GoBeyondIT Gets a Groove Commerce Site Design
Posted Monday, December 21st, 2009 by Mike Pantoliano, in Groove News
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the holidays, Groove Commerce and GoBeyondIT worked tirelessly to launch GoBeyond’s brand new website. So we’re happy to announce the new website is now live! Maryland-based GoBeyondIT specializes in managed IT services for small businesses that are looking to focus on running their business, and not on their IT. Read on for pics and link!
Some highlights of the new site are:
- Upgraded, simpler navigation
- Custom, standards-based design
- Integrated Blog
- Custom Lead Forms
- Video Testimonials
- About Us page, complete with pictures and information about the company’s employees
Before and After - Homepage
Before and After - Services
Before and After - About Us
GoBeyondIT specializes in providing businesses with an alternative to using in-house personnel to work on their own IT. By giving these businesses the peace of mind to focus on more important things, GoBeyondIT manages the IT environment and turns the companies’ IT budgets into a fixed monthly expense. This cuts down the cost of owning, managing, or supporting the applications or the technical infrastructure.
Groove helped GoBeyondIT turn their site into one that is easier to navigate and more user-friendly. Groove designed and implemented a simple and enticing lead form that encourages users to reach out. The site has also become more search-friendly, with less large groups of text and more spiderable content.
Visit the new GoBeyondIT.com and let us know what you think of the design. Feel free to leave a comment below or contact us directly.
Robert Farago Says:
Don’t hate me, but I prefer the old site. I don’t LIKE the old site, but I PREFER it. There’s less clutter. It’s more obvious what you a visitor should do to take the next step. And the extra logos detract from GoBeyondIT. A light bulb? C’mon. A LIGHT bulb?
What’s the Unique Selling Point, in three seconds or less? Why choose GoBeyondIT over anyone else? And there’s no personality on the site whatsoever No names. Or faces. People trust people. So where are the people?
What’s more, there are 13 buttons and three ways to contact the company-above the fold on the home page. I think the new site needed LESS functionality, not more.
Hey, you asked.
Heather Says:
Hey Robert, thanks for giving your honest opinion.
Of course we’re going to stand by our design and development, not only because we were the creators and it’s a matter of principle, but because we still believe that the new site is superior to the old one.
The Unique Selling Point is fairly obvious: Worry Free IT Solutions. It’s placed in the expected location next to the site’s logo. As far as why choose Go Beyond IT over anyone else? We answered that question by placing an informational box under the primary banner, titled: Why Choose Go Beyond IT?
I wouldn’t say that the site has no personality. The new site has a much more modern aesthetic that appears professional and polished, particularly when compared to the out-dated tech look of the old site. If you need to see actual faces, click over to the About Us to meet the Go Beyond IT team or watch the client testimonial videos under Browse Our Clients. We didn’t think it necessary to include stock images of business/tech people that only attempt to add a personal touch but always fail to do so.
The three ways to contact the company are so prominent because it’s how they best sell their services. As far as the 13 buttons, which is really 10 buttons and three links, seven are for navigation and three act as primary calls to action. This hardly seem like excessive “functionality,” but rather concise division to help the user move along the site in a way that allows him to find all the information he may need.
I suppose you have a point about the lightbulb.
Again, thanks for sharing your opinion.
Robert Farago Says:
Thanks for allowing the comment. If you could have a word with Practical Ecommerce about the value of open debate, I’d appreciate it. OK, let’s rumble.
1. A unique selling point is one point. You have the strap-line (is removing worry a unique selling point?) and three more selling points in the tick box. I make that four. And the USP tick box is too little and too late. You need to hit the customer with ONE selling point in a BIG way. BAM! “Fairly obvious” isn’t in the same ballpark as immediately and blindingly obvious. How about “ELIMINATE DOWNTIME”? Anyway, the word IMAGINE is the largest visual element on the home page. John Lennon would approve, but not Al Ries.
2. Personality is a pretty subjective thing, but an aesthetic is not the same as a personality. This site lacks any visual element that triggers an emotional response. There’s a reason why most sites have pics of faces, buildings and/or images relating to the concept (broken shackles?). I agree that stock images suck. So why not take a “real” one? Again, the lightbulb is so not it, and the “guest” logos rule the day, and they’re sending all sorts of messages (which is why their owners spent so much damn money on them).
3. ” . . . three act as primary calls to action.” Huh? Primary means one. One call to action. It’s all you need. “Contact GoBeyondIT is enough.” Oh wait. No. You need to include a reason to contact GoBeyondIT. “Contact GoBeyondIT to break the chains of in-house IT.”
How do Michelangelo create his David? He removed all the bits that weren’t David. If you had to strp down this home page to three elements, what would they be?
Heather Says:
Hey Robert, we approve comments because everyone is entitled to their opinion and entitled to express them.
Your points are valid, but I don’t see how they support your initial comment of preferring the old site over the new. The old site didn’t have any of the things you’re asking for: a unique selling point, people images, or a singular call to action. Why you prefer the old over the new isn’t clear.
Whether the selling points are “too little too late” is subjective. Perhaps you’re the type of user that wants just one giant headline. Other users will read every piece of copy on the page. Without testing, we won’t know if others agree with you or with us.
I certainly wasn’t disassociating aesthetic and emotional response. I think the “emotional response” the user gets when arriving at the site is that of reassurance because the site looks modern, professional and polished. While I think images of people is also a way to induce an emotional response, it’s certainly not the only way. On another point, even though the light bulb may not be the most original of ideas it does support the concept of imagining. It does fit. As far as not taking a real one? Unfortunately, we and Go Beyond work withing the real life constraints of time and money. And on your third point (in #2), the client logos help establish credibility which is important for a small, growing business.
As to your third point, you’ll have to excuse me for mis-wording things here. The primary call to action is to contact the company–which as you pointed out is on the page three times, for that reason. The other two buttons that I was referring to as primary actions are just the main buckets into which we are trying to funnel traffic.
Again, everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, often in design, people must agree to disagree because these topics and choices are so subjective. But please stick around and offer feedback on our future projects. I like a good discussion.
Ben Says:
I think some of Robert’s points have legs, but I applaud the folks at Groove for letting the comment through unedited. You handled it well.
Jason Lancaster Says:
I like the new design. It’s easier to scan. BUT your “imagine” banner on the homepage is flash only. If you have to use flash, you should degrade gracefully into a picture (or text) that still gives the user some idea of what should be there. We’re big on that at my firm and I think that’s something everyone should be focused on as more and more iPhones/iPods/iPads rule the Internet.
Robert Spangler Says:
@Jason,
Great point. For Gobeyond we are using methods to degrade gracefully, in this case we’re using SWFObject. The flash degrades to a static image that links to the services. If you disable Javascript you’ll be able to check it out. For some reason Safari on the iPhone is not displaying it, we’ll check that out and see what’s going on. Thanks for the feedback.