means that over time, implementing the CMS was a cost saving.

The Result

69% decrease in bounce rate
Only one month after the re-launch of aldes.co.za, the site received 926% more hits. Through targeting the correct audience the site experienced a decrease in bounce rate by 69%. The average time spent on the site increased by 667% (from 1:30mins – 13:21mins) and the number of pages viewed per visit has increased by 779%. Based on these results it has been confirmed that Aldes have receiving a bucket load more inquiries than ever before, and from legitimate leads, which is invaluable to their business.

• A smartly designed and easy to navigate website that is simple and informative
• Clear and prominent communication of the site’s objectives
• A simple, easy to use Content Management System
• Strong brand positioning and holistic brand experience
• Optimised search results - Google results over exceeded expectations
• Substantial increase in calls to brokers
• 69.4% reduction in bounce rate
• 667% increase in average time spent on the site
• 770% increase in the number of pages viewed per visit
• 926% increase in overall number of pages viewed per month
• A great success!