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- Outdated Technology: The old CWB site suffered from poor mobile optimization, slow speeds, outdated information, and a lack of interactive features.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
Increasing Website Conversions: Best Practices
8/1/24
What Does a Website Conversion Rate Tell You?
A website conversion rate reflects the performance and effectiveness of a website’s user experience. A website must be built in a way that caters to an audience’s preferences and goals during each session. Factors like the amount of time it takes to complete a task, the simplicity of the steps involved, and the accessibility of relevant information affect the ease-of-completion, and therefore, conversion rates.
Tips for an Optimal Conversion Rate
- Improve site organization – Make sure people are finding what they need. If users are unable to efficiently find information on a website, they are less likely to stick around to try and figure it out. At least 89% of users will shop with a competitor after poor user experience. Maintaining clear and organized navigation to link text, buttons, and menus creates an easier experience for users to find the information they need.
- Optimize paths to conversion – Strong Calls to Action (CTAs) guide user behavior and drive action on a website. The clarity of instructions such as “Buy Now” and “Read it Here” will help users understand exactly what they should do next and reduces hesitation and confusion. For increasing conversion rates, its best to place CTAs in obvious areas of a webpage, such as above the fold.
- Create a personalized experience – Curate a user experience with relevant content that appeals to users. It’s no surprise that people want to spend more time on a website that is tailored to them. Greater personalization extends site visit time and builds trust so users will want to keep coming back to the website.
- Stay in the know – There are multiple conversion rate metrics you can use to measure your goals including Click-Through Rate (CTR), Cost Per Conversion (CPC), Average Time on Site, and Bounce Rate. It’s important to maintain necessary tracking to ensure your site is optimized and converting well. Some web analytics tracking resources include Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager. These tools make it easier to define and track key metrics such as conversion goals and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
As an established digital agency SilverTech is well prepared to help you reach your conversion goals. When it comes to website organization and navigation our team of strategists are experts. We get to know your brand and implement personalization to create a better user experience. By using web analytics and tracking, our strategists can help you drive results and stay on track.
