St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Music for all
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) has filled St. Louis with live orchestral music since 1880. The years have brought new audiences, new projects, and a need for a website redesign service that would capture orchestral evolution.
Setting the stage for a new era
CHALLENGE
To modernize its offerings, the SLSO took on a multi-million-dollar renovation and expansion project for its home, Powell Hall. The project would improve the concert experience — and the brand felt its audience should feel the refinements well before they set foot inside.
The SLSO sought a creative agency for a brand refresh and website update. One that could elevate user perception and improve overall website performance.
SOLUTION
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra ultimately enlisted Paradigm’s comprehensive website redesign services. Our interdisciplinary team implemented an updated SEO strategy, created custom user journeys, updated creative assets and integrated the latest mobile ticketing software. The resulting platform made it easy for audiences to experience the excitement of a new era.
SEO Strategy + UX Copywriting
Step one was considering how audiences arrive and where they go next.
Organic search accounts for most website traffic, so the SLSO needed an updated SEO strategy. Our strategists researched keywords related to location, industry and audience intent, then assigned selections to relevant pages across the site.
Our copywriters incorporated these keywords into refreshed messaging that answered key questions: Who is the SLSO? What makes it different? And where can audiences engage during renovations? They also cut excess pages and condensed lengthy content to make information easier to find and understand.
From there, our website redesign services placed intuition at center stage. We organized the pages into a mega menu. Parent pages called out obvious next steps — such as “Get Tickets” — and housed relevant subpages — such as “subscription packages” and “special offers.”
By the end, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra reduced subpages by 47%. What remained was high-priority content that attracts audiences, answers their questions and helps them take action.
Website Design
Step two was creating a clean slate where design would have room to evolve.
The SLSO website design needed to complement copy’s focus on clarifying the user journey. But clean didn’t have to mean bland. Design presented an opportunity to get bold and differentiate the brand from its competition.
Website designers purified the homepage with a white base. Vibrant colors, gradients, and photography popped off the page — creating contrast that guides attention. Custom elements, such as iconography alluding to the SLSO logo, reinforced a strong visual brand.
Our website redesign services guided the creation of interior pages and established a unique yet flexible design system for future content.
By the Numbers
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47%
reduction in subpages
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12.4%
increase in first-page keyword rankings
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18.6%
increase in visitors since the website relaunch
Development + Technology
The project’s grand finale occurred behind the scenes, where developers prioritized functionality.
Our development team focused on making every interaction with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra website seamless. Optimizations supported fast load times, mobile responsiveness and ADA compliance. Meanwhile, updated integrations with donation and mobile ticketing software simplified user actions.
To support internal teams, we updated integrations for data management and loaded custom design elements directly into the CMS. This gave internal teams the flexibility to create new content — without input from a creative agency for a brand refresh and website update.
“Your team was absolutely crucial in making this project a reality, and I am beyond grateful for all of your hard work. Matt was especially gracious through every step of the process and made for a wonderful troubleshooting partner. We couldn’t have done this without you!”
Allison Lambacher Associate Director of Digital Engagement
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