Website Redesign Project for Kandiyohi County Economic Development
We’re excited to work with Kandiyohi County Economic Development (KCED) to refresh their online presence with a modern, user-friendly website. The goal was to showcase the county’s economic potential, resources, and thriving community while aligning with KCED’s mission to support growth and innovation. Below, we’ll share the design approach, key features, and results of this transformation.
Website Redesign Project Goal
The Kandiyohi County Economic Development (KCED) team sought a complete website transformation to better align with their mission and showcase the vibrancy of the local community. Their goals included creating a fresh, modern look with updated branding, a sleek logo, and stunning local photography to highlight the area’s unique opportunities. They wanted a mobile-friendly, SEO-optimized design to ensure easy navigation and accessibility on any device. Additionally, the site needed to be built on an intuitive CMS, allowing KCED staff to effortlessly manage and update content. Long-term support was also a priority, ensuring the team had the tools and guidance needed to maintain a strong, effective online presence.
Client & Industry
Kandiyohi County Economic Development is the driving force behind economic growth in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. They provide visionary strategies, local business support, and connections to resources to help drive success across vibrant industries, such as agriculture, logistics, manufacturing, and tourism.
Challenge or Opportunity
The main challenge was KCED's existing website, which lacked an intuitive navigation, cohesive branding, and the capacity to highlight Kandiyohi County’s potential to attract businesses, talent, and investors. The project presented an opportunity to create a modern, visually appealing, and functional web platform that effectively communicated KCED’s value while meeting the expectations of a resource-driven audience.
Project Deliverables
Key website design and development deliverables included:
A visually refreshed and brand-aligned website design.
Improved site navigation and user experience tailored to KCED’s stakeholders, including businesses, residents, and community partners.
Content optimization to enhance visibility and content accessibility.
Integration of advanced tools, such as resource directories, document management, and multilingual support.
The result was a robust digital platform that propelled KCED’s ability to support business growth and foster community vitality.
About Kandiyohi County Economic Development
Kandiyohi County Economic Development is a leading force in fostering economic growth in Central Minnesota. Their mission is to connect the community with opportunities, empowering local businesses, site developers, and residents to reach their fullest potential.
KCED offers vital resources and support, including business recruitment and retention programs, technical assistance, and advocacy initiatives. They also pride themselves on empowering entrepreneurs and fostering innovative industries that align with the region’s rich diversity.
Before the project, KCED faced an outdated digital infrastructure that restricted their ability to engage stakeholders, showcase resources, and provide streamlined support.
Main Logo
Color Palette
The Problem
KCED's website was dated and underutilized, making it difficult to meet the modern expectations its audience. Specifically, the issues included:
Outdated website design and functionality that failed to reflect KCED’s innovative and forward-thinking mission.
Lack of mobile responsiveness, making it difficult for users to navigate the site on smartphones and tablets.
Limited content management capabilities, preventing staff from easily updating and maintaining the site.
Outdated and missing content, limiting engagement and outreach opportunities.
These challenges hindered KCED’s ability to fulfill its mission of empowering economic growth and community vitality. Addressing these concerns was critical to ensuring their long-term success.
Old Website
Goals and Objectives
The project aimed to achieve the following key objectives:
Redesign the Website
Create a fresh, modern, and user-friendly digital presence that reflects KCED's mission and improves functionality.
Enhance User Experience and Access
Simplify navigation for diverse audiences, ensuring seamless accessibility to resources.
Optimize for Visibility
Utilize SEO and content marketing strategies to increase online traffic and engagement.
Empower Multilingual Users
Integrate multilingual tool to include non-English-speaking residents and business representatives, ensuring inclusivity.
Support Strategic Growth
The website will serve as a digital marketing and communication tool to support the implementation of KCED's strategic growth plan.
The objective was to enhance online engagement and inquiries while creating a platform to support KCED’s leadership and strengthen connections within the community.
Key Features of the Website Redesign Project
Smart, modern layouts that balance style and functionality, creating a professional and welcoming user experience.
Built to bridge language barriers, our sites support English, Latin, Somali, and Spanish for truly inclusive communication.
A streamlined menu and search functionality to help users quickly find resources, events, and real estate—all in just a few clicks.
Seamless performance across all devices ensures users have a smooth browsing experience, anytime, anywhere.
From business directories to site availability insights, our tools are designed to simplify access to Kandiyohi EDC’s vast resources.
These features addressed KCED’s unique challenges and positioned the website as a tool for economic growth and inclusivity.
The Solution
To solve KCED’s challenges, we developed a completely new, purpose-driven website that aligned with modern design and messaging principles and KCED’s mission. Key solutions included:
Brand-Aligned Design
A clean, professional aesthetic infused with colors and visuals evoking economic vitality and Central Minnesota's community spirit.
Content and Navigation Overhaul
Optimized content, simplified menus and categorization of resources made finding information intuitive and efficient.
Feature-Rich Tools
Advanced functionalities such as interactive applications, business-support forms, and multilingual support played an integral role in user interaction.
Data-Driven Insights
Integration of an analytics dashboard to give KCED data on site usage and effectiveness, allowing for informed decision-making.
The new platform connected KCED to its potential partners and visitors, will bring value to the broader community, and enhanced engagement across all audience segments.
Results & Impact
The project’s impact was measurable and significant.
Updated Website Design, Messaging and Branding
Launched a sleek, modern website that reflects KCED’s new branding and enhances functionality for a more professional and user-friendly online presence.
Newly Refreshed Content and Information
Enhanced and expanded the content to provide valuable, in-depth information, then meticulously organized it to ensure visitors can quickly find exactly what they need.
Easy Website Management
Created a user-friendly WordPress CMS with drag-and-drop editing, allowing the KCED team to easily manage the website. Provided training videos and ongoing support for a seamless experience.
Improved User Experience
Enhanced site navigation, accessibility, and modern media and design, driving higher engagement and expanding KCED’s community impact.