Van der Ende Group client project
A no-nonsense website with Westland practicality
We spreken Mark van der Ende, werkzaam bij Van der Ende Group. Van der Ende Group is een echt familiebedrijf, groot maar warm. Voor deze toffe mensen herbouwden we een site in WordPress en maakten hem meteen een stuk beter. Dat was best even spannend, maar waarom we geen nee konden zeggen lees je hieronder.
The assignment
At Van der Ende Group, located here in Westland, there are about 150 people working, all specialists in their own department. "I've been working in the marketing department for a year and a half now," says Mark. "One of my first assignments was to improve and optimize the website. Luckily, I grew up with technology, I've always found it interesting, and I had colleagues Michiel and Nicole by my side. Because I didn't have much experience with websites yet."
"Buro Staal really puts the pedal to the metal."
Mark van der Ende – Van der Ende Group
The situation
Van der Ende Group had a great challenge. In 2020, they had a new site built, in combination with the new corporate identity, by a large company. The site was custom made with the CMS Umbraco.
"We wanted to be able to add a webshop and a customer portal in the future," says Mark. "In consultation with the previous website builder, it was advised to use Umbraco at the time. Especially with our wishes for the future, this seemed to be the most suitable system for him. Unfortunately, we were not satisfied with that agency after 1 year of working together. The communication was difficult and stiff. We didn't achieve the desired result."
So Van der Ende Group switched to another party that also builds and manages Umbraco websites. "We had to update the website quickly with this party, otherwise the website would no longer meet the security requirements," says Mark. "So there was time pressure. Unfortunately, after six months they told us that they were no longer going to manage websites, which meant we had to switch again."
"We started talking to our SEO and SEA parties. We didn't want a 'big party' anymore, with constantly changing contacts, sprints, and slow execution. We were looking for a small company where you can work with short lines of communication and that really feels responsible for every customer."
"We ended up with Rosanne through a contact. Buro Staal is 10 minutes away," says Mark. "It clicked very well. Rosanne convinced us of the big steps that WordPress had made in the meantime. WordPress was an unknown world for us. Umbraco seemed like the future for us, but it wasn't. Buro Staal could build a strong site for us with WordPress. And immediately improve a number of points, while we were at it."
"A Westland party already has an advantage with us."
Mark van der Ende – Van der Ende Group
The goal
"In addition to the website, we also want to have the option of expanding with a portal or even a webshop in the future. For this, links with our CRM system must be possible. Furthermore, we no longer want to have the entire site rebuilt every few years. Actually, we wanted to have the existing site in a working and future-proof system and immediately improve some points."
For technical reasons, Van der Ende Group needed a new site before January 1, 2025. We came into contact with each other in May 2024. In itself, that is quite short notice for a large site that has to be completely rewritten. We also saw many points for improvement, such as the search function, which was not very smart yet. Visitors had to click and scroll a lot to get to the right product or page. Also, the website was not as fast as they would have liked.
"For such a professional site, the backend was quite limited and we could adjust little ourselves. And if we wanted to adjust something, it took too long," says Mark. "At Buro Staal, they really put the pedal to the metal. You can call directly and get immediate action. A real Westland party. That already gives you an advantage with us. They take that extra step for you, are friendly and you don't have to chase them all the time."
The approach
"Buro Staal also came up with ideas and advice themselves. The homepage, the product pages and the product categories have been completely renewed. The vacancy page has been greatly improved and is much clearer. Just like the contact page. That is often forgotten, but it is a very important page for us. Calling, emailing or requesting a quote often goes through the contact page. Everything now has a fresh look within the familiar corporate identity."
To improve the customer journey, we added a mega menu, among other things. There are many products and services available at Van der Ende Group. These are now much more visible and accessible in different groups. There is now an advice button for every product. Requesting a quote is quite a big step, and this is a nice intermediate step.
"With the improved search function, we can do more than I thought possible," says Mark. "It is now a lot smarter and we can, for example, see what is being searched for and what there are no results for. Useful for our offer! We can now also adjust and add much more ourselves than with Umbraco. Now the backend is user-friendly and flexible."
The project management was done via Asana and Slack. "That was very nice," says Mark. "Slack was for quick and short messages, Asana for the planning and the to-do list. And feedback. Also very useful because I did this project together with Nicole and Michiel. Nicole sees every pixel that is not correct. She is analytical and visually strong. So it's very nice to have such a to-do list and feedback place."
The result
"WordPress took some getting used to, I honestly admit that," says Mark. "But it has many more options and flexibility compared to Umbraco. And if I don't know something, I get a video with an explanation from Buro Staal. WordPress also feels logical. If you work with it for a month or 2, everything becomes much easier." Look, we at Buro Staal are of course happy to hear that, as real WordPress fans!
"We now receive all quotation requests clearly in the backend and can easily export them. We can also easily add and adjust pages ourselves. Because we maintain WordPress well, the site remains future-proof, so we don't have to rebuild it completely every few years. We are now really the managers of our system."
"We heard many positive reactions from both colleagues and customers. For example, we asked the sales department to test the site for a week before going live; they were very enthusiastic about the new navigation and the clear way in which all products and services are now presented. Previously, for example, it was not clear that we also have our own workshop and can repair, paint and spray pumps. Thanks to the new structure and extensive product information, everyone can immediately see what we have to offer."
"After the go-live, we received many compliments. The search function works better, the mega menu is clear and all information and documentation can be found faster. Many visitors are looking for documentation that comes with the products. Now they have found it in 1 to 3 clicks. And SEO is well implemented. With a shorter link structure, alt texts, meta descriptions, etc. It is well indexed and we are even quoted several times by ChatGPT."
"Once you get used to it, it is a nice system. And we don't have to call Buro Staal all the time for every little thing. For example, if you want to add a new folder, the system asks if you want to adjust it everywhere. User-friendliness at its best!"
"The thinking along is really a plus. And they actually make it happen too!"
Mark van der Ende – Van der Ende Group
"In short, the website looks familiar but in a fresh design. The backend works well and we don't have to have a whole new site made again in a few years. I am impressed with what Buro Staal has achieved in a relatively short time."
