Foyleside Shopping Centre first opened in 1995 and remains today one of the premier shopping centres in Northern Ireland.

At the same time Rumour Mill were appointed their PR and Marketing contract, the centre was searching for a new website developer. They were dissatisfied with their current website as it looked outdated and wasn’t functionally friendly for the end user. Additionally, it was difficult for internal staff to update the website in terms of blog posts, seasonal graphics and text.

Goals

  • Update the website with a modern look and feel
  • Make the website more user friendly and accessible to all
  • Simplify the uploading process for content
  • Ensure the website is fast and responsive
  • Constantly evolve the website with new visuals each month

Through each step of the process Rumour Mill was responsive and accessible. Our team went above and beyond expectations delivering the new website. The design was simple and created effective navigation. The reality is, when a customer can’t find what they are looking for quickly, they leave. The design was appealing and reflective of the wide range of consumers who would be seeking information from the site.

While the look and feel are important, there are many other backend pieces (such as meta-tags) that integrate with search engines which also impact the effectiveness of the website. Because we use WordPress and have an intricate knowledge of platform integrations, we can select the system that worked best for Foyleside.

Foyleside Shopping Centre now has backend access and they can manage their own store listings and other marketing collateral on the site. The website launched in Summer 2018 in time for their busy summer season. As soon as it launched, they began being ranked for 193 key words, compared to the old website, they had 82. From Summer 2018 through to Winter 2018 the website experienced a 76% growth in unique visitors and sessions compared to the same period in 2017.

A huge goal for the centre was to save money over the long-term. Updated were expensive with their previous web developer so they wanted to minimise the barriers to amend or update the website. Rumour Mill trained the in-house staff in how to effectively and efficiently upload content, change imagery and colours and tweak anything required on the site.

Results

  • Updated website with beautiful modern design
  • Ease of access for end-user
  • Mobile friendly design (responsive)
  • Simplicity of navigation quickly finding desired information
  • Website redesign was completion was very timely
  • Clients appreciated the improved website layout
  • 76% growth in visitors from July – December 2018
  • Surge in unique mobile users accessing the new website
  • Achieved a bounce rate of 28%
  • Full marks in website audit by Foyleside Shopping Centre landlord study
  • 100% positive consumer feedback in digital survey