Executive Coatings and Contracting is an exterior renovation company based in Denver, Colorado. We’ve been working with them for several years doing IT support and general hardware maintenance for their Denver office. When it came time for them to upgrade their website and email solution, we were their first and only call. We talked for 30 minutes about their needs and concluded that WordPress and Google Apps were the best choice. We also knew they needed some help with their search engine optimization. Please continue reading this case study to learn how we can help with email to Google Apps, website redesign, and SEO coaching.
ECC – Email to Google Apps, Website Redesign, and SEO Coaching
Until now, they’ve been running on an antiquated ExpressionEngine website with email hosted by SmarterMail. Neither solution worked well for them. They were plagued by email spam, and the website was incredibly difficult to update with new content and pictures. Every single employee had to sift through hundreds of spam emails each day. They also weren’t able to share new project pictures with potential clients. We gave them our proposal and started the project within 24 hours.
Email to Google Apps
We started with the email transfer since spam was causing daily headaches. SmarterMail isn’t a popular email host, but we were still able to get everything transferred to Google Apps without a hitch. We did a complete email migration including IMAP folders from SmarterMail to Google Apps. Once we completed the migration, we flipped the MX records to the new email servers and helped the ECC employees configure their email apps for Google Apps. We did a local setup for their Denver employees then worked remotely with everyone who works offsite. We’re happy to report that their spam issues have completely disappeared and their team is significantly more productive every single day.
They’re also happy that they can collaborate with Google’s various online productivity apps. They’re utilizing the Google Drive storage that comes with Google Apps accounts. It’s definitely not just email; it allows you to take advantage of Google’s entire business ecosystem.
Website Redesign
The website project happened in two stages. During stage one, we rebuilt their website with WordPress while keeping a similar design aesthetic, modernizing it as necessary. We used a responsive design that looks great on computers and mobile devices. Once we were all happy with the design, we started working on the content.
SEO Coaching
We coached them on proper search engine optimization and content techniques for a high-performing website. This project wasn’t just about usability; we also wanted to make sure their website out-performed the competition. A few more changes and redirects later, the site was ready to go.
We worked with their old hosting provider to make the transition seamless. We left the original site running until we had everything ready, and then flipped the switch. Within a few minutes, their new website was live. After that, it was just a matter of training their editors to use WordPress.
WordPress Training
With every website we build, we let you decide how to manage it. We can train one of your employees to edit and update content, or we can do it for you. ECC opted to manage the site internally, so we spent a couple hours with their editor. We discussed how to use the dashboard and the various workflows they’d need to update the website. They’ve been doing great work over there and recently reached out to us to implement some new features. We’ll start building those soon.
A Word on WordPress Hosting
We always recommend WP Engine to our WordPress clients. We’ve been hosting WordPress sites for 10 years and haven’t found a better hosting company. They offer daily backups, staging and production environments, WordPress-optimized servers, and much more. Of course, there are cheaper solutions out there, but your website is important to your business. You need a great host to ensure maximum up time and performance. If you sign up for WP Engine through our links, we do receive a small referral credit.