The Brand and Challenge
The National Garden Bureau (NGB) is the nonprofit marketing arm of the gardening industry. NGB previously had a custom built site that was difficult to update and not mobile responsive. Our client wanted a new clean looking website with an easy-to-update backend to accommodate frequent content updates and a projected program of tiered promotional opportunities for member organizations.
What We Did
Budget considerations and the need for almost daily site updates drove the solution for a theme-based WordPress site with custom work for specific functionality and design details. The new website took a dramatic turn from the previous copy-heavy site with a clean, modern feel and white background that showcases the plants and modern lifestyle imagery. The site incorporates a variety of opportunities for member organizations to promote to gardeners including “ads” placed next to plants which are easily created by internal staff. Member sponsored podcasts, products, and courses, as well as daily content updates by staff make the site a robust experience for gardening enthusiasts.
The Results
- This site was a Gold Award Winner in the 2019 Hermes Creative Awards for nonprofit web design.
- Site traffic increased 940% in the first year (434 users in the 12 months before launch and 41,284 users in the year after the launch).
- The number of keywords driving traffic to the site has steadily increased growing from 1,610 keywords at launch to 4,495 keywords at three years and 14,684 keywords at five years.
“Our website helped us reach heights we hadn’t even dreamed of. Our membership has doubled, our community has almost tripled, our blog posts are easier to design and share and we are used as a resource more than ever before.”
– Diane Blazek
Executive Director, National Garden Bureau
