Redesigning YMCA.org, which had not been done since 2001, was a critical component to YMCA’s digital strategy to enhance audience experiences and engagement to ensure the Y remains relevant in a quickly evolving marketplace.
The site was sorely in need of an upgrade in order to deepen engagement with priority audiences, including the next generation of young people, who grew up with digital media.
We needed to build a new entryway to the YMCA. We conducted extensive discovery research and built digital strategic foundations with the goal of not only inspiring engagement with the public but also creating a strategy and approach that could be applied to all local YMCA websites. This research consisted of the following:
- Stakeholder Interviews
- Social Listening
- Journey Mapping & Personas
- BX & CX Competitive Audit
- SEO Audit & Playbook
- Analytics Audit
This new design ensures users have a modern and frictionless experience that intuitively leads users throughout the site. The site was also designed to utilize a flexible component system that can evolve and adapt with the Y digitally while also encouraging client ownership of the site beyond launch. The new national website is a best-in-class example and reinvented the following key aspects:
- Information Architecture
- Content Strategy
- User Experience
- User Interface
- SEO Optimization
- Analytics Optimization
The newly launched website improved metrics when compared to the previous year.
- Total users increased 9%
- Average session time increased 17%
- Organic search increased 23%
- Organic traffic from Google increased 15%
- Unique page views increased 6%
- Join or ‘Become a Member’ page increased 36%
