Long Beach Museum of Art: How Strategic Website Redesign Supported $2M+ in Annual Donations and 30% Annual Digital Growth

Nestled on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the Long Beach Museum of Art approached Dooley Design Group in 2014 for a digital transformation that would mirror the timeless elegance of their seaside location and treasured fine art collections. What began as website improvements evolved into a comprehensive multi-year partnership that generated over $2M in donations in the first year alone and established a digital foundation that would drive sustained growth for nearly a decade.

Led by CEO Keira Dooley, whose unique combination of MFA in Fine Arts and deep technical expertise created an ideal match for LBMA’s needs, our team crafted a digital experience that honored the museum’s artistic legacy while delivering measurable business results. This rare intersection of creative understanding and technical mastery became the catalyst for transformative growth.

The Long Beach Museum of Art faced critical digital obstacles that were hindering their mission and revenue potential:

Outdated Digital Identity: The existing website failed to capture LBMA’s sophisticated position as a premier cultural institution housed in the historic 1912 Elizabeth Milbank Anderson House, with its stunning oceanfront setting and world-class collections.

Fundraising & Membership Barriers: The museum lacked effective online donation systems, streamlined membership processes, and digital tools to support their fundraising goals—critical infrastructure for sustaining operations and growth.

Fragmented User Experience: Multiple touchpoints including Claire’s Restaurant, the annual art auction, exhibitions, and educational programs existed in digital silos, creating missed opportunities for cross-engagement and revenue optimization.

Limited Search Visibility: Despite housing significant collections including pioneering video art from 1974 and important California Modernist works, the museum struggled with online discoverability in competitive Southern California’s cultural landscape.

Accessibility and Mobile Gaps: The existing platform failed to serve diverse audiences effectively, lacking mobile optimization and accessibility features essential for community engagement.

Our approach combined fine arts expertise with strategic digital marketing, creating a comprehensive solution that addressed both immediate needs and long-term growth potential.

Phase 1: Foundation Building

Strategic Touchpoint Optimization:

• Claire’s Restaurant Enhancement: Refined the online menu system, understanding its importance as both a revenue driver and visitor draw with its oceanfront brunch popularity
• Art Auction Website Creation: Designed a sophisticated auction platform that aligned with print collateral while adding an online gallery, leveraging our deep understanding of fine art markets and collector behavior

Brand Refinement:

• Website Logo Optimization: Cleaned and refined the museum’s visual identity to ensure consistent brand representation across all digital touchpoints

Phase 2: Complete Digital Transformation

1. Art-Informed Design Language Drawing on Keira’s MFA background and decade of Southern California cultural immersion, we created a design aesthetic that authentically reflected LBMA’s position at the intersection of fine art and oceanfront elegance.
   

   

    

2. Revenue-Optimized Infrastructure

• Seamless Online Donation System: Implemented recurring donation options and streamlined giving processes that directly contributed to the museum’s fundraising success
• Comprehensive Membership Platform: Created an intuitive system for membership acquisition, management, and gifting—establishing a sustainable supporter base
• Strategic Calls-to-Action: Optimized B2C elements including “donate,” “shop,” and “eat at Claire’s” to maximize engagement and conversion

3. Scalable Information Architecture Built a flexible site structure designed to grow with the museum’s evolving needs—foresight that proved critical for supporting their 2018 downtown campus expansion and increasing programming demands.
   

   

    

4. Comprehensive SEO Foundation with Meticulous Technical Optimization

• Technical SEO Excellence: Took meticulous care in optimizing every technical element—from image filenames and URL slugs to comprehensive page metadata—ensuring seamless information architecture flow for both user experience and search engine crawling
• Strategic Content Architecture: Created exhibition pages and educational content that established LBMA as an authoritative resource while targeting both broad and long-tail search queries
• Local SEO Dominance: Positioned the museum prominently for regional searches including “Long Beach art,” “California Modernism,” and “Pacific Coast museums”
• Performance Optimization: Implemented clean code structure and fast loading times, critical for both user retention and search engine rankings

5. Content Strategy and Engagement Systems

• Exhibition Catalog Enhancement: Created dynamic, SEO-optimized exhibition pages that serve as lasting digital archives
• Educational Content Expansion: Developed art education sections that established LBMA as an authoritative resource
• News and Engagement Hub: Implemented a vibrant blog system for ongoing community connection and content marketing

6. Accessibility and Inclusion Focus Implemented comprehensive accessibility best practices, ensuring the digital experience welcomed all community members regardless of ability—reflecting our commitment to inclusive design.
7. Mobile-First Functionality Prioritized mobile optimization to serve the growing number of visitors accessing cultural content on mobile devices.

Ongoing Partnership Excellence 

• Content Management: Maintained fresh, relevant content with regular homepage updates, exhibition details, and blog posts
• Event Marketing Support: Developed marketing materials for special events including LBMA After Dark, Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch, and wedding venue promotion
• Performance Monitoring: Implemented comprehensive analytics to track both traditional web metrics and museum-specific engagement indicators

The transformation delivered exceptional outcomes that established a foundation for sustained institutional growth:

Comprehensive Platform Success

• Membership Growth: Streamlined online membership system with multiple giving levels and recurring payment options
• Enhanced Collection Access: Platform supported LBMA’s successful pursuit of major grants, including the Institute for Museum and Library Services grant enabling digitization of 515 works by 271 women artists
• Restaurant Revenue Support: Claire’s section optimization contributed to this vital revenue stream’s continued success

Technical SEO Excellence and Search Dominance

Strategic SEO implementation with meticulous attention to technical details established LBMA as the premier digital destination for:

• Image optimization: Every image filename strategically named for search relevance
• URL structure: Clean, descriptive slugs and URLs optimized for user understanding and crawling efficiency
• Metadata mastery: Comprehensive page titles, descriptions, and schema markup
• Information architecture: Seamless IA flow supporting both user navigation and search engine discovery
• Top search rankings for Long Beach cultural attractions, California Modernism content, and regional museum searches

Community Engagement Growth

• 31K Instagram followers supported by cohesive digital ecosystem
• Enhanced event attendance through integrated marketing approach
• Improved accessibility opening cultural resources to broader community