Lighthouse Web Design, Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a small privately owned company that designs and manufactures organization systems for pickup interiors. We sell through dealerships in the USA and Canada. I am in charge of marketing and sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Lighthouse Web Design, Inc.?

Lighthouse Web Design, Inc. created our current website in 2015. Working with their guidance, we have continued to update and improve our website.

What were your goals for this project?

Marketing was our number one goal. We want to provide an information resource for our dealers and for end users of our products.

SOLUTION

How did you select Lighthouse Web Design, Inc.?

I researched several different website design firms using the internet. My plan was to pick three that had portfolios that showed work that was compatible with my goals. I was going to interview each of them to see which one(s) could meet my needs and stay within my budget. Lighthouse Web Design was the first company I talked to... and the last. Wes, the owner, was so exactly what I was looking for I just went with it. I've never regretted it.

Describe the project in detail.

We sell products that are unique in the industry. You can't go to the local box store to see them. The website needed lots of photos and descriptives to help our dealers and the end users really understand what our products can do for them. I wanted a very clean, easy to navigate website. I took hundreds of photos and worked hard to make copy readable. Wes met my goals. He arranged the website in a way that is very user friendly and attractive.

What was the team composition?

The team is me. I do all the marketing for TruckOffice. I worked directly with Wes Marlan at Lighthouse. He was my advisor on design, colors, copy arrangement and all the other little questions that have come up over the years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We don't use any sort of formal metric to measure success. We are a small company. I see every penny that goes out and every penny that comes in. Our income has steadily increased over the years and I credit our website with much of that success. Even with the impact of Covid 19 I think we will come close to meeting last year's gross. And it's because of Covid 19 that our website is more important than ever. We normally do a lot of industry specific trade shows. They've all been cancelled for 2021. The way I'm going meet my customers is on the internet. I have tried other marketing tools, i.e., magazine ads, internet advertising, direct mail, etc., and have not seen any indication that they bring us business. On the other hand, I constantly hear "I saw your website and...

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Wes is terrific to work with. I sent my ideas to him. He arranged them and sent proofs to me. He explained why things would or would not work and tried, always, to get me where I wanted to go. We wiggled things around until both of us thought we had a good thing. It has continued to be a very rewarding relationship.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Wes Marlan, the owner, is the only person at Lighthouse I've worked with. He always responds quickly and with great knowledge. He is patient with my questions and dedicated to making our website work hard for us. Even though he built our website in 2015 he continues to help me improve it. He made it possible for me to go in and change copy and photos, but remains available when I need to do something more complicated. He has made our website so it is Smart Phone friendly. He didn't just finish our job and stop. He is always trying to make our website better!

Are there any areas for improvement?

None I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of Platte Furniture, a new and used furniture store in Colorado Springs. My father started the company in 1978. We’re a family business in retail.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lighthouse Web Design, Inc.?

We feel like our look was outdated. Lighthouse had done a website for us years ago, and they told me that we needed to update it. Our website didn’t reflect who we were, so we decided we needed to improve our image. That’s why we used Lighthouse.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lighthouse did web design. They also did development to make our site more user-friendly. We gave Lighthouse an idea of the look we wanted, and they came in with some different ideas. I liked that they gave me 3–4 different formats, so I got to customize what I liked. They added more white space to the site and made it cleaner and more professional. Overall, they revamped our style, logo, and general feel of the store.

They also helped us add better pictures, because a lot of our artwork was outdated, and our pictures were not classy. They helped us use our own furniture and made the pictures look better. We just added a high-end gallery to our store, so Lighthouse helped us add a big virtual tour and an online shopping page to the website.

The site changes quite often because we’re in the estate business, and we’re always getting unique estates. When we get a new collection, I call Wes (Owner) and let him know that we want to highlight it on the site. I usually send him the material, and then they add that to the site in the place where it makes the most sense. We’re always tweaking the site and adding new pictures.

An outside party helped us with our logo, but Lighthouse helped integrate it. They also modified a few things; for example, the logo was 40 years old, so they made some tweaks to make it cleaner and more relevant to who we were.

I believe this is our third website from Lighthouse. In 2000, most websites weren’t very user-friendly. They’ve been helpful in reminding me to update our site. We’ve only used them for our website since 2000.

What is the team composition?

I work with Wes. He's been my main point of contact since the beginning.

How did you come to work with Lighthouse Web Design, Inc.?

They were recommended by a friend of a friend. Since then, we've gotten along well.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $3,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work with Lighthouse began around April 2000. We started the current website about a year ago in September 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’re the largest used store in Colorado — we’re not a consignment. We have trucks unloading new inventory daily. Because of those factors, we get a lot of feedback. People have said that the new website format makes it so much easier to see our see furniture, prices, and our ‘buys of the day.'

We're seeing a lot more traffic to our site, and our sales are bouncing back to close to what we did before being shut down for two months because of the pandemic. People go to see our site to see the inventory, and then they come in and buy it or do so over the phone. Our sales are up, despite those two months of being closed.

How did Lighthouse Web Design, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly communicated through emails and phone calls. Over the time we revamped the site, we communicated through email 80% of the time and then phone 20%. Wes would send me links to try different pages, and then I’d let him know what I thought.

He also sent me different ways of navigating. The site wasn’t published yet, but I could click around and see what was most easily usable. I could experiment with the ways pictures would show up or headlines would come down. It was like a virtual tool that I could play with until it was just what we wanted.

I can always get a hold of Wes through different avenues, such as calls or texts. We call him about any glitches, whether it’s related to connectivity or email (our email is through our website). My whole staff knows Wes, so they know they can email or text him, and he’s always right on it. That customer service is really nice.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I just love the fact that they gave me different choices and ideas on how to customize my website. I liked having access to the virtual tool; in just one click, I could tweak the page to be the way I wanted it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have much constructive criticism at this point. They got the site done in less than a month-and-a-half, and they made any changes we requested within a couple of days. They’re also easy to get a hold of. There isn’t anything I felt Wes didn’t do.
 
Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d say give it a try, because Wes can give you a general taste of why you would go with him as opposed to one of those sites where you do everything yourself. You'll see why it’s worth spending a few bucks more than going to one of those DIY sites; Wes offers so much more modification and modern features that are always coming up. You won't know about those things that make your site up-to-date and easily usable if you don't have someone coaching you through it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented (CAGT). We are a statewide nonprofit organization that advocates for gifted children. We work with the state to provide funding and professional development along with access to programming for gifted kids.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lighthouse Web Design?

We needed to update and refresh our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We discussed what we were looking for, and looked through some of their work to see different options. Lighthouse Web Design developed and designed the website in WordPress.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Wes (Owner).

How did you come to work with Lighthouse Web Design?

We found them through our research. We liked that they were based in Colorado, and when we spoke with Wes, we felt confident that Lighthouse Web Design would capture the essence of what we were looking for. They also had very reasonable pricing.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The website is much easier for us to update than our old one. Wes provided us with a how-to guide for different things we may need to do or change. He’s also still available to help troubleshoot, if necessary. 

We have had a lot of positive feedback. People find the site attractive, inviting, and user-friendly. It’s functional as well as pretty. I couldn’t be happier with the work they did.

How did Lighthouse Web Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They were accommodating and offered their professional insight to help us reach the best outcome. They were always available and responded quickly. We communicated via email and phone. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Lighthouse Web Design was able to translate our needs and wants into a beautiful website. It was a personable and comfortable engagement, unlike what I had experienced with previous vendors.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go for it, you won’t be disappointed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of an educational service that offers training and consulting. We also have a website where you can purchase educational materials.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lighthouse Web Design, Inc.?

We needed help building a website. We had looked into doing it ourselves and then realized that’s not what we wanted to do.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created our WordPress website from scratch. There was also SEO involved in the package as well.

What is the team composition?

We work with Wes (Owner).

How did you come to work with Lighthouse Web Design, Inc.?

A colleague referred us to Lighthouse.

How much have you invested with them?

We have a yearly fee and if we need something specific, we pay $75 per hour. I’d guess we spend around $1,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2010, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Wes sits down and really listens to us when we talk about our business and what we do, instead of explaining what we need to do. He gives a few suggestions, but for the most part, he just listens. We appreciate that because there are other areas in our business where people just tell us what to do.

He also makes sure that our site is up to date and not like it was 10 years ago. We’re absolutely happy with their work and we’ve referred other people from all over the country to Lighthouse. They’re affordable and don’t push us into anything that we don’t want to do.

How did Lighthouse Web Design, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Wes meets with us once a year to discuss the business and how we’ll be moving forward. Any changes that we need to make, he helps us with. They’re always right on top of things. If I email them something, they usually get it done that day or within 24 hours. If it’s an emergency, all we need to do is call and he’ll be right on it. Email is our preferred mode of communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Even though it’s not our expertise, we understand when Wes tries to explain something to us. He does it in a way that we can understand and learn from it. We very much appreciate it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any concerns.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come with your questions and ideas, but be sure to listen to their suggestions because they’re the professionals. Expect to work together as a team. If you’re willing to do that, your success will be great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and broker of His House Property Management, a residential property management firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lighthouse Web Design, Inc.?

I needed a website for my startup that would integrate with our property management software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Once I engaged with them, their team began the design and sent me a beta site. We went back and forth, adding content, certain functionalities, and elements for design. It was about a 45-day process.

The team helped with a lot of the graphic design elements within the site, and they also coached me through establishing a Google My Business account.

What is the team composition?

During the design process, I communicated with one person every other day.

How did you come to work with Lighthouse Web Design, Inc.?

I had known the owner for a few years. I researched their website to see if they were a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe we’ve spent around $4,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in March 2020, and the site went live in mid-April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The team at Lighthouse Web Design, Inc. delivered a modern and informative website. A lot of people are finding us on Google. We’ve received continual feedback on the design, animations, and color scheme within the site. There’s been a lot of positive feedback.

How did Lighthouse Web Design, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re very happy with the end result. The timeline and budget were exactly what we needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team hadn’t worked with a property management firm in the past. There were several integrations they had to make within the site to connect with our software. For example, we market and advertise our properties for rent on our site, and then that syndicates through our software. There are also rental applications and tenant portals available on the site.

They hadn’t done this type of work in the past, so it was impressive how they were able to adapt and perform very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ensure that they know what they need as a business. Their team does a great job of understanding what you need, but as a business owner, it’s important that you know what you’re looking for.