Ameris Bank

Adding a new chapter to this bank’s legacy

With more than 200 branches across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, Ameris Bank is committed to serving its many customers. After acquiring Fidelity Bank, Ameris went through a full rebrand to reinforce its mission and better reflect its core purpose, positioning and personality. Bringing these distinct attributes into its online presence, Ameris relied on ZAG’s experience and expertise to initially welcome new customers with a microsite and follow with a redesign of its main website.

Ensuring a smooth customer transition

To acclimate Fidelity Bank customers, ZAG first created a custom welcome microsite. Using the new brand to showcase the bank’s bold approach to banking and unchanged commitment to customers, the site introduces new customers to Ameris Bank. Highlighting important dates, details and information about new and existing accounts, the site helped ensure a smooth transition to Ameris Bank. ZAG’s team of strategists, designers, copywriters and developers collaborated to bring this welcome microsite to life.

57%
increase in average site duration

Enhancing the user experience and defining the content strategy

The new Ameris Bank website focuses on delivering an expected experience by meeting visitors with what they need, right where they are looking for it. This strategy inspired the new site architecture and content strategy, empowering visitors to find the right financial solutions based on their unique needs. The robust site menu represents the full size and scope of Ameris Bank, while its intuitive organization makes it easy for users to navigate, while being scalable for future growth. Distinct content types were established to highlight different aspects of Ameris Bank, from community information to product promotions. Wireframes were initially developed to outline the hierarchy and ensure the defined strategy aligned with Ameris Bank’s business priorities.

Designing with purpose

The new brand comes to life with the redesigned responsive website. The strategic use of brand elements illustrates Ameris Bank’s dynamic, lionhearted, unconventional, resourceful and relational personality. Engaging visuals, from lifestyle photography and iconography, resonate with visitors and guide them along the consumer journey. Designed with usability as a top priority, the website is conformant with current ADA guidelines to ensure site accessibility for all visitors. Helping establish consistency across all channels and other third-party solutions, a style guide was created to outline how certain design components should be used.

Creating valuable content

Increasing content relevance, the overhauled website copy positions product and services to Ameris Bank’s audiences by creating personal connections between banking solutions and customer goals. Digestible content formats, such as bullets and blocks, make it easier for visitors to understand unique product features and pick the best solution for their needs. Providing a holistic user experience, the website integrates helpful resources with product and service information. The combination of keyword-rich and relevant content also helps attract organic search audiences as part of the SEO strategy.

We knew that the largest task after creating our new Ameris Bank brand would be launching a robust and powerful website. Consumers today expect crisp designs and seamless navigation, and that is exactly what ZAG delivered to us. They were an excellent partner, and we know our customers will enjoy the new modern and easy-to-use features they designed. Additionally, we had a tight deadline, and ZAG stayed dedicated to making sure our website had a successful and on-time launch, which it did.
Sue Cole, Ameris Bank Marketing Director
 

Generating real results

The new website serves as the digital branch where customers can open accounts, access online banking and get help. Designed to support lead capture and drive conversions, the site features prominent calls to action and embedded forms. A customizable landing page template with flexible content types for timely promotions and rate specials provide a conversion-based destination for campaigns. Customer stories and testimonials work to differentiate Ameris Bank and generate authenticity, helping enhance the effectiveness of marketing efforts. Custom analytics tracking also helps monitor key performance indicators and identify opportunities to optimize results.

Improved site management

Allowing for easier content management, the website is built on the Kentico CMS. Flexible page layouts provide marketing administrators the ability to create new pages on the fly, while maintaining UX cohesiveness throughout the site. A custom rates management tool, locations finder and FAQs database streamline sitewide updates. Other integrations with third parties, including online chat, online banking, financial calculators, and more, provide a robust yet seamless experience.

To make the transition to the new site seamless, a website tour welcomes first-time visitors to the new site, revealing the new brand, highlighting popular elements, such as online banking, and showcasing new features and benefits.

Before & After

Use the slider below to see the before and after design.
Before After