When we launched our website in late 2020, it was exactly what we needed. It outlined who we were as a company and what we provide for our customers. Nice! But it wasn't perfect; there was still work to be done. The structure and content was already there, so don't fix what isn't broken, right? We didn't need to start from scratch, we just needed to expand our information.
We scanned each page and realized that we were missing one of our biggest objectives - sustainability. This was something we really wanted to help our customers understand across multiple pages within the new revamp. The first sign of this change was placed right in our core services section on the homepage (see image above) and we made it green to emphasize its focal point. The "Learn More" button navigates you to "Our Model" page where it joins our other business services and company USP's. But that wasn't enough. We needed to do more than just say we can source sustainable packaging products. Telling isn't selling. So, we built an entire page to really detail different options which can make our customers' packaging more sustainable.
Packaging is perhaps one of the most disposable industries because the majority of products include packaging that is a surplus addition to the product itself. I don't believe there is a way to permanently fix this because a bag of peanuts will always need to be packaged in something, but we can certainly work to improving it. Quick answer: recycled cardboard boxes instead of plastic sleeves. Simple fix right? Unfortunately, too many companies focus heavily on profits over progress.
Our sustainability page lists a variety of ideas and options to help companies improve their packaging. This could be at the primary stage (what raw materials are used?) or at the secondary stage (how it can be reused or recycled?)...or ideally, both. The rise in sustainable packaging materials has been great. Repurposing virgin plastics and converting them into post-consumer recycled plastic products has gained major traction which is fantastic to see. But news that hasn't been broadcasted is how packaging products are customized and how that affects the recyclability of that item. This is a topic that we wanted to make our customers aware of so we can discuss options when planning for future projects.
The other main update was to expand on our specialty industry pages. Previously, we just had images and title names of each industry on our "Sourcing" page, but it didn't really help prospective clients understand whether we can help them with their needs. We broke this information into four categories - Contract Packaging, CBD/Cannabis, Food & Beverage, and Beauty/Skincare (which also includes Pharmaceutical).
Each page includes a broader variety of information that is tailored for each particular industry. Obviously, there are a number of products which can crossover between multiple industries, for example a 50ml white jar can be used to package CBD creams and also dog vitamin treats. But we wanted to break it down so a prospective customer can find their targeted page and find all the necessary information in one quick sweep. These pages don't include every product that we can source because that would be virtually impossible. Our capabilities are almost limitless! If customers don't see their exact needs listed on the site, a quick message through our contact system is the perfect approach to get more answers and discover how we can help them directly.
We're big on branding (because branding sells) so we wanted to brand these industry pages with their own style and color scheme. The templates for the CBD/Cannabis, Food & Beverage, and Beauty/Skincare are exactly the same, but the individualistic approach meant they hold their own identity while remaining uniform with the rest of the website. Some product images were branded and some were left blank to avoid a branding overload. Keeping each page visually appealing, clean, but comprehensive was our main objective so it remained enjoyable to scroll through.
So, what's in store next?
We're not quite done yet. The finished foundation has been set and future updates will just be minor to really grip the full potential of who this website can help. We're not ready to use paid Google Ads because we want to grow organically. We're a small business and growing too fast can do more worse than good. Hiring an SEO specialist will be a worthy investment to really fine-tune the text and keyword utilization throughout the whole site. We have a lot of written content, but it is perhaps more fluff than fiction. I have a tendency to explain more than I need to, so I need to learn how to be more direct. We never stop learning, right?
One last upgrade will be to optimize the images used in some of our page headers, primarily the homepage, branding page, and sustainability page. Right now, we are using super high-res images which is causing the pages to load slowly and Google doesn't like that. Adjusting the dimensions within the files to match screen resolutions and reducing the PPI from 300 to 150 (or even 72ppi) will help these loading speeds considerably.
Thanks for reading!
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