Whitestone Inn
We had the pleasure of recently meeting Paul and Jean Cowell, the owners of Whitestone Inn, at the Bed and Breakfast Association Tennessee Annual Meeting. We were excited to have such a luxurious and well-established bed and breakfast as one of our clients!
The Old Website
Whitestone Inn came to InsideOut with a website that had some major flaws. Much of the visual text on the site was not search-engine friendly, and therefore did not get indexed by Google and other search engines for their content. They were missing out on valuable search engine optimization opportunities.
One of the first things the designers like to do when creating a new website is to create a look that will resonate throughout the website and can also be used for their print marketing items such as business cards and brochures. Beth, our head designer, developed a look that she felt accurately expressed the desires of the Innkeepers and the feel of the property. She sent a draft to get the "thumbs up" for further work on the design of the site. Not surprisingly, they loved her work!
A New Design
Often, Beth draws her inspiration for her designs from what she knows of the properties. The Inns and bed and breakfasts we have the privilege of working with are so often magnificent pieces of architecture with rich historical and cultural backgrounds. With 360 acres on the shores of Watts Bar Lake, Whitestone Inn had many, many different amenities and activities to relay to potential clientele in a cohesive and uncluttered manner. With a beautifully designed menu, visitors to the website can easily maneuver their way through the site, taking in the many possibilities that Whitestone has to offer.
Results
Since we put the new site live in April of 2008, we have seen some exciting improvements in Whitestone's rankings and visitations on the site.
Search Engine Results
Before the new site, Whitestone was not visible in the top 30 results for their selected search terms on Google, Yahoo and MSN. Now they are #1 for "Tennessee Bed and Breakfast Wedding" on MSN, and #1 for "Kingston TN Bed and Breakfast", and "Kingston Tennessee Bed and Breakfast" on MSN and Google. They are also on page one of Google for the term "Tennessee Bed and Breakfast" a big achievement. The focus we put on the website towards their ability to host beautiful weddings has lead to a greater visibility online for terms like "Tennessee Wedding Location" and "Tennessee Wedding Chapel". Of course, the status of the web is always changing, and we will continue to maintain their delectable status through our promotional work for them.
Visitor trends
The site has nearly twice as many visitors on average, but maintains its low bounce rate of approximately 26%. The average view time on the site has doubled to more then 6 minutes. Before the average visitors looked at only three pages, now each visitor takes a look at 10+ pages.
A Look that Works
Onscreen & Off
We matched the look and feel of the website—always a good idea if you want to create a strong, memorable brand. Using the same fonts, colors, and patterns conveys a sense of integrity and consistency in quality.
Same-page cross-link controls:
Panel 1 | Panel 2 | Panel 3 | Panel 4 | Panel 5
