Dutch Do It Better: Building the World’s Smartest Economic Development Website
May 2, 2016 | By: Dariel CurrenOverview: With multiple English-language websites all in dire need of a major overhaul, the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) turned to DCI to create a single website to streamline maintenance and unify brand messaging.
By using sophisticated geotargeting software that allows the website to be tailored to visitors’ specified interests and geographic location, DCI set out to create the world’s smartest website for foreign direct investment.
Launch Date: July 2015
Five Things DCI Loves About It:
It’s a VERY dramatic makeover. Cluttered, copy-heavy pages and confusing click-paths morphed into a sleek, responsive, mobile-first website with pixel-perfect imagery that embodies the cool Dutch brand. With a switch to a more intuitive URL (investinholland.com) and laser-like focus on user experience (UX) and user interface (UI), the site became exponentially more user friendly.
It’s geo-targeted. Using GIS technology, the website serves up content, news, success stories and contact information based on the visitor’s location. Log on in Japan and you’re going to get news about Japanese companies investing in the Netherlands, a Kikkoman case study and two NFIA contacts in Tokyo. It’s scary smart.
It’s highly engaging. We brought dull case studies to life with stunning photos, executive pull quotes, fast facts, maps and more. Each industry pages spotlights specific success stories and includes downloads and quick links for more information. We also designed and animated more than two dozen HTML5 infographics to convey critical information to site visitors at a glance.
It’s built on WordPress. DCI developed a robust content management systems using open-source WordPress to eliminate ongoing licensing fees, insure highest security protocols and preserve site longevity. We also built CMS-linked bar graphs and pie charts with software that allows the client to update rankings, stats and other key figures without the need for designer/developer support.
It’s generating leads. Within two weeks of its launch, the website began generating meeting requests and e-newsletter signups. To accelerate the pace, NFIA began using DCI’s proprietary Web-to-Leads service to identify and track traffic on the website worthy of direct follow-up and outreach.
