Serving multiple target groups with a single corporate website

User research

Insight into customer needs

To ensure the new Van der Sluis website aligned perfectly with the needs of their target audiences, our UX researchers conducted in-depth user research. This included multiple customer interviews and three focus groups, where we explored how (potential) clients orient themselves and what their experiences were with Van der Sluis’s services.

The insights from these conversations helped map out user needs across different stages of the customer journey. Three main user groups and their primary tasks on the website emerged:

• Businesses in the orientation phase are looking for information about Van der Sluis and potential collaboration opportunities.

• (Tenants of) housing corporations want to easily report malfunctions and get in touch to find a solution.

• Private individuals are focused on maintenance contracts, sustainability upgrades, appliance replacements, or visiting the Agri store.

In addition, three key questions emerged as essential for the website:

1. Who are you?

2. Do you offer what I'm looking for? 

3. How can I get in touch?
   

These insights formed the foundation for a website that is clear and accessible for all target groups, with a well-defined structure and focused content that meets their specific needs.

The solution

From frustration to conversion. An information structure that highlights broad expertise.

The old Van der Sluis website often led to frustration among visitors. Once users clicked through to a specific business unit, it became difficult to navigate back to other departments. As a result, Van der Sluis’s broad expertise remained largely hidden, and potential clients struggled to see how they could be supported across different sectors. There was also an open question: should each business unit have its own website, or would a single, integrated platform be more effective?

To address these challenges, we completely redesigned the site’s information architecture. Previously, services were buried in submenus per business unit. We replaced this with a clear, structured mega menu, where all units and services are immediately visible—giving visitors a complete overview of what Van der Sluis has to offer at a glance. This eliminates frustration and significantly improves the user experience.

To ensure that each business unit still has a distinct identity within the integrated website, we introduced unique color themes per department. This makes navigation more intuitive and enhances recognizability across sectors.

By choosing one strong corporate website instead of multiple separate ones, Van der Sluis preserves its domain authority while bringing all of its expertise together on a single, central platform. This allows them to serve multiple target groups efficiently, without compromising on clarity or usability.

An online visual identity that reflects pride and craftsmanship

Van der Sluis stands for craftsmanship, collaboration, and innovation. We translated these core values into a strong brand identity—one that radiates pride, reinforces the sense of family, and does justice to the impact and expertise of Van der Sluis. With an extended color palette, a distinctive typeface, and a clear layout, we achieved the following:

• A calm, structured look and feel with generous white space

• Visuals that bring people and technology together

• A dynamic grid system that creates structure and visual consistency

• Subtle use of color with optimal contrast ratios for digital accessibility

• A technical yet accessible typeface that reflects expertise

• Matching icons and infographics that visually convey pride and craftsmanship through data

An intuitive ordering flow for service and maintenance subscriptions

Drawing on our UX expertise, we designed an intuitive ordering flow for configuring service and maintenance subscriptions. Using a step-by-step approach, we ensure that users can easily set up their plan without feeling overwhelmed by choices. User-friendly forms make the process clear, scannable, and pleasant to use.

Flexible and future-proof in Statamic CMS

The new website is built in Statamic CMS, a flexible and user-friendly content management system. This allows each business unit to easily manage its own subpages and add content. With over 37 unique components, every page can be built dynamically, ensuring the website remains easy to expand and adapt in the future.

Writing effective and persuasive content

To bring the new information architecture to life effectively, the content needed just as much attention. Less from an internal perspective, and more focused on outcomes and emotion: scannable texts with descriptive headings that help users quickly find the information they need.

Our approach? A hands-on content training based on the “Writing for the Brain” framework, held on-site at Van der Sluis. We also created a personalized writing guide filled with practical tips, tricks, and a tailored tone of voice, to serve as a reference. This empowered the team to confidently write content that grabs attention, holds it, and drives action.

Recruitment

Craftsmanship for life

To better position Van der Sluis as an attractive employer, we developed an employer branding strategy that included personas and a candidate journey. This plan formed the foundation for the redesign of the careers website and a targeted employer branding approach. We identified Van der Sluis’s key employer value propositions and translated them into a clear communication and content strategy.

The updated careers website puts the company’s core values and personal approach as a family business front and center. Employee stories bring job satisfaction to life, and candidates can easily explore job fields and vacancies.

With scannable, filterable job listings, a motivating tone of voice, and a clear application flow, candidates are now able to find roles that match their skills and ambitions more quickly.

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