MHA

Transforming the online presence of two prominent accountancy firms through merging three websites, online brand interpretation and advanced, reliable technology choices.

Project overview

LuckyTurn Media combined the three websites of two prominent accountancy firms, Macintyre Hudson and Moore & Smalley, into a single new and cohesive platform. The website, reimagined as a catalyst for the firm’s ambitious growth plans, is an important, strategic project for all concerned, with a corresponding budget.

The new website accurately reflects the firms’ recent changes and growth, along with their merging under the BTI (Baker Tilly International) brand. By conveying a modern and dynamic image, the new mid-tier firm can now be seen as a bona fide choice for clients considering a Top 4 accountancy firm. Through design, content and technology, we demonstrate that MHA has the right people to start a long-lasting business relationship with.

www.mha.co.uk

Project objectives

Brand interpretation and implementation—ensuring the brand’s message and identity are interpreted and implemented effectively throughout the new website
One unifying website instead of three—with a cohesive message and streamlined user experience
Migrate from the previous platforms—the previous websites’ content, data and functionality must all be represented and work on the new website
Technical SEO—ensuring search traffic does not suffer as a result of the migration, and provide the basis for continued growth
Appeal to larger clients—through a polished visual design and in-depth content from MHA’s experienced team
Lead gen for smaller clients—through approachable and easily accessible content and contact form

Design and UX

The Challenge/Goal identification

Our challenge was to implement a new brand language based on the new identity developed by BTI. The website’s new messaging was to communicate and position MHA as a challenger brand that commands attention. All this was to be implemented on a new CMS (content management system) with significantly richer capabilities for content creation and future growth.

Research and persona building

LuckyTurn Media’s UX-focused design process researched users and built client personas. Researching user needs, preferences and behaviours shows how they will use the website and also shapes its structure.

Brand interpretation and design

MHA’s brand guidelines were developed in-house at BTI. We undertook online brand interpretation and then further adapted our work to fit the specific needs of the MHA website.

Content and content strategy

We worked with MHA to create and curate content to reflect a supremely ambitious and driven organisation. As a thought leader in the industry, MHA is a firm to forge a business relationship with. Our content strategy focuses on delivering valuable information, includes blogs, insights and careers, and has been structured for the user and SEO.

Development phase

During the development phase, we focused on delivering a robust and high-performing website through:

A powerful platform for impressive growth—enabling MHA to expand its reach and influence
A rich content experience—implementing a user-friendly CMS with a seamless and intuitive interface
Integration with third-party systems—to increase efficiency and streamline workflows
Granular permissions—enabling different user roles to have appropriate access rights and privileges

LuckyTurn Media worked closely with MHA’s in-house IT specialists to ensure the website integrates with the merged firm’s IT corporate infrastructure.

Content & SEO migration

We developed custom methods to migrate content from three websites based on two platforms (two WordPress sites and one Expression Engine), with distinct approaches to handling content types and taxonomies. SEO migration included keyword mapping, category mapping and redirects.

Technical implementation

The LuckyTurn Media development team dedicated itself to delivering a modern, secure and robust online solution that would meet the demands of a large and still expanding organisation. The completed website leverages fault-tolerant, load-balanced architecture that can cope with real-time peaks in traffic. It passed vulnerability testing, demonstrating its reliability and resilience against potential threats.

Outcome

MHA bought into our vision for their new website. We applied a philosophy and design approach that emphasises the user and UX and harnesses modern, yet proven technologies. We delivered a complex, strategic web presence for an organisation experiencing fundamental changes, working at a high level within the client’s organisation.

The end product is one that everyone involved in is very happy with.

What's next

The new MHA website can deliver on all the firm’s likely requirements. Soon, we will further enhance its authoring capabilities as MHA’s content team grows into the new platform. And at the same time, we will integrate a third-party system to manage the site’s careers section.

As MHA’s business expands, the website will expand, too. Our team will continue to collaborate with MHA and BTI to develop and implement transformative new features and functionality to align with the firm’s strategic goals.