A case study in a content-first website redesign on a shoestring budget where there wasn’t yet a plan for content. Our presentation will walk through how we channeled our inner Leslie Knope and just started doing it. From selecting KPIs to collaborating across teams, getting incremental buy-in for projects and dealing with “Who’s on First” conversations, we will give you the play by play and our final performance results, and a little bit of Leslie Knope along the way!

1. How to be the Leslie Knope for
Content in a Website Redesign

2. 2
Nicole Hess
@NicoleCherieH
Maddie Goodwin
@maddiegoodie

3. 3
“Be the Leslie Knope of What You Do”

4. Opening Scene
June, 2016

5. Rewrite 5 pages of our site,
for our website “refresh”.

6. 6
bit.ly/10-content-strategists

8. Start by gathering
evidence if you can.
Knope Tip #1

9. 1.4 Pages Per Session
9
Whole Site (January 2016)
82.9% Bounce Rate

10. Could people find what our
site had to offer?

11. Tools
You heard Greenlane makes some custom tools that
are free and open to the public. Where would you go
to find them?
11
50% 10%

12. Team
You're curious about who is on the Greenlane team.
Where would you go to find information about each
team member?
12
10%

13. Services
Where would you go to find detailed information
about what services Greenlane offers?
13
20%

14. 14

15. KPIs and Goals
15

16. 16

17. KPIs
Stakeholder Goals KPIs
- Awareness of offerings?
- Types of pages visited
17
$$
- Engaging onsite?
- Pages per session
- Navigation behavior
- Bounce rate
- Form completions

18. 1.4 Pages Per Session
18
Whole Site (January 2016)
82.9% Bounce Rate
29 Conversions

19. Whenever possible,
align your KPIs with
stakeholder goals.
Knope Tip #2

20. Pilot Episode
July, 2016

21. Find your tribe early.
Get on the same page.
Knope Tip #3

22. Website Redesign Team

23. Ron Swanson
Tom Haverford
Andy Dwyer
Ron Swanson
Ben Wyatt
April Ludgate
Stakeholders,
Co-owners

24. SMEs, The directors

25. Audiences
25

26. Defined audiences help us
ensure we have content
that speaks:
• to the right people
• at the right time
• in the right way
We did this through interviewing our stakeholders and
reviewing available data.

27. Audience
Personas
27

28. Don’t skip personas.
They help everyone be
more empathetic.
Knope Tip #4

29. Content Inventory +
Content Audit
29

30. Content Inventory & Audit
30

31. Landing Page Pathing Analysis
31

32. Numbers can’t speak for
themselves.
But they do tell stories.
Knope Tip #5

33. Navigation
33

34. Establish the main
purpose for each page.
Knope Tip #6

35. Navigation
35

36. Brand Messaging
36

38. 38
How are we perceived?
How are we different?
Who are we?
How’s it working?

39. Bottle Episode
August, 2016

40. Use existing meeting
time if you want people
to participate.
Knope Tip #7

41. It’s 2020 and Greenlane is featured on the cover of WIRED. Why are we there? What’s
the article about?
We find out there’s alien life. They are curious about each industry’s purpose - so they
abduct one representative from each industry. You’re the digital marketing rep. How
do you explain your job’s importance relative to the human race?
Imagine you’re at a bar in the early 00’s. You see Bill Sebald. He’s venting his
frustrations about the industry, and how he vows to do it better. Write his monologue.
What is Greenlane’s spirit animal? Why?
1
41
2
3
4

43. To GOAL, we ACTION
because WE ARE.

44. Inspire trust and show our passion.
44
Confident Unconventional Inquisitive Approachable

45. Do you really need a
formal style guide
pre-launch? (K)Nope.
Knope Tip #8

46. Rewrites
46

47. “Rewrite the 5 pages of
our new website.”

48. 48

49. Arsenal for rewrites
49
1. Personality guidelines
2. Understanding of our audience
3. Subject matter experts (aka our team) to consult
4. Content hierarchy based on the purpose of each page
5. Core values to use as a benchmark for everything

50. 50

51. Design & Development Phase
51

52. This is the perfect time
to organize governance
and workflow.
Knope Tip #9

53. Governance & Workflow
53
Draft
content
SMEs,
Support Crew
Draft
content
Content
Published
AM
Editor

54. Guidelines For:
54
Outbound
1. Newsletter
2. Job Listings
Onsite
1. Blog
2. “Garage”
3. Core pages
4. New pages
5. Case studies
6. Microcopy
Social Media
1. Twitter
2. Facebook
3. Linkedin
4. Instagram

55. 55
bit.ly/10-content-strategists

56. Q: Why should we post photos on
Instagram?
A: Make people want to join our team.
“Who Cares?”
@greenlane_team

57. Season Finale
December, 2016

58. Launch!

59. Who’s ready for some shop talk?

60. 3.5 Pages Per Session
64.5% Bounce Rate
60
Whole Site (January 2017)
+140%
YoY
-22%
YoY

61. Conversions
61

62. Results come in many
ways.
Track them all down.
Knope Tip #10

63. Services
Where would you go to find detailed information
about what services Greenlane offers?
63
Old Site
New Site
20%
100%

64. Team
You're curious about who is on the Greenlane
team. Where would you go to find information
about each team member?
64
Old Site
New Site
10%
100%

65. Tools
You heard Greenlane makes some custom tools
that are free and open to the public.
Where would you go to find them?
65
Old Site
New Site
50% 10%
29% (Indirect)

66. Budget for post-launch
testing & updates.
Knope Tip #11

67. Plot Holes
December, 2016

68. Revisit Messaging
68
cards.appropriateinc.com

69. Metadata
69

70. Next Season
2017

71. Offsite Content
71

72. COPE. Create Once Publish Everywhere
72Tools Case Study
Newsletter
Garage /
In the
Community
Public
Presentation
Community
Event Blog
Outbound
Marketing
Social Media
BlogServices

73. Don’t end on a
cliffhanger.
Knope Tip #12

74. Resources
74
• BrandSort cards
• Screaming Frog
• Google Analytics
• Visme.co
• Draw.io
• Treejack
• Little Bird
• SEMrush
• Ahrefs

75. What else would you like to
know(pe)?
75