Entry Details

About the Entry

Category: 
Design > Website Design > Upper Midwest

Title of entry: 
Big I Illinois Website

Issue or Publication date:
01/22/2024

Publication name: 
Big I Illinois Website

View Website home page:
https://www.ilbigi.org/

Links to entry URLs

Please note: These URLs are only required for entries in the Online division categories, or digital entries in appropriate Overall Excellence, Design or All Content division categories.

Entry URL(s), if applicable:
Please enter a URL that will direct judges to the entry: 
https://www.ilbigi.org/
Additional URLs, if needed:
https://www.ilbigi.org/membership/agency-membership/resources
https://www.ilbigi.org/resources/solution-center

Entry Essay: 
To coincide with our Association's name change and celebrate our 125th Anniversary, we launched a new website in January 2024. The process was over a year long, and both my team and our hired vendor worked tirelessly on getting the website to be member-friendly, as well as show non-members what they COULD have access to if they joined. In looking at analytics, detailed live-action screen action, survey information, and more, we implemented a website tailored to the individuals accessing the site. We believe the navigation options, in addition to the layout, improve the overall accessibility and highlight important details relevant to them.

A significant time was spent on two sections: our member benefits list and our solution center resource library.

With our member benefits, we understand our members don't need everything we have to offer at all times. But we wanted to make sure that when they needed something, it was found easily. This included adding keywords, detailed explanations, and also short tidbits of information, depending on how the user prefers to consume their content. This allows the user to preview all services, filter, or search.

Similar to our member benefits, we took the same search and filter capabilities to our resources library, which we call Solution Center. This is a library of information ranging from explaining and linking to laws, downloading guides and templates, and more. The search and filtering capabilities have proven useful as we can monitor the search use, and our users are easily navigating this area.

Another great aspect of our website is the mobile optimization. With phones becoming more prominent in internet surfing, it was imperative that we put a big focus on mobile design.

In the year since we launched, the website has decreased the volume of calls our staff have received, and we've seen an influx of users exploring the entire website.

Our industry (insurance) has seen a VERY hard few years. Our members are struggling. It is more important than ever to show association membership's value. Having a better website at their fingertips to help them find what they need quicker has been a priority. We know time is short, and we must provide information fast to remain relevant. I truly believe, with the help of this website, independent insurance agents in Illinois can now find the assistance they need to help them serve their clients and community even more than they already are.