Website Development: Building a Better Digital Front Door
BME saw an opportunity to rethink the website around the people using it, while building a stronger platform for marketing, search visibility, organizational growth and the Acenda brand.
The Challenge
For many people, Acenda's website is their first interaction with the organization. They may be looking for care for themselves or a family member, researching a specific service, trying to make a referral or simply trying to understand what Acenda offers.
With more than 100 programs and service lines, presenting that information clearly and intuitively is a significant challenge.
BME saw an opportunity to rethink the website around the people using it, while building a stronger platform for marketing, search visibility, organizational growth and the Acenda brand.
The Strategy:
The website project began with a fundamental shift in perspective: organize the experience around what users are trying to accomplish, rather than how the organization is structured internally.
BME approached the website as Acenda's digital front door, connecting brand, marketing, access, content, search, and user experience.
The goal was to make it easier for people to answer three basic questions:
Can Acenda help me?
What services are available?
How do I take the next step?
Understanding the Audience
The website needed to serve several audiences with very different needs, including:
Individuals seeking services
Parents, families, and caregivers
Healthcare and community referral partners
Current clients
Prospective employees
Donors and community supporters
Media and other external stakeholders
BME used research, data, and feedback to understand how these audiences were using the existing site and where they were running into friction.
From Organizational Structure to User Journey
One of the most important parts of the project was rethinking how Acenda's services were organized and described online.
Rather than expecting visitors to understand internal program names or organizational structures, the new approach focused on helping people navigate based on their needs.
This included clearer pathways to help users move from information to action.
Old Website
Services and programs were more heavily organized around individual program names and Acenda’s internal structure, requiring users to know what a specific program was or which program the needed before they could find the right information.
New Website
New navigation with UX in mind. The new site creates a broader list of categories via a mega menu based on services and who is seeking care focused more on the user experience. Visitors can explore their individual needs and then find the appropriate services.
Changes to terminology based on user needs and intent. Internal and clinical terminology were reduced in favor of language people are more likely to recognize and search for. Similarly, content was rewritten to emphasize what the service helps with, who it is for and how to access care rather than leading with internal program descriptions.
There is also a clearer path to care. Each service line page guides visitors through the information they need to make a decision. From a high-level program overview including areas of focus and locations served right from the start moving to what the service helps with, eligibility, what to expect from care and FAQs. Each page ends with a clear call to action, giving visitors a direct next step based on their needs and where they are in their journey to care.
Search, Content & Discoverability
Website development was also closely tied to BME's broader digital marketing strategy.
Content was built to improve how Acenda services are understood and discovered through traditional search, while also creating clearer, more authoritative information as search increasingly moves into AI-powered environments.
The strategy included:
SEO research and keyword strategy
Content restructuring
Service-page optimization
FAQs added
Expert content/Perspectives integration
AI-search considerations
The website needed to do more than provide information. It needed to feel like Acenda.
BME worked to translate the organization's brand into a digital experience through photography, messaging, design, content and user experience.
Bringing the Brand to Life Digitally
The Development Process
BME led the strategy and worked in partnership with Sayenko designs and internal stakeholders across Acenda.
BME's responsibilities included:
Website and digital strategy
User experience direction
Information architecture
Brand and creative direction
Content strategy and development
Service-line content
Search strategy
Stakeholder coordination
Testing and quality assurance
Launch communications
Measurement and ongoing optimization
The Results
The new website created a stronger foundation for Acenda's digital marketing, service discovery and online brand experience.
Active Users
Increased
by 45%
New Users
Increased
by 17%
Organic Search
Sessions
Increased by 7%
AI Mentions
Increased
by 29%
Website Views
Increased
by 20%
AI Citations
Increased
by 28%
More Than a Website
The project created more than a new website. It established a digital foundation that can evolve as Acenda's services, audiences, and the way people search for healthcare continue to change.
By bringing together brand, user experience, content, search, marketing and access, BME turned the website from an online repository of organizational information into a strategic tool for helping people find, understand and connect with Acenda.