The STAR Asset Finance website was created to represent a unique positioning in the financial services market: a nationally recognised asset finance group that delivers a local, personal approach to SMEs across the UK. The biggest challenge was consolidating five websites with their different audiences, into one – without losing their meaning or local approach. From the outset, the design and development process focused on clarity, credibility, and conversion. The client needed a platform that not only reflected their extensive service offering but also communicated their customer-first ethos and group-wide expertise in a way that would resonate with businesses in sectors ranging from agriculture to aviation.
Behind the scenes, the site was developed to be fast, responsive, and SEO-friendly and includes the following functionality:-
- Companies House integration to feed company information to a prepopulated form
- Barclays PCI Compliant ecommerce system for taking payments
- Content displayed using conditional logic depending on where the visitor was referred from
- ClickDimensions form integration and data capture straight into the CRM
The visual direction of the site was designed to strike a balance between authority and approachability. A significant emphasis was placed on sector-specific visuals and page structures that allow users to quickly understand the relevance of STAR’s services to their business, whether they’re looking for vehicle leasing, tax loans, or equipment finance.
Navigation was kept streamlined and intuitive. Users can move effortlessly between high-level overviews of STAR’s services and more granular content, such as detailed sector solutions or individual finance products. Each service page was carefully crafted to offer clarity and confidence, guiding users through the key benefits of each offering and reinforcing STAR’s expertise in supporting small to mid-sized enterprises. The “About Us” and leadership pages added depth and credibility, presenting the people behind the brand and articulating STAR’s values, mission, and nationwide reach through its group companies.
A flexible content management system was implemented to give STAR’s internal teams full control over updates, particularly across the “News” and “Insights” sections, which play a key role in establishing thought leadership and keeping the site fresh with market-relevant updates. Performance optimisation was prioritised, with efficient asset handling and code structure to ensure fast load times – a critical factor for retaining the attention of business decision-makers.
From a user experience standpoint, the site architecture was built to reduce friction at every touchpoint. When a visitor enters the site through a branded page, for example from one of STAR’s regional companies or a specific insurance area, the system automatically adapts the visual identity to match that brand. The logo and associated styling adjust seamlessly, and this alternate branding is carried consistently across the user’s browsing journey. This ensures that customers feel connected to their chosen local provider while still benefiting from the scale and resources of the STAR Asset Finance Group.
Ultimately, the STAR Asset Finance website succeeded in delivering a sophisticated, conversion-ready platform that reflects the client’s stature in the asset finance industry. It communicates STAR’s unique value proposition clearly and confidently while providing users with a seamless experience from landing page to inquiry form. The site is a robust foundation for STAR’s future growth and ongoing digital engagement with its core SME audience.
Due to the PCI compliant dependency, security was tightened to ensure all current measures are in place, achieving a Grade A on securityheaders.com. This was achieved by creating rules and implementing a firewall, obtaining passes in Strict-Transport-Security, X-Content-Type-Options, Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame Options, Referrer-Policy, Permissions-Policy.
