The website rebuild also provided the opportunity to address ongoing issues associated with the website’s site structure and framework, to refresh the brand identity and improve the communication of key messages.  
ACS engaged Hughes to lead the redevelopment of the website and content, with a focus on restructuring the sitemap, refining the brand narrative and introducing elevated design elements to strengthen brand positioning and enhance the use of imagery and video to communicate its corporate identity.  
This project is a great example of Hughes’ integrated project management across digital, PR, design and videography.  

Objectives

The primary objectives were to: 

• Reinforce the position of ACS as South Australia’s largest and leading aged care provider for First Nations Peoples, offering in-home support services and 24/7 residential care.  
• Improve website navigation and simplify the service offering, events and news.  
• Reinforce the position of ACS as an employer of choice, showcasing their employee benefits and career paths.  |Integrate online donations to better highlight the important needs of this unique not-for--profit organisation, streamline donations management for the organisation, and improve opportunity to build donations revenue.  
• Update the website look and feel to showcase a meaningful and culturally respectful digital presence reflecting the organisation’s 30-plus year legacy as South Australia’s largest First Nations aged care provider.  

Our Approach 

Hughes conducted a detailed scoping and key messages development session, working closely with the General Manager – Service Development, as well as the broader leadership team, to understand the vision for the organisation, business requirements, existing website and communication challenges and priorities. This included identification of new features including: 

• Inclusion of a dedicated events calendar to enhance storytelling of community and activities at the Aboriginal Elders Village 
• Digital publishing of the existing newsletter to help amplify the voices of Elders and carers. 
• Creation of a custom interactive services area map, showcasing the extent of the ACS home care service offering.  
• Expanding the services and lifestyle program section to better highlight how Elders can remain culturally connected. 

From this process we collaboratively developed a new sitemap and supporting functional specification for the new website, combined with an expanded set of key messages to reshape the brand narrative. Once approved, this informed the creative brief for the website redesign.   

Website and copy development  

Following the approved sitemap and functionality specification, we undertook keyword research to complement the key messages and guide the revision of website copy. This included the restructuring of each page to emphasis the role of ACS, removing out-dated content and enhancing all content related to the service offering, connection of community and support of Elders.  

At every opportunity we enhanced the brand narrative and storytelling through features such as pull-out quotes, interactive timelines, video placement and incorporating other information gathered from across the organisation.  
To maximise traffic flow across the site, we strategically structured pages with clear pathways to guide the customer journey, supported by soft calls-to-action designed to increase time on site, enquiries and donations. 

Design, photography and Video 

With the website copy approved, we moved into the design with a clear and informed foundation, allowing us to create a fresh and considered visual direction.  
Drawing on our extensive archive of Hughes created imagery and video content, alongside the client’s existing brand assets and style guide, we had the opportunity to refine and extend the brand, evolving the colour palette and introducing new brand elements tailored to ACS. A new heading and subheading font were selected to better reflect the brands’ sense of approachability and connectedness.  
Having clarity on the structure and page-level content from the outset enabled us to streamline the design process, maximising the use of standardised components for consistency across pages, while freeing up time to focus on bespoke features such as the interactive services map.  
To bring the brand story to life visually, we created a custom homepage video loop using curated content from our existing library, complemented with hand-selected imagery placement across the entire site.  
We also created new social media banners and a corporate e-signature featuring the new fonts and design elements to ensure brand consistency when the site was launched.  

Delivery  

Once content was finalised, we developed tailored meta descriptions to enhance the website’s visibility and presentation in search results. 
We also undertook rigorous responsive and cross-browser testing to ensure a seamless user experience across all devices and platforms. 
Ahead of the launch, we delivered a hands-on training session with supporting video tutorials at the ACS office, as well as an overview of the donations management module, empowering the team with confidence to manage and update their new website from day one.