In May, 2004, the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) launched a much improved redesign of our website, AlaskaVisit.com. This is an overview of the thoughts and processes that went into our website redesign. Hopefully, the lessons learned from my experience in planning and coordinating this redesign will help you when the inevitable redesign time comes to your website.

The first step was to determine just how important the internet is to potential Mat-Su Valley travelers. All successful undertakings begin with research so we contracted a study using visitor interviews that among other things, determined Mat-Su Valley visitor Internet usage and habits regarding travel. It came as little surprise that over 60 percent of Mat-Su visitors surveyed use the Internet to plan and/or book a portion of their Alaska trip.

Although our old website did provide us with a basic Internet presence, it just didn’t seem enough - especially to satisfy those surprisingly savvy travel consumers numbers from our recent study. Sure, having a website helps get the word out, but was our site providing the right tools and information to persuade site visitors to stay on the site longer and ultimately choose the Mat-Su over other destinations? We didn’t know.

After several meetings and much review of existing internet and travel planning research, our Internet Committee decided that a total site redesign was necessary in order to draw more visitors to the site and ultimately get more of them to say, “Yahoo! Mat-Su.”

We began the site redesign and improvement process by releasing a Request for Proposal not only for a visual redesign, but a redesign that would also significantly improve the functionality and overall appeal of the site. After lengthy review of each proposal, a company that specializes in destination websites was chosen; cvbTV.com. Because of our relationship with the Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA) we also had access to research previously conducted by ATIA before and after their website redesign. Keeping in mind the adage, “why reinvent the wheel?” this proved a cost effective way to apply many of the same successful functions found on ATIA’s site, TravelAlaska.com, to our new site.

The first design element in need of improvement was to abandon the concept of using a splash page but rather, create a homepage that is more inviting, informative and serves as a real first page of our new Portal. Our new site has many enhancements including content that explains the area, maps, direct access to member business listings and suggested itineraries. Informational resources like highway and weather conditions as well as community links were added. We were also able to incorporate fresh images from a recent photo shoot that gives the site a clean, professional look.

Another issue is that unlike other destinations in Alaska, the Mat-Su Valley is marketed as a region of the state rather than a single city or town. When asked, some previous visitors to Alaska correctly identify towns like Wasilla, Palmer and Talkeetna but had no idea they were all located in the Mat-Su. Knowing this, we divided the main Mat-Su Valley map into regional maps highlighting the towns and attractions to help better orient visitors. This same design concept is also present in our printed visitor guide and better integrates these two mediums. Not only are regional maps helpful, but we added a mileage chart to give a better indication of distances between areas - especially well-known destinations like Denali National Park and Anchorage.

Feedback from the 2003 Alaska Travelers Survey also revealed that one of the Mat-Su Valley’s key selling points is its proximity to Denali National Park, Alaska’s most popular visitor destination. Our new site capitalizes on this concept and focuses on the excellent viewing opportunities of North America’s highest peak and the nearby recreational activities available.

ATIA research also pointed to the importance of suggested itineraries to visitors. Planning a vacation in Alaska can be a daunting task due to the enormity of the state and endless options available. Our new site has a variety of suggested itinerary ideas listed in a dedicated section of the website. The itineraries are easy to access and give visitors specific ideas of things to see and do – all presented with the visitor in mind. We also feel that planning an itinerary around a theme is more appealing and easier to digest than merely presenting a laundry list of things to see and do.

Everyone loves a deal and online shoppers are no different. Our new website allows our member businesses to post travel specials that can be accessed on every site page. This tool helps our members better advertise their businesses by offering visitors online-only bargains.

With the integration of our membership database software, site visitors can also narrow down their search for specific business by category or location as well as have access to more enhanced business information like a narrative description, pictures and web links. In turn, this software will track the number of click-thrus for these businesses.

Another key feature of our new website is a Content Management System that allows anyone on our staff to make instant site updates using what can best be described as a password protected online form. This saves money and time by not having to contact our designer every time an update needs to be made to the site. Highly recommended!

I found a website redesign is not an easy process. That said however, I think we did it right. The process of a successful redesign starts with research, always keeps the interests of the visitor in mind, and is always open to improvement. Hope this helps!

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