The Natural Gardener
Opportunity
The Natural Gardener wanted to transform their old, dormant website into an engaging consumer touchpoint. The Natural Gardener was interested in a new look and feel as well as a content management solution.Discovery
The discovery process revealed that the old website was packed full of relevant, in-depth content that may have been working against them. So much of gardening is based on technique and information that by offering such a resource online the web audience had no incentive to visit The Natural Gardener in person. Ironically, little of their old content focused on their educational facilities or exhibition gardens which in themselves are community destinations. The strategy was to convert website users to on-site visitors.Solution
Our content strategy for the website included cutting the volume of content and rewriting the remaining content more anecdotally than instructional. An inviting narrative throughout paints The Natural Gardener as a destination beyond the website, and users are encouraged to learn more in person or simply visit to wander the grounds.To emphasize The Natural Gardenerfs history in Austin, the visual design is inspired by the styles of Austin cultural institutions such as Armadillo World HQ, Whole Foods, Threadgill's, etc. The visual content of the new site entices visitors with a preview of The Natural Gardenerfs extensive grounds.
Technically speaking, we employed an off-the-shelf CMS solution with a heavily streamlined administrative interface. Various modules include an event calendar, newsletter management, shopping cart, Spanish/English translator, search engine and Google Analytics.