Lubbock Apartment Association
Overview:
The Lubbock Apartment Association was looking for a web design company to take over maintenance of their existing website. In addition to regular site maintenance, LAA wanted a frontend redesign and new features for both users and administrators. After interviewing multiple companies, LAA decided on Shores Media.
The Process:
After receiving the maintenance job we took on the task of going through pages and pages of code and multiple databases to get familiar with the workings of the site. After learning the amount of code and the overall size of the site and data we discussed the first wave of new features that were needed.
The existing site was built in Classic ASP. With the amount of new work needed, we had to determine whether it was better to continue building in Classic ASP or completely rebuild the site in ASP.NET/C#, our preferred programming language, which has many advantages over the older Classic ASP. We assessed that the site should stay in ASP, because of the large amount of preexisting functional code. It was not cost nor time effective to rebuild at this stage. We suggested a minor overhaul of the ASP code to speed up performance. We also advise that the existing data that was stored in multiple Access databases be migrated into one SQL Server database.
The first phase of development for the LAA site included an updated look and the addition of some new search and display tools. We changed the color scheme, expanded the navigation area and switched to a wider, more current site width. After consulting with a professional website user experience company, a new search and display flow was built. Some of the new features included: community slideshow, flash advertising, rotating member advertisements, job board, save to favorites, and community amenities comparison tool.
After the new and improved website was launched, LAA received awards from both the local Chamber of Commerce and from the National Apartment Association.
Additional features added to the site include: 3 levels of featured communities, condensed dynamic community details, sponsored listing feature, and light box video and virtual tour popups.
"I have trusted Shores Media for over 9 years to create the online vision for the companies I have worked with. When LubbockApartments.com decided to modernize our website and add features like sharing for social media, a fully integrated career center, buyers guide with web shots and more, we knew they were the best company for the job. Their design knowledge, programming expertise, and service pricing are the best I've seen in the entire industry. The site that they redesigned for us went on to win local and national awards from the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce and the National Apartment Association. Shores Media has been and will continue to be the best of the best website development companies out there."
Samantha Hoover - Lubbock Apartment Association
Results:
The Lubbock Apartment Association has a nationally recognized website that is widely used by individuals looking for housing in the Lubbock Area. Association members have multiple advertising and customer generation features at their disposal. By adding new useful features on a regular basis for both users and association members, LAA continues to be the leading housing search service in their market.
