Effect Homes is an Edmonton homebuilding company that specializes in custom “green” homes designed to suit the individual consumer. The company is committed to providing homes and home renovations that are both environmentally- and customer-focused. Kobot and Effect Homes have a strong working relationship spanning more than a decade. Before this latest rebuild, Kobot helped manage a website produced by a third party which had become challenging to deal with. When Effect Homes decided to move forward and redo their website from the ground up, they asked Kobot to take on the project.
Getting back to basics
Over the years, there were a lot of additions to the site in the name of SEO and marketing. But without a central strategic direction, the site became confusing—saying too much—and not attracting the quality of leads that Effect needed to keep their business prosperous. The previous website was built quickly to be “good enough.” But for a company that tailors homes specifically for the people that will live there, that wasn’t good enough. They needed a custom-fit website that suited them perfectly—communicating their values and differentiators.
- The Challenge The previous website had SEO boosters to make the site easier for customers to find, and marketing content intended to help with sales. But by trying to do everything, the website lost focus on what is most important.
- The Solution Starting from scratch, we wanted to refocus on what’s most important about Effect Home Builders—their commitment to their clients and to building homes that are great for the inhabitants and the environment.
- The Results A website that is easy to navigate, showcases what makes Effect Home Builders great, and strikes a strong working balance between SEO and human-focused content.
Show, don’t tell
The houses that Effect Home Builders create are truly impressive, and some of them are incredibly creative. We thought the best way to spark the imaginations of the potential homebuyers was to show, not just tell. We worked with Effect to construct a set format for case studies that would make it easy for them to load in new homes that they were proud of, as well as showcase homes that they think of as their “greatest hits.”
Each case study has space for lots of photos, plus the story of the buyers, interesting personal touches (like an indoor slide or aquarium!), as well as some of the green technologies that Effect implemented to minimize environmental impact. Using this structure, the website highlights each of the many points of difference that make Effect Home Builders who they are.
Know your audience
The previous website suffered from a lack of strategy and consideration of the audience during navigation and content development. During this process, Kobot made a point of identifying who Effect’s target audience is, and exploring what they need most out of their digital interaction with Effect Home Builders.
We knew that the SEO work being done alongside our development would lead audiences right to Effect’s digital doorstep, and the website would need to welcome them in and make them feel right at home. So, our new version of the website is modern and attractively built, easy to navigate, and speaks to users like a real person would—showing off the company’s authentic personality.
Tie it all together
One element of the new website that we worked hard to bring up to Effect’s standards was the former “Green Options” page. Specifically, the name didn’t accurately describe the page’s function. While some items on the page were “options” that clients could choose to optimize their homes, some items—like Reducing Environmental Footprint and Building Envelope—were always addressed in the build as best practices.
Now, the page talks about these practices in terms of how Effect chooses to build—highlighting these green practices as an important part of what makes them special. The content is favourable for search, but it also helps break down unapproachable green technologies with human language and engaging icons. They also tie together with the case studies, showing Effect Home Builders green practices in action.
"Kobot nailed our website with a simple navigation framework and excellent use of photos and case studies to highlight our work and our core values. The site is optimized for mobile platforms and ranks extremely well with search engines. Our website is critical to our success and we feel fortunate to work with such a fabulous team."
— Les Wold, Effect Home Builders
Kobot got right to the core of what makes Effect Homes who they are, and built a website that shows it off to the world. We built a website for Effect Homes the same way they build their homes: unique, sustainable, and totally from the ground up. This new site is a marketing tool and touch point for consumers, and works just as hard as Effect Homes does to make sure visitors have a good experience.
Visit Effect Home Builders