Northbrook Contracting Corp. - Web Design Company & SEO Marketing Agency in NYC & Long Island

Northbrook is a contractor based in Westchester, New York, specializing in heavy construction and union sitework. Originally serving just Westchester County, they eventually expanded to include much of NYC, as well as Connecticut. They work on residential projects, from single family homes to multi-unit developments to high rise urban projects, as well as industrial and commercial projects, including supermarkets, school districts, and more. They do site development, harden physical security measures, and implement green infrastructure to decrease buildings’ carbon footprints. They also do outdoor projects, such as building retaining walls for soil support, and site utilities such as sewage, water drainage, and trenching for gas, electric, and other utilities.

The Problem

The Northbrook Contracting Corp. website was lacking in consistency with its messaging. It did not have strong calls to action that would encourage users to interact with the content in a meaningful way—or to sign up for additional information or content. As a result, lead generation suffered. They also had outdated brand imaging that required a complete reimagining, along with stronger emphasis on user interface and user experience in the site’s design. The site also had problems with functionality and lacked key design features. Finally, their mobile strategy was lacking, making it difficult for users to interact with the site on phones or tablets—which in turn negatively impacted their digital presence.

Analysis

Northbrook Contracting Corp. needed to improve continuity for their brand and unify their overall message. They needed to make a dynamic and functional mobile version of their site, which could be accessed on any device. They also needed a better project gallery to allow potential customers to view their past work and get a feel for what they were capable of. Perhaps most importantly, however, the Northbrook site needed a bid room, where they could add projects, and take bids from potential partners—while limiting access by clients to that area.

The Solution

MaxBurst created the bid room for Northbrook Contracting. It allowed them to seek partners on contracting projects discreetly, and find the most competitive bids for different jobs. And by requiring registration for that section of the site, they were able to keep it separate from their regular clients.

MaxBurst also provided a complete reimagining of the site’s overall design. They made it easier to navigate, building it on the Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP stack. Access for mobile users was improved as well. By employing the Bootstrap mobile responsiveness grid, they were able to ensure that every device would load the site correctly and optimally, allowing for dynamic interaction across all platforms, from smartphones to tablets to desktops.

The content of the site was improved as well, with more impactful calls to action, which capture users’ attention and encourage them to interact with the site, providing personal information and making inquiries. This in turn helped to create better lead generation.

The site’s SEO was improved by integrating SEO optimized plugins and custom theme coding into WordPress. MaxBurst then set up 301 permanent redirects in an HTACCESS file for old SEO pages, to link to the new site and preserve existing SEO rankings. They also seamlessly wove Northbrook Contracting’s social media channels into their content. All existing social media campaigns were integrated into the new site, allowing users to share Northbrook content to their Facebook, Twitter, or other social media profiles, right from the new web platform.

MaxBurst then made it easier for site admins to maintain the site after the update. They seamlessly coded the theme interface into the latest version of the WordPress platform, to improve overall site maintenance and allow for regular content updates, without hassle. They used best practices for user interface and user experience design and development control through the content platform. And they made use of all of the latest available web technologies in order to optimize the site experience for both the user and the admin.

Finally, this updated site required updated security. The increase in opportunities for site interaction meant a need for protection against Spam, Malware, and other malicious attacks. So MaxBurst added Captcha software, as well as e-mail verification and other precautions, to all web forms on the site, in order to guard against unwanted bots and make sure all interactions came from genuine prospective leads. They then utilized all the industry standards for web security and intrusion detection, in order to keep the site safe and protect both their information and their clients’ information from cyber attacks.

The Results

After MaxBurst performed the overhaul of the Northbrook Contracting site, they were left with a creative and high-end site design that is easy for clients to use and easy for admins to edit. The site is easier to navigate, and mobile responsiveness increased. And with an enhanced projects gallery and the ability to add jobs to a bid room, the site clearly has a whole new level of functionality. This in turn has led to an increase in qualified leads, and better overall workplace productivity throughout the Northbrook company.