Making High Science Personal
GE Global Research, the exploratory arm of the former century-old conglomerate, faced a website overwhelmed by outdated content created for content’s sake. Hidden behind it all were sought-after, world-class industry leaders with quirky, standout personalities.
How could the real stories shine through?
The client
Industry: Energy
Size: Fortune 100
Reach: Global
The request
We posted hundreds of pages of content just to try to capture search traffic. We can’t keep it updated, and links are broken all the time.
Besides, possible business partners want to work with specific researchers they’ve met.
Can you help us make a website that’s as fun and creative as our scientists and engineers?
The real issue
GE Global Research began creating content driven by SEO keywords, with the goal of attracting high-volume traffic at a fairly high funnel level.
The problem was: The people searching those terms weren’t looking for research partnerships or product development. They were looking for definitions.
Without talking to customers or researchers, the company had created an unsustainable system that wasn’t delivering engagement or new business.
The work
Discovery
Full content audit across hundreds of static and dynamic pages
Interviews with leading researchers and business partners
SEO and page performance analysis
Site Strategy
Defined objectives for the site as a whole
Mapped and outlined slimmed-down site sections and content types
Collaborated with designers and developers to surface directly related content through a strong back-end taxonomy
Taxonomy + User Interface Writing
Edited legacy content to fit new templates
Applied multiple levels of taxonomy tags to new and legacy content to drive user experience
Drafted quick, sticky navigational copy to keep users engaged and “playing” on the site
Results
6x fewer pages than the predecessor site, with clear and manageable updates and additions
10% more traffic
11.5% lower bounce rate
5x more traffic from home to deep content pages across the site
35% more loyal (repeat) visitors
