Riley Consulting
Global design and build, Branding, Strategic consultancy, SEO, Umbraco CMS
The Client
Riley Consulting is a leading UK consultancy firm, providing multi-disciplinary construction and property services. The group has a proud history, with over 100 years’ experience in sectors ranging from aviation to retail.
The Challenge
With no fewer than seven sub-brands under the group umbrella, Riley Consulting approached Wickedweb seeking to revamp its full suite of eight websites.
While pursuing creative consistency across the sites, Riley Consulting wished to continue marketing its services independently as well as collectively. The challenge was therefore set to deliver an engaging and cohesive site structure that enabled sub-brands to stand alone as separate entities - while simultaneously maintaining the group’s core identity.
Site design was to be based on existing brand characteristics, but with a clear brief to push creative concepts forward and evolve the overall brand online.
With a focus on long term success, search engine optimisation (SEO) was a key consideration from the very beginning. The site was also to be integrated with a content management system (CMS), to facilitate facilitating simple in-house updates to all websites through a single interface.
The Solution
Consolidated design
Adopting a design-led approach from the outset, Wickedweb sought to consolidate the eight separate brands into one creative yet consistent template. A methodical, user-centred design process ensured full appreciation of each sub-brand’s individuality – with none of the sub-domain content compromised by the cross-brand uniformity.
The existing colour pallet for each sub brand was creatively implemented to maximise distinction between the sub-sites, providing a bright and clear reference point for users.
Flexible CMS
Working closely with Riley Consulting to understand the firm’s practical objectives, Wickedweb recommended the site’s integration with the Umbraco platform. The leading Open Source CMS, Umbraco delivers the flexibility required to execute creative solutions on a vast scale. Users are able to control parts of the site that are inaccessible on more conventional CMS platforms, and the intuitive front end interface makes creating and editing content a breeze.easier.
Central to the requirement was the capability for the CMS to filter main site content, in order that sub-site users were automatically presented with information relevant to their chosen sector.
This automated delivery of apposite information to the user helps Riley Consulting control almost every aspect of its online presence from the top level group site. This functionality has proved invaluable to the Riley Consulting online editing team, allowing them to share large quantites of information selectively across the group company sites whils’t maintaining overall control through the editing of one master document.
The crossover between site contents meant literally hundreds of case studies needed a sophisticated tagging system, allowing visitors to find articles appropriate to their sector at every turn. In manipulating the CMS, Wickedweb was also able to implement effective search throughout the eight brand sites.
The Results
Wickedweb has delivered a captivating suite of sites, all on one domain (saving substantial hosting fees), which serves to bring a positive and energetic feel to the Riley Consulting brand online.
There is a seamless and consistent design to represent the brand’s common bond - yet all arms of the business have retained, and indeed built upon, their own identity.
The group as a whole benefits from a sophisticated look and feel that helps reinforce its position as market leader. Key to retaining that competitive advantage will be the increased engagement of website visitors, leading to more referrals and commercial enquiries.
