The more straightforward commercial websites he built – think ecommerce stores and law firm websites – the more something started to itch. But it wasn’t until Mars founder Michel began working with a cutting-edge drug developer that he discovered what was missing.

The company approached Mars Media to redesign its website. Which, to be honest, was long overdue. “The website looked like a Myspace page from the 90s,” Michel says. “It was full of highly technical text and a few cryptic images. I had to do a lot of Googling just to get a basic understanding of what they did.”

It’s a tendency he sees regularly among innovative companies: they often jump straight into the technical details. When the Mars team interviewed employees, they heard a lot about enzymes and platforms, until someone said that, at its core, the company provides hope to seriously ill patients. “That’s when I realized: that’s the story you should be telling,” Michel says.

That insight became the foundation of the new website. Less text, more visuals, and a clear headline. “I really enjoyed that process,” Michel says. “It also helped me better understand the direction the world is heading in.”

A different kind of impact

Twenty years earlier, Michel had started building websites as enjoyed the technical side of the work. 

“But over time, I started wondering how I could contribute a little more to society,” Michel says, “We built websites for entrepreneurs where, at the end of the day, the focus was mostly on making money. Building more webshops or easy sites simply became less appealing to me.”

It was during one of Michel’s side projects that he got a taste of making a different kind of impact.

Before the COVID pandemic, Michel organized a coaching program for young people aged 12 to 20 to help build their confidence. He remembers one girl who joined the course and could hardly look the other participants in the eye. By the end of the 100-day program, she received a high grade for a class presentation. “That only happens when you can speak confidently about a topic and connect directly with your audience,” Michel says. “I really appreciated that.”

Lessons from commerce

The experience gained from building webshops still proves valuable when working with innovation-driven companies. Michel points to his work on Yummygums, a vitamin supplement brand. He developed and tested buy boxes and optimized product pages to improve conversion rates. 

“Building webshops taught us what works and what doesn’t,” Michel says. “We don’t need to run dozens of A/B tests to understand the impact of things like bullet points or testimonials.”

At the same time, there are important differences between developing websites for webshops and for innovative companies. The impact of a webshop change is easy to measure: you can see it directly in revenue. The success of a biotech company’s website, for example, is much harder to quantify.

There are, however, still some clear objectives, Michel says. “Potential investors need to understand your mission, potential hires need to feel inspired to work for you, and potential research partners need to see professionalism and credibility.”

But the most rewarding feedback? “When employees proudly show the website to their friends and family,” he says. “That’s what I do it for.”