Revamping digital strategy for tech pioneer Fotech

WALK THROUGH

Fotech (part of bp Launchpad) is a pioneering technology company.

It helps customers solve business critical challenges by developing and deploying the world’s most advanced infrastructure monitoring technology. Fotech’s solutions harness the power of fibre optics, AI and edge computing to give customers enhanced, immediate insights into their assets’ performance. Its technology helps address everything from security breaches to leaks, to malfunctions. It also helps optimise energy performance and has applications in smart city development.

For key customers across the energy, security, smart city and transport sectors, those insights make a crucial difference to business performance, carbon footprint, and the citizens that their infrastructure exists to serve.   

In 2020, Fotech was acquired by bp Launchpad, joining a portfolio that is re-imagining cleaner, more affordable and more reliable energy. This step change has equipped Fotech to build on its already established reputation as a leader in its field. The next priority is to expand rapidly into new territories, especially emerging markets. In 2020, the Fotech team decided they needed a ramped-up website and digital strategy to support this growth.

Digital Potion has enjoyed a relationship with bp for many years. Using our knowledge and skills in this space, we quickly identified that a complete website overhaul was the best way forward – especially to help Fotech generate better SEO results.

After all, the best website in the world is no use at all if your customers can’t find you!

We needed to build a site that would communicate to multiple global industries, reflect Fotech’s reputation as a pioneer and innovator, be packed full of Google and customer-friendly content and – of course – meet the highest SEO standards in a future-proofed way.

“We approached the Digital Potion team to assist us with updating our website that we had grown out of. The team quickly understood our business objectives and the challenges associated with being a young start-up, and proposed an effective way forward. When we encountered setbacks, the team guided us through the implementation and always gave us the best, most up to date advice during the development and go live stages. The team now provides us with ongoing support and insight as we grow and improve our online presence and SEO.”

Kerry Henning, Marketing Executive, Fotech.

SOLUTIONS

Benchmarking the business

As expert advisers to our clients, we never leave crucial decisions to chance. So, our first step was to dive into Fotech’s marketing strategy and the world in which they operate. Using our cutting-edge analytics suite, we measured online performance across this complex technical market to help Fotech understand exactly how they were ranking against competitors.

Plus, of course, we thoroughly researched the current brand and content to beef-up our knowledge. And we had lots of conversations to get to know the Fotech team and their culture – a process we really enjoyed.

This enabled us to spot concrete opportunities for online growth against key competitors, a user experience matched to multiple industries, and the right content/technology-driven approach to maximise online performance.

The next step? Deliver the goods!

Content analysis and strategy

Digital Potion knows that content is crucial for long-lasting reputational growth – with both Google and customers. So, we performed a comprehensive content audit, mapping existing elements that were working well, how best to fill the gaps, and a site hierarchy for effective navigation and distribution of content across the site.

Fotech was a great partner – offering clear direction on marketing priorities, key messages, and how they wanted the site to behave. Together, we designed a structure that allows different customers with different priorities to get to what they need fast. That’s vital to keep visitors on page, engaged and wanting to know more – meeting one of Google’s key parameters when it ranks sites for authenticity and value.

We also advised on translating complex technical messages into user/Google friendly language, and the importance of planning a constant flow of value-adding copy.

We weren’t afraid to get our hands dirty either – stepping in to take on the grunt work of stocking the new site to free up the client when they faced other urgent priorities.

Technology and design

Achieving a long-lasting digital footprint depends on meeting Google’s technological standards across fast changing parameters. Plus, our clients need the confidence to update and manage their websites with ease. It’s therefore important that we choose exactly the right technology to fit each client.

In Fotech’s case, we recommended Umbraco for an intuitive, feature-rich CMS that facilitates responsive performance, flexible content management, and a time saving solution with its “create once, use often” philosophy.

We specified content, structure and technology parameters at the start of the project. This equipped our creative team to design a fresh, modern website with lots of bespoke elements that would visually reinforce Fotech’s brand whilst easily adapting to Umbraco’s back-end functionality. This meant that, when we came to front-end coding, our designers’ suggestions translated effectively to the realities of the online world.

We also implemented a best practice hosting platform and edge network for ultra-fast load speed, unbeatable uptime and – importantly – robust security criteria across both Fotech and bp’s stringent standards.

RAPID RESULTS

Our strategic approach to the project has delivered a site with a modern look, strong brand, easy to navigate hierarchy and best-in-class technology. We feel sure that the website will underpin Fotech’s continued business growth for at least the next three to five years.

The Fotech team is already embracing the new site, making creative use of Umbraco’s features to present what they want to say with impact and clarity and regularly update both their on-page and blog content.

We’re particularly delighted that our careful approach to mapping old content and optimising new content – from URLs and meta data to optimised media and on-page copy – resulted in a 33% increase in user traffic in the first two months after the site launched! Not many people realise that a poorly managed content transfer from old to new sites can result in traffic drops of up to 90%. That’s exactly what we look to avoid for every client. It’s not an easy process, but to see this early uptake even before an ongoing SEO strategy has gained momentum is fantastically rewarding for the Digital Potion team.

We’re so pleased to have achieved so much for this lovely client, and we’re now looking forward to the next steps of supporting them as they grow, enter new markets, and cement their status as a world-class leader in their field.