Skip to content

The Ridges Sanctuary

A New Website for Wisconsin’s Oldest Land Trust

The Ridges Sanctuary

When The Ridges Sanctuary grew past their legacy website, they called upon Digital Pollen Collective to create a new website, look + feel that streamlined their user experience, catered to multiple audiences, and helped show that Wisconsin’s oldest land trust is “more than a walk in the woods.”

Post-launch, the website has been celebrated by The Ridges’ visitors, supporters, leadership, and staff as a phenomenal new tool for the organization and one that more aptly describes the vibrant organization they’ve become.  Celebrating their pioneering 1937 origins with a fresh new brand and digital experience that suits their outdoor enthusiasts and users ‘on the go.’

Check it out

Services

  • Digital Audit
  • Messaging
  • Branding
  • Website

Key Strategies, Insights, and Ahas!

A mobile view of the Ridges website on an iPhone.

Aha!

94.4% Mobile Traffic

Recognizing that 94.4% of their legacy website's traffic came from mobile devices, we took a mobile-first approach in strategy and design. This not only addressed the region’s broadband issues but also catered to the ‘on-the-go’ nature of The Ridges' user base.

Kid visitors at the Ridges exploring the grass from the boardwalk.

Strategy

Multi-Audience Focus

By identifying the three key audiences for the new site – new visitors, members + program participants, and donors – we were able to anticipate and delight all audiences, giving each a ‘choose your own adventure’ way to engage.

A girl showing off a bug she caught in a jar.

Pivot

A Support + 
Engage Pivot

A major objective for the new website was shifting the focus from simply visiting The Ridges to becoming actively involved and engaged with The Ridges.

Results

A mom an daughter exploring an exhibit at the Ridges.

New Top 10 Page

Since launch, Membership has emerged as one of the top 10 most visited pages on the website for the first time in 5 years.

An illustration of the Earth.

3+

Pages per Visit

The Ridges' average website user now visits more than 3 pages per visit, indicating positive interest in their content and a more engaged user base.

Before and After

The Ridges site before engaging with Digital Pollen.
The Ridges site after engaging with Digital Pollen.