Merge

Building websites is not as easy as taking information and laying it out in a pleasing framework on a screen with many buttons for client engagement.  However, using a strategically defined approach, success can be achieved in a relatively short period of time.

Bonitz is the nation's largest privately owned flooring and construction company and provides the highest in ethics, working relationships and services to their clients.  They were looking for a solution that would incorporate their flooring and contracting divisions, as well as the reselling arm of DIRTT, while still maintaining the impression of one company all on the same website.

Strategy:
Merge met with the Bonitz executive management team to delve into the issues.  They explained their story, their initiatives, their pains and where they were focusing on results operationally and strategically.  We listened and wrote, we took turns asking our questions, and filled their conference room with pages of data and information.  We learned quickly that the breadth and level of service Bonitz provides is often unknown fully to their clients and the market, and that the web had a great opportunity to showcase these services.
 

Branding:
We created a branding strategy that would break out the two main divisions of Bonitz in subtle ways through the use of color and content.  To create cohesiveness among the various divisions, Merge integrated 5 user-specific portal pages focused on what that particular user would be looking for as a solution, and presented both the flooring and contracting solutions offered.

Site Traffic:
SEO (search engine optimization) was and is key for Bonitz.  However, there was a need for continuous content to be generated that contained industry leading information.  To create the content needed in the time frame to produce the results needed, Merge integrated with industry leading organizations producing the content at a faster pace.  Three custom RSS feeds were created allowing control of posting information to the Bonitz web site.  These feeds were incorporated in strategic places on the website.  This solution allowed Merge to conquer additional ground through organic search, newsletters, facebook, and video feeds.

Functionality:
Merge integrated functionality and simplicity into the site map by creating four separate yet subtle ways through which to find information.  These included a standard header menu, an on-page menu choice, an image expanding menu and an expanded footer menu.  

:
The SEO strategy included corporate keywords, divisional keywords, location-specific strategies as well as on-site optimization.  Competitor data was compiled and strategic initiatives were put in place to ensure Bonitz was competing in the on-line marketplace.

Results:
The results have been going in the right direction.  In the four months since launching the new site:

1. Targeted keywords with a 1st page placement: Google (64%) – Yahoo (59%) – Bing (52%);
   
2. Geographic reach expanded from the southeast to the northeast, Midwest and Western states;
   
    
3. Five strategic leads came through the website, two of which have closed as new business and another being an invitation to bid on a large renovation of one of the region's international airports.