Greater Washington Initiative Website Redesign

About the Project

The Greater Washington Initiative (GWI) website needed to be as dynamic as the region it markets to the worldwide business community. The organization wanted a new website that would promote the Washington Metro area as a premier business location by meeting the information needs and usability demands of core audiences. As part of the project that also updated the website for the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the GWI website was redesigned using the DotNetNuke content management system that provides a best-in-class user experience with easily navigable access to information on the region and the services GWI provides.

The Balance Interactive solution included:

Innovative Web Strategy

Balance Interactive researched the web efforts of related organizations to develop a customized web strategy that targeted the goals of the Greater Washington Initiative. Other inputs to the strategy included an analysis of website statistics, audience needs, and website content. The strategy defined specific techniques that could be used to make the most of the home page and site architecture to meet the needs of site users.

Visual Design that Translates the Brand

Balance Interactive designers updated the look and feel of the GWI website to match and promote the organization’s brand. The site is now as visually compelling as it is informative and useful. The design is sleek and sophisticated and compliments the wealth of information at the website.

Content Strategy and Usability

Balance Interactive developed a content strategy for the Greater Washington Initiative to ensure that the new website addresses the needs of core audiences. Among the recommendations were to offer maps and highlight the many business locations within the DC metro region. The Balance Interactive content team wrote and edited content for key pages. The result is a website that features content that users need and is easy to read and navigate.

Content Management with DotNetNuke

The DotNetNuke content management system was employed. Data is updated by simply dragging and dropping Excel spreadsheets into the site administration area – the site then automatically presents the latest data to users. Staff members were given training and a customized user manual and now have complete control over site content maintenance.