The client
Abbeyfield is a charitable organisation that provides housing and care services for older people across the United Kingdom. Founded in 1956, they've built a legacy focused on fostering independence and community within their care homes.
With almost 100 independent Member Societies nationwide, Abbeyfield offers various levels of support, from independent living to comprehensive care services. Their mission centres on creating vibrant, welcoming communities where older people can thrive and remain independent.
The challenge
Abbeyfield faced the complex task of managing two distinct web properties - Abbeyfield and Abbeyfield Living. The websites required modernisation and improved content management capabilities while maintaining a consistent brand experience. The organisation needed a solution to communicate its services to future residents, their families, staff, and stakeholders.
The insight
At GrowCreate, we see digital transformation as a way to enhance community impact. With Abbeyfield, we focused on creating an intuitive platform that empowers their team to connect with residents and families seamlessly while supporting their mission of enriching lives.
The solution
The project delivered a comprehensive platform through several key components. We implemented Abbeyfield and the Abbeyfield Living sites within a single Umbraco instance, developed a scalable framework to accommodate planned microsite migrations, and created robust CMS capabilities for efficient property listing management across platforms. Throughout the implementation, we maintained consistent brand guidelines across all web properties.
A crucial component was the integration of Yext for location management. This centralised system managed all care home and housing facility information through a single interface. The system automated location data synchronisation across multiple platforms and directories while enhancing local SEO by improving individual care homes' visibility in local search results. Through accurate directory listings, facility information remained consistent across all online platforms.
Through the Yext integration, we ensured Abbeyfield's numerous locations maintained accurate, up-to-date information while improving their local search presence, making it easier for future residents and their families to find relevant facilities.
Solution benefits
Abbeyfield's new platform delivered several key advantages:
- Improved efficiency: Streamlined content management across multiple web properties through a unified platform.
- Enhanced user experience: Better navigation and accessibility for various user groups, including future residents, families, and stakeholders.
- Future-ready platform: Scalable infrastructure for future growth and additional features.
- Improved SEO performance: Implementation of Schema.org structured data enhanced search engine visibility and content discoverability.
- Centralised management: A unified system enables efficient property information management through a single interface.
- Enhanced local visibility: Improved search results through accurate directory listings.
The future
Abbeyfield's digital presence is positioned for growth through key initiatives like regular maintenance to ensure continued security and optimal performance. The platform is ready to accommodate the planned migration of additional microsites, while ongoing support for content updates across both Abbeyfield and Abbeyfield Living sites will maintain fresh, relevant content. Regularly monitoring site performance metrics and accessibility standards will help maintain high-quality user experiences.
Services and technology
Strategy and Research
Stakeholder workshops
User research
Engineering
Umbraco CMS
Custom web development
API and systems integration
DevOps engineering
QA and testing
24/7 support and maintenance
Design
UX strategy
Journey mapping
Wireframing
Azure Cloud Services
Architecture
Platform migration
Cloud Managed Services
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