Cheshire-based Peaks and Plains Housing Trust has revamped its online channels and updated its digital strategy with help from web consultancy Sigma. Following the completion of the two-month, £16,000 project, Peaks and Plains now has a much-improved web presence, supports mobile web users and has more advanced content management functionality.
Sigma began its review of Peaks and Plains’ web presence in April 2012 by looking at its existing website and its underlying web analytics. Sigma found that while the old site was a rich source of information, the majority of users were trying to find information related to paying their rent, reporting a repair or finding available homes. Sigma and Peaks and Plains used these findings to shape the layout and hierarchy of their new homepage and core navigation, providing clear calls to action to guide the majority of users to where they want to go quickly and efficiently.
Not surprisingly, they also found that a considerable amount of their web traffic came from mobile devices. A mobile-optimised version of the site was then developed to avoid mobile users needing to constantly zoom in and out to see things and clicking on links they didn’t intend to.
The new site is now maintained using an Umbraco content management system which allows Peaks and Plains’ staff to update and reuse content quickly and easily themselves, removing the need for external web contractors.
Simon Penaluna, assistant director of ICT, Peaks and Plains Housing Trust, said, “Sigma has delivered an excellent service in a very tight timescale. The finished product has been very well designed, with the added benefit of an enhanced content management system that will allow the site to grow as we expand our operations.”
