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Reputation and referrals are the lifeblood of the M&E contracting industry, and DLM had earned both in abundance over 40 years of operation. Established in 1984, the Singapore-based mechanical and electrical contractor developed a strong portfolio spanning commercial, industrial, residential, and mission-critical projects. Although DLM had a corporate website, it offered limited online visibility and relied heavily on external support for content updates and optimisation. As competition intensified, the need to build stronger in-house digital capabilities became increasingly apparent.
"DLM needed to update its website because our online visibility was limited, and the company was not easily searchable," says Er. Joseph Goh, Managing Director. "To stay competitive in the digital market, we needed a website that could better support customer engagement, communicate our services clearly, and reflect our brand, capabilities, and evolving business needs."
Where DLM Saw Room to Grow
DLM's decision to invest was driven by a need to improve online discoverability and build stronger in-house digital capabilities. With limited search visibility, the company saw opportunities to better reach prospective clients, partners, and talent. At the same time, it wanted to reduce reliance on external vendors by developing internal expertise in website management, SEO, UX, and web analytics, enabling faster responses to business needs and greater control over its online presence.
Building Capability From the Ground Up
Through the NACE@IAL Consultancy Programme in 2025, DLM partnered with IAL workplace learning consultant Mr Azhar Elyas Katib to redesign its website and build the team's capability to manage and sustain it independently. The engagement began with a thorough diagnosis: interviews with key staff across HR, finance, and operations, a manual and tool-based audit of the existing website, and a training needs analysis anchored to SSG's Skills Framework. The findings painted a clear picture of the gap between where DLM was and where it needed to be.
From there, customised training materials were developed across three domains: web design and development, search engine optimisation, and web analytics. A series of hands-on workshops was delivered over several months, covering everything from planning and site architecture to building webpages, implementing SEO, and interpreting performance data.
Staff applied what they had learned directly by rebuilding the DLM website under close guidance from the consultant. Post-workshop follow-ups kept momentum going between sessions, helping the team balance implementation work alongside their day-to-day responsibilities.
Photo courtesy of DLM Pte Ltd
The People Behind the Build
Ms Intan Adam, Senior HR & Admin Executive and project champion, who played a leading role in bringing the website to completion acknowledged that the journey required the team to step beyond their usual routines.
Balancing site operations, project deadlines, and day-to-day responsibilities made it challenging to dedicate consistent time to the initiative. What kept the effort moving forward was a deliberate focus on people.
"During the learning stage, our consultant highlighted the importance of bringing out what makes DLM unique," says Intan “We believe our people are one of our greatest strengths. Our team is made up of individuals from different nationalities, cultures, and backgrounds, all working together with a shared purpose. We wanted to showcase their stories and experiences in an authentic way, celebrating the diversity that makes DLM a stronger and more inclusive workplace.”
That people-first spirit carried into the website redesign itself. Team members contributed project details, content ideas, and feedback, while management provided guidance on the site's direction and design.
Rather than relying on generic content, the team incorporated their own projects, experiences, and perspectives into the site. They also leveraged AI tools to generate draft copy and contextual imagery, enabling the small core team to accelerate development while refining the final content to reflect DLM's identity and strengths.
"I was able to deepen my understanding of SEO, keyphrases, meta descriptions, website content structure, and how these elements affect online visibility and user experience," reflects Nurfarhana. "I gained a better appreciation of how small details can make a difference in helping users find relevant information more easily."
Photo courtesy of DLM Pte Ltd
What changed for DLM
By the end of the project, DLM had successfully launched a fully redesigned website that could be managed entirely in-house. Built on a modern WordPress platform, the site incorporated SEO best practices from the outset. The team also implemented Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console, providing visibility into website traffic, user behaviour, and search performance for the first time.
The results were already showing. Within weeks of launch, a site that had once been difficult to find was surfacing on the first page of Google — an average search position of 6.7. Over a 28-day window, Search Console recorded 545 impressions and 90 clicks, a 16.5% click-through rate that points to listings visible and relevant enough for searchers to act on. The volumes are early-stage, as expected from a newly indexed site, but the trajectory is clear — and for the first time, the team can see and act on the data behind it.
A Trainer's Playbook was also developed to support knowledge transfer, providing a structured guide for onboarding new staff and sustaining good content and SEO practices.
For DLM, the project was about more than a website redesign. It was about building lasting capability. The website is now managed in-house, the skills have been embedded within the team, and the organisation is better positioned to continuously strengthen its digital presence in the years ahead.
"Investing in a new website supports DLM's future growth by providing a more modern, accessible, and effective online platform," says Er. Joseph Goh. "It also gives us a stronger foundation to continue improving our content, visibility, and digital performance over time."
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Looking to build practical digital capability within your own team? Discover how NACE@IAL supports enterprises in developing in-house skills through work-based learning designed around real business needs. Connect with IAL to explore how your organisation can begin its own workplace learning journey.