Community West Bank
Services we provide:
- Discovery
- Strategy
- UX/UI design
- Website development
- Xperience by Kentico implementation
About Community West Bank
CWB is a large community bank in southern California with over 20+ locations and a track record of financial strength, security and stability gained over its 44 years in business. CWB has set itself apart from other banks by its people, dedication to client advocacy, exemplary "relationship banking," strong community support and a mission to exceed expectations. With a passion for providing customized solutions, the merger drove the decision to revamp their digital services to better serve their customers.
The Process
In an era where digital presence is critical to financial institutions and mergers are frequent, the successful merger of Community West Bank (CWB) and Central Valley Bank (CVB) depended on a robust and well-executed digital strategy, critical to providing a seamless user experience for customers and employees. SilverTech, leveraging its expertise in Xperience by Kentico website development, customized a digital solution that unified the brands of these two banks into one cohesive user-friendly digital experience in just 4 months from start to launch.
The Challenges
The merger of CWB and CVB presented unique challenges, particularly in integrating two distinct digital landscapes into a single cohesive website. The biggest challenges included:
- Differing Content Strategies: CWB's site was optimized for SEO with a rich content library, while CVB's site focused more on detailed product pages. Balancing these different content approaches was crucial.
- Short Timeline: The project needed to be completed with a demanding timeline, delivering a high-quality, functional website, from planning to launch in less than four months.
- Outdated Technology: The old CWB site suffered from poor mobile optimization, slow speeds, outdated information, and a lack of interactive features. This hindered customer engagement and usability.
Goals for New Site
SilverTech identified four main goals for CWB's new website with the main goal of unifying the brands. The merger of the two banks presented a unique opportunity to take advantage of the best from both brands.
Solution and Implementation
Based on the insight gained, SilverTech devised a comprehensive strategy roadmap to address the challenges and deliver a seamless digital experience for the bank merger. It was SilverTech's recommendation that Kentico's newest hybrid CMS platform Xperience by Kentico would be the best solution for the new website. Xperience with robust features and functionality allowed SilverTech to create an exceptional digital user experience efficiently for CWB.
The Key components of the solution include:
- Unified Content Strategy: SilverTech developed a content migration plan that combined the SEO-rich content from CWB with the detailed product information from CVB. This approach ensured that the new site would benefit from both banks' strengths while avoiding duplication and inconsistencies.
- Modern Design and Functionality: The new website was built with Xperience by Kentico, featuring a modern, responsive design to enhance user experience across all devices. Key features included:
- Enhanced Interactivity: Interactive elements and engaging content to improve customer interaction and retention
- Improved CTAs: Clear, strategically placed CTAs to guide users through the site effectively
- Technical Upgrades: Faster loading speeds, improved reliability, and mobile optimization to ensure a smooth user experience
- New Functionalities: Inclusion of essential tools like product comparison tools, branch locator and more
- Accelerated Development Timeline: Despite the tight timeline, SilverTech employed agile development practices to ensure timely delivery without compromising quality. The team worked in sprints to continuously test and refine the site, leading up to a successful launch within the four-month timeframe.
HIGHLIGHTS
Best Practice for Migrating a Large Amount of Content From One Web CMS Platform to Another
By: Amanda Blais | 4/22/24
You've decided to upgrade your website's platform – congratulations! A new platform can bring you many benefits, from improved functionality to enhanced user experience. But, content migration can also be an intimidating beast. Moving a large amount of content from one platform to another can feel overwhelming and scary. It doesn't have to be. Here are some best practices to ensure your website content migration goes smoothly:
Start With Content Discovery and Planning:
Before diving in, take a deep breath and create a comprehensive plan. Here's what your plan should cover:
- Content Inventory: Meticulously document all your website's content, including pages, blog posts, images, and media. Categorize it by importance and function to prioritize the migration.
- New Web Platform Training: Familiarize yourself with the new platform's content management system (CMS). Understand how content is structured and tagged within the new system. Ask for training by both the CMS platform vendor and by your digital partner. It is important to get thorough training directly from the CMS implementation or customization partner, like SilverTech, because your team will need to learn how to update and manage those modified areas or capabilities.
- Redirection Strategy: Develop a plan for 301 redirects. These redirects ensure visitors searching for your old content land on the corresponding pages on the new site, maintaining SEO value.
Choose Your Migration Method:
There are three main approaches to consider:
- Manual Migration: This is a great option for small websites or if you have a lot of time and a small team. However, for large websites, it can be incredibly time-consuming and prone to errors.
- Automated Migration Plugins: Many platforms offer plugins that can automate the migration process. While convenient, these plugins may not handle complex content structures perfectly, requiring some manual intervention.
- Professional Migration Services: For extensive websites or those with intricate content structures, consider professional migration services such as SilverTech offers. Our content migration team can handle the heavy lifting in a shorter amount of time and ensure a smooth transition.
Content Optimization is Key:
Migration is a great opportunity to optimize your web content. Here's how:
- Content Review and Refresh: As you migrate content, identify outdated information and refresh it with the latest data.
- Structure and Formatting: Ensure your content adheres to the new platform's formatting requirements. This might involve adjusting image sizes or updating headers.
- Meta Description and Title Review: Review and update meta descriptions and titles to optimize SEO for the new platform and content structure.
Testing is Essential:
Once the migration is complete, rigorous testing is crucial. Test all functionalities, links, forms, and ensure everything displays correctly.
Launch and Post-migration Content Care:
With a successful migration, it's launch time! However, the journey doesn't end there. Monitor your website's performance after launch and address any lingering issues. Use analytics tools to track traffic and user behavior to identify areas for further optimization.
By following these best practices, you can transform your website migration project from a headache to an opportunity, emerging with a powerful new platform and a website that shines.
We are here to help!
