From digital concrete to dynamic insights: The Gilbert+Tobin website transformation

The challenge

Gilbert + Tobin (G+T) had a problem: their website had become, as their CMO put it, "digital concrete" – immovable, inflexible, and frustratingly slow.

For a leading law firm advising organisations like Afterpay - in its $39B acquisition by Square - this was getting in the way of serving clients effectively.

The firm’s 45 marketing professionals, who support more than 600 lawyers, need to share time-sensitive legal insights quickly. Instead, their website was holding them back.

"If we needed to make an update, we were doing it through developers on a test server and then copying code over to production," the CMO explained. Simple changes that should have taken minutes stretched into multiple-day ordeals.

The problems went deeper than updating website content. As their marketing systems were unable to talk to each other, the team were left in the dark about how their website was performing.

"We weren't in a position to provide any insight on what was happening on the site, where people were going, or what they were searching for," they shared. For a firm that needs to respond rapidly to legal changes, this lack of insight was critical.

G+T needed to upgrade its website software, to a platform that would allow the firm to:

1. Empower their marketing team to work quickly without relying on developers.
2. Connect marketing systems to understand site performance and customer journeys.
3. Handle thousands of pages of legal content while maintaining quality, consistency and accuracy.
4. Gain real insight into what clients need from their website.
5. Support more than 100 partners who all needed input into the site.
6. Govern employees’ access to edit or approve content with tighter user permissions.

On top of all that, they needed to deliver this system overhaul in just nine months.

The solution

When it came to finding the right technology partner, G+T started by looking at traditional content management systems (CMS). They were managing a content-heavy site with multiple areas that needed regular updates.

But they quickly realized that the limited capabilities of a CMS wouldn’t help them in their goals to clearly understand user behaviors, personalize user experiences and integrate with their wider martech ecosystem.

Part of the challenge was also finding a partner that understood and aligned with how the industry works. Business growth for law firms comes largely through partner relationships and word of mouth.

They need technology that provides the data to help them identify opportunities with existing clients (based on user behaviours on the site), share insights that matter to those clients, and do it all quickly enough to support time-sensitive pitches and deals.

G+T chose to partner with Squiz to build their new website, working with Folk - a strategic design consultancy - on a complete brand refresh that would be launched with the new site.

What stood out was Squiz's understanding of the legal industry's ways of working, with multiple stakeholders to consider and priorities to juggle, combined with technology that went far beyond basic content management.

"When I saw the Squiz DXP, I knew I'd get data and insights, but the level surprised me," the CMO explained. "You don't usually see things like SEO audits and A/B testing built right into a website platform."

The project scope was substantial but at the heart of it, they wanted something that was “as intuitive as an iPhone.”

Specific requirements included:

1. Building 49 custom components for everything from news updates to lawyer profiles.
2. Moving over 6,000 pages of content without losing search rankings.
3. Connecting the website with existing email, CRM, and other business systems for effective flow and visibility of data.
4. Making sure everything worked for 100+ stakeholders, with built in governance that would allow them to manage who could do what on the website with ease.

Instead of following a traditional development path, waiting for all designs to be finalized before building, they adopted the atomic design methodology.

They broke the site into small pieces and started building as soon as they had wireframes for each. While designers worked on one component, developers built another, and the content team tested completed sections. This meant they could maintain momentum while ensuring every piece worked perfectly.

The smooth, final launch - completed in just 15 minutes - proved how well this approach worked.

The outcomes

The migration numbers were massive: over 6,000 pages, including 2,000 articles and 600+ lawyer profiles.

Everything needed to move without losing its search rankings or breaking links.

"There was a lot of nervousness around this," the CMO recalled, "because traditionally when you do these migrations, it's a recipe for SEO disasters."

Thanks to the design, build and test in parallel approach, the team knew exactly how each component would appear and perform after the shift to Squiz and felt confident to trigger the final migration.

Their search rankings were preserved and their content was more manageable and dynamic than ever before.

G+T now has a website that matches its ambitions. Here's what’s changed:

• Page updates that once took five days now take 10 minutes.
• Content changes happen instantly, without needing developers.
• The marketing team now has real-time visibility of how content is performing.
• They know exactly what clients are searching for.
• Legal updates can be made quickly and easily.
• The website is accessible for all visitors.

A simpler way to work:

"It's almost like having a Lego board where you're taking your components and dropping them on exactly where you want them, and they're going to operate exactly as they've been built to operate," the CMO explained. "That is different to our previous model, where we were building pages bespoke almost every time. It saves us from reinventing the wheel and gives far better governance with a large group of stakeholders."

Better client insights:

"Being able to dive into search results, through Squiz Funnelback, is really fantastic. And the data that it gives us is pretty powerful.” They can spot terms clients are searching for, including specific laws they haven't written about before. This helps them identify content gaps before clients have to ask.

Smarter content delivery:

The new site works harder behind the scenes:

• Partner profiles automatically rotate on the homepage based on relevance.
• Job listings update in real time from their HR system.
• Search results appear instantly through partial page reloads.
• Data visualization tools make complex legal concepts easier to understand.

An accessible experience for everyone:

Accessibility was built into every component, with real feedback from a visually impaired partner during development. "It looks good, but when you navigate it with a keyboard or with the screen reader, it's also apparently a really good experience,” they noted.

Looking ahead

G+T isn't stopping here. They're connecting their website data with their email platform and CRM to build an even clearer picture of what their clients need. They're exploring AI tools to make their vast legal content more accessible and useful. And they're testing new approaches to content - something previously unheard of in law firms.

"We're now able to operate as a marketing team would in other spaces," the CMO shared. The digital concrete is gone, replaced by a platform that helps them work faster and smarter for their clients.

Curious to explore how a unified platform could remove friction and unlock innovation for your organization? Book a 30-min chat with a Squiz strategy consultant.