We spoke with Lulu Dowell, Somerville’s Marketing Manager, about the process of bringing Somerville’s new website to life.
The Business
Somerville IT Services is a leading Australian technology company that deliver end-to-end solutions across:
- Network Connectivity
- Cloud Services
- Network Security
- Modern Workplaces
- Managed Laptops for Educational Institutions
With over 40 years delivering high quality IT services to Australian businesses, they are deeply committed to service and innovation in all work that they do.
From Craig Somerville, MD –
“Our Vision Is To Bring Technology Innovation And Human Brainpower To Our Clients, To Enable Change For Today And Tomorrow”
Project Overview
Delivery Timeframe: August 2022 – December 2022 (Live December 2022)
Website Build – https://somerville.com.au/
- Deliver a professional WordPress website that clearly communicates Somerville’s value proposition whilst increasing traffic and conversions.
- Custom design and development of 30 website page
- Custom content for all pages, with a focus on clearly defining highly technical services and presenting them in a user friendly language
- Built in SEO best practices and conversion optimisation
- CRM integration and contact form submission tracking
- Mobile Responsive Design
- Optimised for UX
What were you looking for when you decided to build a new website?
We rebranded back in March 2020 and launched towards the end of June 2020.
We were really happy with the new look and feel of our brand, because it really stands out in the tech space, and our tone of voice is very different.
‘At that time, we did a basic reskim of the website. It really felt like time to convert the site over to something more – into a lead generation engine, I guess.’
We wanted a professional, amazing, engaging-looking website that reflected Somerville’s values, who we are, what we do, and why we are different from our competitors.
‘We had previously invested in ads, but our site wasn’t really converting the way we wanted it to, which was a really big reason that we undertook this project.’
When you were looking for a digital agency to work with, what was important to you?
I was looking for a web company, a company that actually specialised in websites and Google ads. I needed a digital marketing company with a great reputation in the market.
We work with several agencies as MSP, and I know their different capabilities. I was looking for an agency with a strong specialisation in this area, in digital and web.
I did reach out to a number of agencies initially. I had a word-of-mouth recommendation arrive from a colleague in the tech space who had great things to say about Yo Media. That was important for me as I wasn’t prepared to engage with a new company unless I had heard good things about them. That was a really important part of my decision-making process.
My colleague connected us, and I chatted with Nathan about what we needed, and we really just got started straight away from there.
‘It was great for me to know you’d previously worked with tech companies. That was a key point for me, working with an organisation that understood tech. There were a couple of good agencies that I spoke to, but they didn’t have that tech specialisation. Knowing that you’d worked with other high-profile companies and really understood their solutions and what they do, was a big part of choosing to work with Yo Media’
What were Somerville’s marketing goals from the outset of the project?
‘I wanted Somerville to have a really sleek, professional website that stood out and had the ability to convert traffic into leads. Our previous one didn’t have the information or design to do that.’
What challenges came up during the project?
Nothing from Yo Media’s side! It was hard in moments to get information from some of the really technical minds on our end. I really appreciated how we allocated time to do this, and how Yo organised workshops for each of our technical managers and business units across the floor.
That was a great process and really allowed us to nail the copy. Nathan and Mark made this clear upfront – that the copy was such an important part of the process.
‘Design, layout, and ease of use are all important, but I think copy is truly key. Creating ours was a lot to get through, we had quite a few meetings! Mark and the team demonstrated how to take those very technical concepts and complex solutions and messages and translate them into meaningful content, that made sense from a user perspective.’
‘We have some very technical and brilliant minds at Somerville, and Yo helped us move through all of that technical talk and get the message across, which I couldn’t have done on my own.’
How did you find the process – was it thorough from onboarding through to delivery?
‘The process was great; the whole way through. There was a lot of content we needed to build out for this site, a lot! The process was really seamless in many ways, from the outset. Once all of the content had been created, the Yo Media team remained responsive, quick and proactive in terms of revisions and communication.’
Have you been happy with the results?
‘We’ve received such great feedback from people internally, and when we sent out the announcement about the new site by email, our customers and vendor partners shared positive feedback as well.’
The difference between the old site and this new site is like night and day. While we all knew we would need to budget for a web project, not everyone was 100% sure, but I think, in hindsight, everyone gets it. It’s like, ‘Wow, okay, now we all understand why we needed it’.
‘I think a website is the foundation of an organisation’s marketing strategy. Everything you do, across digital, it all comes back to your website. Having a really sleek and professional, engaging website, it’s absolutely key. Without it, there doesn’t seem to be much point in investing in something else.’
‘It’s vital to make that first impression excellent, so when prospective companies look at your website, it makes a great first impression. And, we feel like we have that now.’
How would you describe the Communication & Responsiveness from Yo Media throughout the project?
‘I would rate Yo Media a 10 out of 10 for sure. Whenever we gave feedback or revisions were requested, they were usually done on the day, even when there were a lot of revisions.’
What aspects of the project did you enjoy the most?
The part of the project I enjoyed the most was seeing it all come together. The design! Seeing the incredible format and design, the look and feel of the site.
We started with an idea that we were happy with, but Mark and the team just kept going back and making it look better. By the end of that, I was really blown away by how incredible it looked. It just looks so good.
Did you feel that the process was thorough, from the initial briefing to the site going live?
‘The process was seamless across every area. Nothing was missed; everything was done thoroughly.’
Would you recommend Yo Media to other businesses that need a website?
‘Absolutely, yes, I would recommend Yo Media to anyone looking for a great website.’
Is there any other feedback you’d like to share?
‘One thing I was really impressed with was the layout of the copy; it’s really well done. I can’t think of one thing that could have been done better. Even a month after we went live, Yo is still being helpful.’