Summit Homes Group Website
We've been honoured to be Summit Homes Group's digital agency for the past two years, so when they reached out to us to lead the development of their new website we couldn't have been happier.
Transitioning from Umbraco to WordPress
Shifting away from the previously cumbersome Umbraco CMS platform to WordPress presented a host of benefits for Summit Homes Group. This transition not only addressed the frustrations Summit was experiencing but also paved the way for streamlined content management.
Two critical issues served as the catalyst for the decision to change CMS platforms.
- Due to the way the Umbraco served content for both Metro and South West pages, Google was refusing to show all of Summit South West’s pages in its search results. This significantly inhibited organic search performance, as it was rendering their South West services undiscoverable on Google search engine.
- Umbraco was no longer supporting the version of software that Summit was built on. This left two choices: build the site again from the ground up or risk security issues. By rebuilding their site on WordPress, Summit was ensuring that any future rebuilds would be on their own terms.
Building the homebuilding industry’s best performing website
Summit’s website was engineered from the ground up to significantly enhance the performance of all marketing efforts. Each of our marketing teams – SMM, PPC and Organic Search – collaborated with our designers and developers to forge a lead-generating machine that synergises with both Summit’s internal processes and our digital marketing strategy.
Key challenges
The condition of their former Umbraco site required significant groundwork before diving into the design and development phases. Secondly, integrating Sugar CRM forms proved intricate, requiring close cooperation between our web team and Summit’s IT team to ensure seamless integration for their sales representatives.
Reduced content entry time. Increased content visibility.
Leveraging the plugin aptly titled Broadcast, we built in a solution that would allow Summit’s team to share content between brands and relay it as required. This allows them to easily create new home listings for both their Perth Metro and South West divisions as well as push promotions across all brands, drastically reducing content entry time.
Data-driven UX design
One major advantage of initiating a new site design after commencing digital marketing is the abundance of information available, serving as a foundation for making design decisions.
Our teams’ goal was to find:
- Key points of friction visitors were facing
- Frequently visited pages that lead to a conversion
- Pages with the most conversions
- The path of least resistance for Summit’s visitors.
This enabled us to provide Summit’s visitors with precisely what they sought, often before they were even aware of it themselves.
Visual elements
Our design approach focused on soft and inviting arches, steering away from sharp and bold designs. The incorporation of video content enriched the user experience, making the site engaging and informative. Extensive animations were employed after thorough analysis of industry competitors, giving the site a modern and innovative touch.
The project was an exciting challenge for our design team, encouraging creativity and collaboration within the agency.
Search engine friendliness from inception
Due to the previous site’s incompatibility with Google, we prioritised bringing on one of our SEO specialists from the very beginning. They collaborated with our developers to map out crucial functionality and methodically address every challenge that the site was encountering. Our interaction between specialists continued through each step of design and development phases to create the finished product.
The SEO results speak for themselves.
“Home Builders Perth” 1.9k monthly Searches
- Pre-launch: Position 3
- Post-launch: Position 1
“Granny Flats” 22.2k monthly Searches
- Pre-Launch: Position 2
- Post-launch: Position 1
“Display Homes” 12.1k monthly searches
- Pre-launch: Position 3
- Post-launch: Position 1
“Home designs Perth” 480 monthly Searches
- Pre-launch: Position 8
- Post-launch: Position 1
Key features and integrations
Podium Chat software
Additionally, real-time user interaction and customer support were prioritised through the integration of Podium Chat.
Bespoke financing calculator
The financing calculator was designed to empower users with a comprehensive tool for assessing their financial options.
Dynamic pricing table
The dynamic pricing table enables seamless updates of home prices in a centralised location, guaranteeing accuracy and consistency.
Interactive map
This feature allows users to effortlessly navigate through available house and land packages as well as display homes, fostering a deeper understanding of our real estate portfolio.
The next phase
The successful launch of Summit Homes Group’s new website stands as a testament to the collaboration between Summit and Distl. By overcoming challenges, implementing innovative solutions, and aligning the digital platform with the Summit’s vision, the project has already yielded impressive results in a short timeframe. We can’t wait to see the long-term benefits.
