The Champaign-Urbana area is unmistakably brilliant, from unexpected outdoor adventures to worldwide influence shaping cuisine, arts and entertainment throughout the region of this DMO.
After partnering with McD Digital to redesign its website in 2017, Experience Champaign County approached us once again to build a brand-new website to match the new branding, creating a unique site that highlights the brilliance of Champaign-Urbana.
First, a new video header that plays on the “Brilliant” theme was integrated into the site’s homepage. The changing first word shows Experience CU is brilliant in all areas. Bright buttons were added to immediately allow users the ability to find their way deeper into the site and more easily direct meeting planners and University of Illinois visitors to the correct pages. Service boxes were added and programmed with an animated hover effect that draws users’ eyes and encourages them to engage further with the site.
To help promote the entirety of Champaign County, an integrated map was designed and programmed into the homepage, allowing Experience Champaign-Urbana to promote activities and businesses in surrounding communities such as Paxton, St. Joseph and Mahomet.
A second service box section was designed and programmed with the tagline “CU!,” allowing visitors to interact with the site once again and find additional content like Fighting Illini game day planners, a dedicated landing page for U of I alumni, students and visitors, and concert and event information.
The addition of an integrated, related blog content feature and editable type overlays on the homepage created a unique and striking look. The new website uses a built-in API to speak with Tempest CRM for the business directory.
The new branding and website had an immediate impact on web traffic. After launching on Nov. 1, 2023, the first month saw a 23% increase in traffic as compared to the previous year. Search engine optimization was performed extensively on the site resulting in the site indexing for more than 23,000 keywords according to Google Analytics.
Let us help you take your marketing strategy to the next level with McD Marketing. Contact Randy McDaniels at rmcdaniels@mcdmarketing.com or call (309) 346-7412 for more information.
