Sometimes websites get a refresh to modernize their look and sometimes they are reorganized to make them more intuitive. Angus.org recently got a complete redesign to do both, while becoming more of an industry-wide resource.

The American Angus Association launched its newly retooled web presence to make the site easier to navigate, and to become an even better place for members and commercial producers using Angus genetics. 

“We have a very robust website, and we know that breeders know where to go to find what they need, but anybody who hasn’t navigated around it for years has a tougher time getting where they need to go,” says Holly Martin, director of communications for the American Angus Association.

She says the organization’s site was also overdue for a modernization of the design and better mobile optimization.

“Let’s start with what’s not changing: your ability to do business with the American Angus Association and some of the most highly trafficked parts of the website — including Login, EPD look up and sale books — will be exactly the same or look very similar,” Martin says. “However, many of your favorite tools or ways to access news are in completely new places as we tried to make it all more intuitive for visitors.”

Clicking through the website, buttons for “find an animal,” “find a breeder” and Member Login, among others, are anchored in the upper righthand corner.

The main homepage gives visitors three main action points at the start: learn about Angus advantages, go to the commercial cattlemen’s corner or head to the member center. Each section has links, news and resources specifically curated for different types of Angus producers.

“We would like this to be everybody’s landing page. If you wake up with a cup of coffee or sit down to peruse the news in the evening, you’re going to Angus.org,” says Darrell Stevenson, a board director from White Sulphur Springs, Mont.

The main pages should refresh often with the latest articles and podcasts from the Angus Journal^® and Angus Beef Bulletin^®, along with other timely updates from the breed. 

Both from the main navigation or other links on the homepage, users can quickly get to landing pages for each of the entities — Angus Foundation, Angus Genetics Inc.^® (AGI), Angus Media and Certified Angus Beef^® (CAB) — along with major programs of interest, such as Angus Herd Improvement Records^® (AHIR) and Angus University.

“Each of these pages has its own personality and provides a spot to drill down as deep as you want to go,” Martin says. “In addition to the in-depth sub-navigation, we’ve updated our search function to search more effectively.”

The Association’s first website launched in 1996 and has evolved many times since, but this is the biggest redesign to date. 

“We had nice outreach to the breeder members, but our industry has evolved and our family has gotten bigger,” Stevenson says, especially noting the focus on the commercial producer and programs such as AngusLink^SM that helps them market their calves and see value differentiation for investing in Angus. 

The main navigation features six main sections, and commercial cattlemen might find these three especially helpful:

• Tools & Resources: This section brings together the National Cattle Evaluation resources, searches and calculators, and DNA testing information. 
• News: Find easy ways to get to the Angus Journal, Angus Beef Bulletin or Angus TV YouTube channel, or get all the latest news from every communication channel in one spot.
• Marketplace: For anyone doing business with the Association, all the needed pages are in one spot. All three of the stores (Angus Brand Store, Tag Store and Angus Supply Store) are accessible from this page, along with sale books, sale reports and the sale calendar.

The beef business is changing at a faster-than-ever rate, so the website is built with the ability to be flexible. As the year unfolds, the team will continue to add new functionality.

“It did not happen overnight. It’s been a multi-year project to improve membership services and outreach and I’m so proud of where we have landed,” Stevenson says.

Visit Angus.org to see the improvements and find resources.