BusinesSuites Website
BusinesSuites is a national company that provides turn-key, fully-serviced, fully-furnished office space with terms that just about any business can easily manage. BusinesSuites’ President John Jordan and I have worked together for a number of years and in 2004 he asked me to update their website from a static Web 1.0 structure to something more dynamic.
The first thing we* did was set up an open-source PHP code framework combined with a MySQL database and gave the client an admin-controlled custom-designed content management system (CMS). Second, we separated the front end into distinct XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript to give search robots an easier time of evaluating semantic content. Third, we designed a self-generating sitemap and breadcrumb navigator that would compose on the fly to reduce some of the long-term maintenance costs. And fourth, we emphasized object-oriented programming and server-side includes to make it easier for programmers to update the site.
The main site includes several subsites, one for each office center location (15 in all), each one able to stand on its own with a full array of features and functionality. The corporate headquarters’ site sits on top of the center subsites and holds the entire fleet of sites together. In 2009 we added an enterprise-level custom-designed blog with multiple contributor options similar to WordPress MU.
Over the years we’ve worked with SEO companies like Apogee Search to increase SERP performance. We’ve added a number of tracking devices — Google, HitsLink, Yahoo and others — and a CMS section with extensive keyword editing features that allows site administrators to adjust keywords based on data coming in from various analytics.
In September 2009, Dell and the National Federation of Independent Businesses recognized BusinesSuites for its innovative use of technology, their website being a key component. BusinesSuites was named #1 in the U.S. from more than 3,000 applicants.
*Key contributors: Brad Koester wrote the original front- and back-end code and set up the database, Dustin Ground wrote much of the CSS, Anthony Alvarado wrote some of the later back-end code, Michael Athens designed the maps, Mary Helen Pratt created the floor plans, Joslyn Baker assisted with the photography.
