CookPrior Associates are a niche consultancy operating in the fields of sustainability and water based technology. Their previous website simply did not pull visitors into the site, nor did it encourage them to come back again later. They also found it time consuming to add new material to it, or expensive if they got someone else to do it for them.
It was clear that CookPrior had a wealth of material and experience to offer their website visitors. The problem was that the process for getting it onto the old website was so long-winded that they simply did not bother. Kevin Prior explains: “It meant we had to phone or email the website manager, and then we had to wait until they were able to update the site. We needed more direct control over the content ourselves.”
CookPrior approached Nick Prior Designs and requested a web site that had these features:
- Fast loading
- Easy to update
- Functional design
- Present files and other resources for download
- Provide a variety of ways for people to access the website information
The Approach
Nick Prior Designs responded with a website built on Movable Type, the content management system from SixApart. The robust editing features make it easy for CookPrior to update their site whenever they want. No waiting for a web consultant to do it for them.
It’s quick to load into a browser too – the use of current web development standards mean visitors don’t have to hang around waiting for pages to load into their browser.
The design is functional and has won many plaudits from their regular visitors. It makes information easy to find, different types of information simple to identify, and you don’t have to wade through acres of irrelevant content to get to the meat.
Nick Prior Designs also built in facilities for users to subscribe to the newsreader feed. Using features about to be built into
Microsoft’s browser, visitors can subscribe to regular automatic updates from the CookPrior website without having to remember to call at the site itself. CookPrior can get their message out to people when they want to communicate it.
Even better, they have had requests from other websites to include their material as syndicated content. CookPrior are happy their material can get promoted more widely without them having to do any more work to get it there!
The website now contains links to PDF files so CookPrior visitors can download useful reports for their own use. And if you want to buy one of the books CookPrior recommends in their Resources section, you can click on a picture of the book concerned and go straight to the relevant section of the Amazon website and click to make your purchase.
The Outcome
CookPrior explained recently to us what had happened as a result of changing the thrust of their website. The dynamic news section had resulted in an increase of visitors to the site, and sales enquiries jumped 30% in the first year of operation. Even better both revenues and profits had increased by about 10%, indicating that the type of business they are now attracting paid more than previously.
Cook Prior put this down to the effect the frequently changing information they publish has on their market in which they are
increasingly being seen as serious players and definitely to be respected.
You can see the CookPrior website at CookPrior.com.