Client Background
Farmers and Merchants Bank is a trusted community bank with a long history of serving individuals, families, and businesses. While their reputation and customer loyalty were strong, their digital presence hadn’t kept pace with modern banking needs. Their existing website was outdated, difficult to navigate, and managed by a provider that was preparing to sunset services, leaving the bank in urgent need of both a short-term solution and a long-term strategy.
As the company continued to grow, its leadership recognized the need to streamline internal processes, enhance employee appreciation, and unify brand experiences across locations. That’s when they turned to Strategic Factory.
The Challenge
Farmers and Merchants Bank’s leadership team knew their website needed a full refresh, but they hadn’t found the right partner to take it on. Their pain points included:
- An outdated website that didn’t reflect the bank’s forward-looking vision.
- Difficulty reaching younger audiences and new account holders.
- Poor SEO and PPC performance, with wasted spend on ineffective keywords.
- A hosting provider sunsetting services, forcing the team to move quickly to avoid downtime.
- Page speed, unoptimized code, and schema issues that negatively affected UX and rankings.
- Broken links and error pages that led to lost traffic and missed conversions.
The Process & Solution
Strategic Factory connected with Farmers and Merchants Bank’s C-suite to uncover their goals and concerns. From there, our team implemented a three-phase approach:
1. Immediate Hosting & Stabilization
Because their old site was shutting down, we quickly transitioned hosting to Strategic Factory. Since the old files couldn’t be transferred, our team rebuilt the site from scratch under tight deadlines, ensuring uninterrupted service for customers.
2. Discovery & Design
Through discovery calls and focus groups with their target audience, we learned exactly how Farmers and Merchants wanted to position themselves. Our web and brand team designed a modernized website featuring:
- Streamlined content and reorganized page structures.
- Improved user experience with clear call-to-actions.
- Vibrant imagery that reflects community values.
- Content guidance aligned with FDIC regulations.
- Enhanced mobile experience and created relevant content for younger users.
3. Digital Marketing Strategy
Once the new site was stable, we launched SEO and PPC campaigns to begin driving results. Key actions included:
- Auditing and correcting wasted spend on ineffective keywords.
- Enhancing SEO strategy to improve ranking and organic visibility.
- Creating a PPC program aligned with their number-one KPI: increasing deposits through personal, commercial, and business accounts.
- Fix desktop and mobile performance by addressing major site issues.
- Improve rankings for service-related terms like savings accounts, checking accounts, and CDs.
4. Single Partner for All Branding Needs
In addition to redesigning their website and managing digital marketing, Strategic Factory became Farmers and Merchants Bank’s go-to partner for all branding and promotional needs. By centralizing its brand services, the bank gained a consistent, high-quality experience across every touchpoint. Key initiatives included:
- Company store portal for employees to order company-branded materials on demand.
- Employee appreciation gifts to recognize and engage staff.
- Printed marketing collateral and company-branded merch to support campaigns and events.
“Strategic Factory made what felt like a daunting transition simple. They moved quickly to protect our website presence and gave us a clear, modern path forward. We finally feel like our digital strategy matches the quality of service we’ve provided for decades. Strategic Factory helped us modernize without losing sight of who we are, and that’s exactly what we needed.” -Barry Luciani, EVP, Chief Retail Banking Officer
The Results
The launch of the new website in October 2025 marked a turning point for Farmers and Merchants Bank. To maximize excitement and awareness, the bank celebrated the rollout with a launch event that highlighted their innovation and commitment to connecting with the community. With Strategic Factory as a partner, the bank not only modernized its online presence but also laid the foundation for long-term growth and stronger customer engagement.
Key outcomes included:
- A seamless website transition and launch with no downtime for customers.
- A modern, user-friendly design that resonated with younger audiences while still serving existing clients.
- SEO strategy that improved visibility and prepared the bank for sustained growth through 2026.
- PPC campaigns optimized to maximize ROI and drive new account openings.
- Expanded brand consistency through promotional products, a company store portal, and other marketing collateral.
Impact in Numbers:
- 37.6% increase in site traffic
- 410% increase in ranking on average for the top four organic keywords
- 1,264.65% increase in PPC conversions
- Steady increase in deposit accounts
- #1 ranking for key regional terms like “Carroll County Bank” and “Local banks”
- 10% CTR on paid search (3-4% higher than industry average)
- 169.3% increase in website visitors
- 82% increase in calls, emails, and form submissions.
