Les Producteurs de lait du Québec

Fitting over 300 pages with new habits

With the redesign of the Les Producteurs de lait du Québec website, lafamilledulait.com, more than 300 existing web pages had to be migrated and reorganized according to the evolution of consumer preferences and questions surrounding dairy production and consumption. Lots of search eXperience optimization (SXO) work was done to move from just offering useful information to offering useful, usable and desirable information that would encourage users to stay on the website. The best of SEO and UX were combined to reflect observed changes in digital behaviour, from desktop and tablet to mobile device, from social traffic to organic search and from lifestyle content to polarizing discussions.

Demystifying milk consumption

Since lafamilledulait.com went live in 2017, credible sources have started to question milk consumption, in particular Canada’s Food Guide, which dissolved the Dairy and Alternatives category into the Protein Foods category. As a result, nutrients—including protein—and their benefits were lumped in with the new dairy presentation. The surge in plant-based milks and the general appeal of plant-based products also guided the reorganization. An analysis of the entire website identified user searches for dairy products, which helped guide the redesign of the information architecture: understanding dairy products (how they are made and their impact on health) and using them (how to consume, cook and store them).

Making milk production clearer

Environmental activism and negative perceptions of dairy farming have significantly increased in recent years. The perception of dairy as an aging industry has incited a major focus on continuous improvement and innovation in dairy farming. The dairy production sector has been reviewed in terms of accountability to demonstrate Quebec dairy producers’ commitment to sustainable development, including responsible practices for carbon neutrality.

Responding to doubts with facts from experts

As the main entry point of the website had become the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, it was important to ensure relevant internal linkage with other sections of the website so consumers’ doubts were not dealt with in a vacuum. In order to change the user’s tendency to visit the website only once to consult a single page, a transversality of subjects was identified to ensure relevant calls to action would redirect the user towards other pages. Answers to all questions by category can now be accessed by hovering the cursor over the text on the site. The experts referenced are identified by photos and biographies that highlight their credibility.

Featuring dairy in daily life

The magazine shows dairy products and dairy production in action. The lifestyle approach aims to solidify the relationship between different consumer segments and dairy products, from those who are confident and want to cook more at home to those who are skeptical or even suspicious of the benefits of milk and the importance of sustainable development in dairy production. Showcasing life on a dairy farm reinforces the importance of buying local, which is a key element of milk consumption in Quebec.

Modernizing the image of the dairy industry

Showing the dairy industry cares about its producers and consumers—whether or not they are fond of dairy products—is achieved through the information architecture and the topics covered, both briefly and in depth. Also, across the website, the major emphasis on images and animations does not have a negative impact on page-loading speed or overall site performance, especially on mobile devices. The lafamilledulait.com website is aligned with the current trends in agri-food.