A modern association management system for a Historical Archaeology society

Challenges:

SHA’s previous website had more than 1,000 pages of static content and was difficult to navigate. The site’s members-only section was a treasure trove of data, as it contained an archive of Historical Archaeology Journals from the past 50 years. But the archive was not searchable, and site traffic suffered. The association had amassed an impressive 200 gigabytes of pages, files, and data, and they needed a new website to showcase all of those resources.

Solution:

Launched in summer 2015, SHA’s new mobile-friendly website includes a WordPress CMS, enabling them to quickly and easily update content to feature on the blog. The newly developed Publication Explorer makes it easy for visitors to search through the archive of Historical Archaeology Journals by keyword, year, topic, geography, era, and more. Ecommerce capabilities mean The Society for Historical Archaeology sells more journals and other documents, and can also accept online member registrations and renewals.

A secure members-only area allows free access to publications, and a member management tool makes it simple to manage and keep track of individuals’ information, account status, and order history, while a custom job board lets members post or search job openings.

An advertising management tool gives SHA the ability to rotate sponsor logos and banner advertisements throughout the website, allocating a certain number or percentage of ad impressions to a particular sponsor. The system also offers valuable statistics on ad impressions and click-through rates, which increase advertiser retention levels and spur interest among new advertisers.

Results:

The SHA site redesign was such a huge success that SHA has asked vh.Agency to handle technical support, web hosting, and maintenance for the association.