We launched a new homepage for ssw.com.au (opens in a new tab) this week. It’s an event that happens rarely. Probably in 30 years, there have been 5 of these refreshes, and that is despite often a dozen changes a day to our large website.
It’s been a few years in the making; every time we got ot start it, we got a new client project. There’s an old joke about builders never finishing their own houses… the same is true of software companies and their websites. I was proud of our old website, but it was starting to show its age, and it didn’t have a beautiful customer journey as you scroll down the page. The new homepage still has broadly the same content (services, banners, awards, events, office details, and client logos); however, there are less words, but the page is longer.
It’s still built in TinaCMS components, but it’s more on target to showcase our consulting and easier to comprehend. No more large walls of text. (opens in a new tab)
Under the covers
The site is fast, as it uses static site technology and is built in React on TinaCMS. The biggest change is it’s now using a block-based editing schema to promote reusability and flexibility of component code. This also means our non-technical team can make easy edits and build new webpages. A dream come true for the marketing team.
You can read more about this on TinaCMS documentation | Blocks (opens in a new tab)
The Journey
We wanted visitors to follow a deliberate journey as they moved down the page, with each section answering the next question in their mind:
- What should I do next?
- What does SSW do?
- Why should I trust them?
- Have they delivered this before?
- Who will I be working with?
The new design replaces the old homepage, which had some ‘walls of text’, with a clearer hierarchy, stronger typography and an obvious next step, or, as our marketers like to call it, a ‘call to action’. Instead of presenting everything at once, the page introduces SSW’s experience, delivery statistics (and they’re real!), case studies, testimonials and the software developers who deliver the magic.
Your Feedback
This means visitors no longer need to piece the SSW story together for themselves. I’d be keen to know;
- If you think it’s clearer? First, look at the old design (opens in a new tab) and compare it to the new SSW homepage (opens in a new tab)
- Did you view it in dark mode or light mode? (The website reflects your preferences)
Comparing length of the old and the new site
The length of the website has changed a lot, but the text count remains the same (145 less words).
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