Case Study: Elevating a website to better serve a community’s needs

MEET THE CLIENT

CultureLink is a settlement and community organization that has been meeting the needs of diverse communities for over 35 years. Located in Toronto’s west end, the organization delivers a wide range of settlement and community programs for more than 12,000 children, adults, and seniors every year.

THE CLIENT’S CHALLENGE

In 2023, CultureLink needed a vendor to support them to not only write all new copy for their website, but also to help them to organize how to present that content so that it better spoke to the communities they served. With dozens of programs, services and events for every age group, the website contained more than 50 pages. And while all of the information was factually correct, CultureLink felt it did not effectively speak to the audience(s) they were trying to reach. This was mainly because as the organization grew in size, scope, and reach, new content and pages were added without a strategic approach to content organization.

The result was information that was confusing to navigate by the intended audience. 

OUR SOLUTION

Having previously worked with CultureLink to write, produce and design their annual reports, Luminate already had a deep understanding of the organization’s mission and vision, clients, and programs and services offered. 

As the website needed more than just a copy and design refresh, we began with a full discovery process and strategy development. These sessions allowed us to uncover their priorities and goals, as well as consult with appropriate stakeholders. 

During this stage, we brainstormed various ways to group all of the programs so that each ‘program bucket’ spoke to a specific audience. The existing site grouped programs by funder and/or type (e.g. wellness); our vision was to group programs by targeted age group as well as settlement stage to better meet the needs of website visitors. As well, we also wanted to speak to the segment of the audience interested in supporting the organization by creating a clear path to meaningful engagement opportunities.

Once the site map was complete, we began writing new content for all pages. While most of the information on the existing program pages were factually correct, the style and tone of the much of the writing was internally focused (e.g. what we do) rather than externally focused (e.g. how this program supports). It needed to be repositioned so that the intended audience(s) saw themselves, and their needs, reflected in what they read. 

For example, we turned the Labour Market Assistance (LMAP) Program from this:

CultureLink’s Labour Market Assistance (LMAP) Program is designed to help newcomers integrate into the Canadian workforce through individual and group employment counselling. There is a strong focus on personalized help to decide on, search for, find and keep a job through one-to-one meetings with employment specialists who are familiar with newcomer experiences and issues.

into this:

When you come to Canada, you might find the labour market is very different than in your home country. Maybe you aren’t sure which skills you should emphasize, or you’re wondering what more you could do to be the right fit for a particular role. The employment counsellors in our Labour Market Assistance Program offer one-to-one support, sharing current information on job opportunities and requirements in your industry. We work with you to develop a plan and access resources to make your job search easier and more successful. 

With a website of this size, a lot of content needed to be written, reviewed and edited. We worked closely with CultureLink throughout the process to ensure the new drafts were kept organized and the process was as smooth as possible. Once the content was finalized, we collaborated with their web developer (our referral partner Katy Jonker of Kosmic Creative) to create a beautiful new website design. 

The new website launched in April 2024.