Ascentor
Cyber Security & Defence
Web Site & Branding

The strategic challenge

Ascentor is an established business offering information and cyber security consulting and advice to business customers and public bodies such as the Ministry of Defence. Its website hadn’t been updated for a while and the business was recently acquired by Amtivo Group to help accelerate its growth potential.

The challenge also called for three separate websites – including SBCS and Equas – migrating three different businesses, their pages, updating the sites, optimising for SEO and unifying all three brands under a new, distinct brand and site positioned for the 21st century.

The project required a significant, multi-layered approach involving an updated visual look-&-feel to the site, major site restructure, and position of its services to reach a wider audience.

The migration also involved redesigning and integrating hundreds of pages, resources, services, information guides, as well as new sections on the brand, the business, its people and its successes.

Our approach

This was a major project that involved reinventing the entire existing website, with a top-to-bottom restructure, redesign and update. The biggest challenge was migrating in three completely different businesses – each with their own look, structure and services – and unifying it under a new, modern brand and look.

We held several scoping workshops. As the Ascentor teams were based across the UK, we used Miro – our interactive whiteboarding platform – to identify the structure of the site, customer journeys, how pages would work, CTAs and understand competitors and audience needs. Sessions were recorded, with virtual spaces used with digital sticky notes, whiteboards and notes.

We embarked on a complete redesign, with UX and UI at the heart of the project. We presented online mock-ups showing how the site would look and work, with the Ascentor team able to provide online comments and feedback throughout the project.

We used our in-house project management platform – Freedcamp – to break down every stage of the project and allow conversions, reviews, version control and Gantt charts. Ascentor could raise tickets throughout the process ensuring feedback was captured, and we used Figma to share designs, wireframes, mock-ups and visuals.

The site was built in WordPress using ACF Pro and ultimately hosted on WP Engine. Special attention was placed on site security, with Web Application Firewall (WAF), MFA and CDN deployments to harden the site.

Content migration involved importing content and rewriting and updating for SEO, with hundreds of new images researched and optimised for search.

The result

The site launched in May 2023 and feedback has been excellent – with other industry leaders getting in touch to commend the new site. The site rapidly gained visibility for target keywords, ranking higher for commercial terms.

The site loads faster and is more secure than the previous versions, which allows Ascentor to confidently showcase its consulting services to its customers. The new brand design and site design reflect a more modern, relevant business that delivers a range of cyber security services.