Cove Communities: Making Each Audience Feel at Home

For Cove Communities, a leading owner and operator of manufactured home (MH) communities and RV parks and resorts, creating meaningful connections is at the heart of everything they do. Their mission goes beyond simply managing these properties — they are dedicated to building vibrant neighborhoods where people can create lasting memories, whether on a weekend getaway or putting down permanent roots.

From oceanfront escapes to mountain retreats, each Cove destination is situated in a desirable location. But what truly sets Cove apart is their commitment to fostering genuine relationships, where every guest feels at home, welcomed, and part of something special.

Constructing the Brand Architecture

Before we addressed the website, we first had the opportunity to unify the brand architecture. Throughout the years, as Cove Communities acquired locations, their existing names were often kept to retain the property’s brand awareness. However, we needed to unify each under the Cove Communities umbrella, while building an identity around each location.

To do so, we began by celebrating what makes each property unique. We developed a naming convention that honors each location’s characteristics, from the natural landmarks surrounding it to its distinctive experiences.

Each fell into one of three categories: RV Parks, characterized by their emphasis on outdoor connection and adventure; RV Resorts, known for their rich amenities and social spaces; and MH Communities, welcoming long-term neighborhoods in beautiful locations. Each was additionally tied to the natural features they boasted, such as Oceanfront, Lakeside, or Riverfront. Thus, “Big Pine Key RV Park” became “Big Pine Key RV: A Cove Oceanfront Park,” inviting visitors to find themselves in a naturally beautiful setting where a seaside stay meets Cove’s strong sense of community.

Understanding Users and Visitors

We began our website redesign project with additional discovery work. Through post-stay survey responses and conversations with residents and guests, we gained invaluable insights into their journeys to finding their ideal stays. Through stakeholder interviews, we gained an understanding of the depth of connections formed with and between guests and residents, while comprehensive market research revealed opportunities to serve Cove’s audiences better. This research ensured that our strategy and digital solutions would meet both current and future needs.

Matching the Digital Experience to the Physical

Cove Communities faced a unique challenge due to their two distinct audiences: those looking for long-term homes and those looking for short-term stays. Our research showed that too much emphasis on one audience could repel the other.

Adventurers looking for a close-to-nature experience in their camper may find a site focusing on a manufactured home community’s many clubs and group trips off-putting. Meanwhile, those looking for a quiet retirement community may consider short-term renters disruptive or uninvested in the community’s environment.

Moreover, the existing site suffered from outdated infrastructure, broken functionality, and poor user experience. These factors created significant barriers for both potential customers and internal content managers and did not match the warm, welcoming environment of Cove’s physical locations.

Intuitive User Journeys

The homepage design elegantly solves Cove’s dual-audience challenge through an innovative, expanding split-screen hero interface. Visitors are immediately presented with two clear journeys: “Find Your Place to Stay & Play” for travelers seeking vacation experiences and “Find Your Place to Call Home” for long-term residents exploring seasons-long or permanent housing.

As users hover over each section, the interface expands, honing in on their preferred experience and creating an engaging, but practical first impression. The call to action for each side leads to a landing page geared only toward that experience: RV parks and resorts or MH communities.

Those users who may be undecided can continue down the initial homepage and evaluate locations based on other deciding factors, including location, available amenities or lifestyle, natural setting, or ways to stay.

Visual Identity

We first worked with the Cove team on a mood board exercise to build the site’s visual identity. From our discovery research, we knew that Cove’s key differentiators included its prime locations in natural settings and community-driven ethos and activities. To match Cove’s brand identity, we used “cheerful, natural, and inviting” to guide our choices.

To create a warm and inviting digital environment, we drew inspiration from the jewel tones of nature to expand the brand’s existing color palette. Photography focused on authentic experiences, family connections, pets, and amenities being enjoyed, while ensuring that diverse individuals were represented. Clean, simple illustrations add touches of whimsy throughout, and every visual element embodies each location’s peaceful settings and vibrant social spaces.

A Digital Welcome Center

Each property page weaves together a compelling narrative of community life. Immersive photography brings gathering spaces and natural surroundings to life, while engaging, search-optimized content helps visitors envision their lives within the community. Interactive maps demonstrate local connections, and carefully-crafted descriptions highlight the unique character that makes each location special.

If You Build It, They Will Come

We developed a custom WordPress platform to make finding their perfect Cove Communities destination simple and pleasing. The intuitive property exploration tools guide visitors through each community’s unique features, while fast-loading pages showcase the character of each location. The mobile-friendly design ensures a seamless experience for users discovering Cove Communities, while on the road, making the journey from first click to final decision smooth and engaging.

Finding the Best Fit

Understanding that everyone’s ideal community looks different, we created multiple pathways for discovering Cove locations. A robust taxonomy and tagging structure allow visitors and potential residents to focus on the property features that matter most to them. Whether searching by accommodation style or specific amenities, the platform helps match each visitor with their ideal destination. If location rules their search, our custom map feature lets users learn about each property quickly.

Building for All

Our development process incorporated numerous specialized plugins and tools, emphasizing accessibility features that were thoughtfully integrated from the initial design phase through final development. This comprehensive approach ensured WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance, including screen reader compatibility, accessible forms and interactive elements, keyboard navigation support, and proper heading hierarchy and ARIA labels. High-contrast viewing options and proper color contrast ratios were implemented throughout the site, ensuring a pleasing user experience.

A Seamless Booking Experience

A unique challenge of this project was unifying the booking experience. Cove uses a bespoke third-party booking service that is integral to their processes. We worked with the third-party service to design a seamless experience wherein users would not know the point at which they entered the third party’s portion of the booking flow. Helpful information remains easily accessible throughout the process, providing a consistent user experience and supporting visitors as they plan their stay.

Improving the Home Search Experience

For the manufactured home sale side of the Cove Communities experience, our team worked diligently with the sales team’s existing processes to ensure they could easily upload new listings. We developed a sophisticated property management system capable of handling hundreds of locations, while implementing advanced caching and performance optimization techniques. These comprehensive improvements transformed Cove Communities’ digital presence from an outdated website into a modern platform that effectively serves both homebuyers and sales team members.

Empowering the Cove Team

Previously, content administrators had difficulty updating the site, and each new property acquisition required significant effort to bring it online. With an easy-to-use CMS and templated property pages, the Cove team can focus more on building community relationships than managing technical challenges. The streamlined system allows for more meaningful resident and guest interactions while making sharing community updates and news easier.

Looking Forward

Our freshly designed platform is strategically built to grow alongside Cove’s flourishing communities — ready to welcome new locations just as the Cove team welcomes each new guest or resident. The system’s flexibility supports future expansion and enhanced community features, including personal community portals and virtual tours.

This transformation has created more than a website — it’s a digital bridge connecting people with communities where they truly belong. Through thoughtful design, intuitive functionality, and a deep understanding of community needs, we’ve created a platform that welcomes everyone home to Cove Communities.