FT Longitude: Custom WordPress Website

Following the completion of a full rebrand to refresh its positioning, FT Longitude required a new website that effectively showcased its position as a pioneer in thought leadership to its diverse clientele. The company's existing WordPress website, while functional, was becoming outdated, difficult to manage, and out of sync with its refreshed brand identity.

The client needed a website that would elevate its brand, sharpen its online presence and make it easier for its audience to navigate and locate relevant information. The team also wanted to highlight their expertise and proven track record by bringing high-profile case studies, as well as specialist insights and resources to the fore.

A quick turnaround was needed to ensure a seamless transition and minimise disruptions to their marketing operations. Having previously worked with the team on web projects, FT Longitude chose us (Feel Created) to transform updated designs into a fully functioning site, adhering to modern web standards with new features added to better support visitor conversions and lead generation. These designs, proposed by a digital marketing and communications agency, emphasised user experience (UX). The new site would provide the FT Longitude team with greater flexibility and control over managing uploaded content while presenting a refreshed, user-friendly online presence.

In this project, the Gutenberg editor served two main purposes. Firstly, it allowed administrators to choose from a range of pre-defined and custom-built blocks for creating dynamic and engaging pages. Secondly, it introduced 'flexible templates' known as Gutenberg Patterns, which provided the client with a consistent starting point for similar pages, ensuring unity across the site. These patterns served as a time-management tool, offering editable templates for commonly repeated elements like FAQs, content sliders, team member profiles and calls to action (CTAs). Despite offering consistency, these patterns were flexible enough to be tailored to specific needs, allowing for the addition or removal of blocks to accommodate unique page content requirements. This approach not only improved efficiency but also maintained consistency throughout the website.

Additionally, we proposed using ‘synced patterns’, which, like regular patterns, are reusable design elements that can be updated in one place, automatically reflecting changes across all instances of them. This was particularly useful for the client as it ensured that any updates to common elements, like CTAs or team profiles, were replicated throughout the site, saving time and reducing the risk of errors.

Both the blocks and patterns were custom-built to align with the client’s refreshed brand guidelines, ensuring a seamless user experience. By leveraging these elements, the team gained creative control over regularly updating their website with ease, while maintaining cohesion of the new messaging across every page. A key goal for FT Longitude was to deepen engagement and demonstrate their expertise. To achieve this, we built a variety of block elements, such as content sliders, CTAs, and testimonials, effectively showcasing our client’s experience and track record of success at every stage of the user journey. Key messaging could be pulled out and highlighted within the content through statistic blocks, testimonial blocks and media blocks (such as video). Content could also be linked as related or through CTA blocks to encourage the reader to dive deeper and spend more time on the site.

User-focused, intuitive designs were provided for this project which we successfully translated into a fully-functioning website with careful consideration for the user journey. By implementing REST-driven dynamic content loading, we enabled filterable results that adapt seamlessly to user interactions, allowing users to quickly find the information they need without unnecessary page reloads. To ensure a consistent and accessible experience across all devices, the website was optimised for various screen sizes and browsers. The responsive scaling means users can navigate the site with ease, no matter where they are viewing from.

To gain a deeper understanding of user behaviour and journey, we integrated comprehensive dataLayer tracking through Google Tag Manager. This captures user interactions across the site, providing FT Longitude with valuable insights to continuously optimise the user experience. Additionally, we implemented a full-site search feature, enabling users to locate specific content effortlessly. Featured articles were also incorporated into the main menu navigation, giving FT Longitude full control over highlighting relevant and up-to-date content. This ensures that the brand’s message as industry leaders is consistently reflected, providing users with a seamless and informative browsing experience.

Our commitment to client success goes beyond just development. We provide full-service support throughout, and this project was no different. We offered guidance on specific features, applying our WordPress expertise to enhance functionality, and provided additional capacity for content migration to ensure a smooth transition from the old site. This included the migration of essential content such as webinars and blogs.

We believe in empowering our clients to have control over their content. While we offer content entry as a service, FT Longitude chose to handle this themselves, finding it straightforward after our comprehensive training session. We conducted in-person CMS training sessions before launch, equipping key project team members to manage the new system effectively. Although our CMS training is typically delivered remotely, we recognise the importance of accommodating our clients’ needs. We held face-to-face sessions at the Financial Times Head Office in London, ensuring clear communication and support.

Additional in-person training was facilitated post-launch to ensure new team members could maintain consistency across the site and support future growth. We pride ourselves on not disappearing after the launch of a new website, but remaining available to support our clients’ evolving business needs, building and maintaining long-term relationships.

Working with FT Longitude, we created a modern, responsive website that aligns perfectly with their refreshed brand identity and thought leadership offerings. The custom WordPress solution gave the FT Longitude team enhanced content management capabilities, allowing for easy updates and consistent messaging throughout the site. Interactive elements and streamlined navigation ensure users can effortlessly access information, reinforcing FT Longitude's position as a leader in its field.

While the scope and functionality of the build were complex, our expertise in custom WordPress web development ensured that the provided designs were fully realised and actionable. The client required a quicker turnaround than usual on this project. We successfully delivered the proposed build on time without compromising quality or functionality.

We are proud to have supported FT Longitude through this digital transformation, marking our years of partnership. The client was delighted with the result, and we continue to work with FT Longitude, providing ongoing support and maintenance.

"Working with Feel Created on our new website has been an absolute pleasure. The team is responsive, creative, and genuinely invested in our success - more like an extension of our own team than an external agency. They've built us a future-proofed site that evolves with our needs, and they're always on hand with fresh ideas. Reliable, proactive, and an all-round pleasure to work with - we couldn't ask for a better digital partner!"

Read more Feel Created case studies here.

Check out FT Longitude’s website here.