The Magnificent Mile® Association needed more than a website upgrade. The organization aimed to transform how visitors and local businesses connect along Chicago’s iconic Michigan Avenue. With outdated websites failing to serve their community, they turned to our leading Chicago-based design & software development company to create a digital experience that reflects the energy of Michigan Avenue’s businesses. Our goal was to set a new benchmark for online engagement, inspiring millions to explore, connect, and support local businesses.
The Magnificent Mile® Association managed two separate websites: TheMagnificentMile.com for tourists and residents, and TheMagnificentMileAssociation.com for member benefits and B2B engagement. This division fragmented the user experience and complicated site management. Our goal was to merge both into a unified, dual-sided marketplace that serves both audiences equally.
The outdated websites struggled to engage users with cluttered pages, dense copy, and missing calls to action, making it hard for visitors to navigate. With over 50% of traffic from mobile, the sites needed a responsive, modern design. They also lacked essential marketing tools like pop-up forms and alerts, requiring a complete overhaul. Our mission was to create a sleek, user-friendly interface that boosts engagement for both members and visitors.
The consumer website faced numerous technical SEO issues, including missing meta descriptions, H1 tags, slow site speed, and poor indexing. These issues impacted the site’s ability to rank for key search terms, which limited its ability to attract high-value traffic from both locals and tourists searching for restaurants, hotels, and entertainment options in Chicago’s most iconic neighborhood. Our team transformed the website’s SEO performance, driving increased visibility and engagement for the businesses on Michigan avenue.
The existing site offered limited opportunities for members to promote their businesses, with only basic profile pages and no options for banner ads or category-specific promotions. This restricted the association’s ability to drive traffic and sales for members. Our goal was to create innovative advertising spaces that allow member businesses to shine—boosting visibility and revenue potential through a dynamic, engaging platform.
Managing the website was slow and costly due to the lack of a user-friendly content management system. Members couldn’t update their profiles in real-time and had to rely on external development teams for minor changes. Our website redesign streamlined these processes, empowering members to manage their own content and make updates seamless for the association. We built a platform that evolves easily, ensuring it stays adaptable and future-ready.
We adopted a content-first approach, removing the limitations of the outdated design and allowing the brand to tell its story. By focusing on persona-driven content tailored to specific audiences, such as Chicago residents searching for restaurants on the Magnificent Mile, we created a seamless narrative that drives engagement. The design was then built around this strategy, ensuring the content resonates with users effectively.
We developed a comprehensive website style guide to maintain brand consistency during the launch and beyond. Every element was thoughtfully designed to align with the brand, delivering a cohesive and engaging user experience that leaves a lasting impact.
We partnered with the Magnificent Mile Association to produce an engaging promotional video for members and the press, showcasing the new website. Featuring iconic visuals of Chicago and the new website, the video highlighted the platform’s benefits with a compelling script and imagery, bringing the Magnificent Mile’s vibrant energy to life online.
Our solution architecture team partnered with The Magnificent Mile Association to fully understand their website needs, including necessary system integrations. After evaluating several Content Management Systems (CMS) options, we selected HubSpot for its flexibility and scalability, and MemberClicks for managing memberships. Together, these systems created a powerful platform to meet both current and future demands.
We built a user-friendly, fast, and SEO-optimized website using HubSpot CMS. The new platform streamlined content management, improved business listings, and enabled dynamic features like events and offers. This ensured both members and visitors enjoy a seamless experience that drives engagement and visibility.
The integration of MemberClicks transformed how member companies interact with this dual-sided marketplace platform, transitioning from manual processes to automated workflows. This integration enabled real-time content updates, boosting efficiency and elevating engagement for both members and the association.
We created high-fidelity visual designs tailored to tourists, residents, and association members. Starting with wireframes and prototypes, we mapped user journeys and incorporated real user feedback. The final designs were optimized and tested to ensure a visually compelling and intuitive experience for all audiences.
We implemented advanced Google Analytics 4 with event tagging to track user actions such as clicks, form submissions, and website navigation patterns. This data-driven approach provides deep insights into user behavior, guiding future web development and ensuring the site continuously evolves to meet user needs.
