Website Evaluation Report

Web sites today are sophisticated elements of companies’ strategies designed to effectively and efficiently sell products, generate sales leads, offer service and communicate with customers and suppliers.

Ensuring that your web site visitors can easily access the information they are looking for and complete a task, make a decision to buy, or otherwise convert, is accomplished through effective web site navigation and content. Both navigation and content are critical in creating a positive customer experience and higher conversion rates—one of the main measures used in evaluating web site effectiveness.The purpose of this report is to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of two websites: www. blacktomato. co. uk which is from the travel sector and www.

jdwetherspoon. co. uk from the hospitality sector. Each web site is like a public building, available for tourists and regulars alike to breeze through at their leisure. The job of the architect is to set up the framework for the site to make it comfortable and inviting for people to visit, relax in, and perhaps even return to someday.

If people believe a website looks good, then this positive quality will spread to other areas, such as the website’s content. Since people like to be right, they will continue to use the website that made a good first impression, as this will further confirm that their initial decision was a good one. General recommendations –High-quality content –Often updated –Minimal download time –Ease of use Each website should achieve three things: 1. Attract visitors 2. Engage them so they stay on your site 3.

Covert them from visitors to customers II. DesignOne of the usability problems found in many Web sites is a design that took place without a clear target-user population in mind (Head, 1999). Web design is about much more than creating a design that is fresh and appealing. Any web site that is to become successful as a sales and marketing tool needs to be intuitive and easy to use for first-time and repeat visitors. Many elements go into successful web site design. It is quite clear that color plays an important role in the design of a homepage.

However, both websites have attractive homepage with strong eye appeal.Each website must make right impression; it must portrait the business and the product or service, to provide positively, in an easy to read format. Jdwetherspoon. co. uk page is elegantly designed and the most important text is bigger than the normal text, making it simple and easy to understand and use.

The appearance, layout, and structure of the website are organized, but there is a lot of information presented to the customer on the homepage that may make it appears a little cluttered. The speed of the site is fast going from link to link and selecting various options.Recommendation: www. blacktomato. co. uk| www.

jdwetherspoon. co. uk| * Include some videos| * Rearrange the structure to look less cluttered | * make the important text bigger * include special offers | * | III. NAVIGATION Navigation refers to the ability to find one’s way within the web site. Navigation is particularly important on the internet, since people easily become lost.

It is also crucial to support navigation because of the ease with which customers can switch to a competitor site. The navigation view provides a graphical overview of how a site is organized.A web site navigation bar/menu is a very important aspect of a web site. It actually decides the page design and layout. Blacktomato. co.

uk website is not e-commerce (has not online booking facility) and the visitors have to go around the site to find out from where and how to book the holiday. Another aspect of good site navigation is letting the visitor know where they are on your web site; i. e. the position of a web page on the web site tree. If visitors find your site’s navigation confusing or convoluted, they’ll simply give up and head off to explore the rest of the Web, never to return.So, good navigation design is an essential ingredient for any successful Web site.

JDWeatherspoon. co. uk has horizontal website navigation bar while blacktomato. co. uk. has drop-down theme.

The users are able to move around within the site because the main navigation is easily identifiable. There is a drop down box next to their “browse our ideas:” icon that reads “by need. ” When scrolled over, the box shows needs like “some bustle,” “to get lost,” “a purpose,” or “freedom. ” That really stands out because everyone has different reasons for wanting to get away. Blacktomato.

o. uk is easy to use, even for people who have not been to a travel web site before. They have enough information about their packages to satisfy most people. Jdwetherspoon. co.

uk the tabs are clearly laid out in the top portion of the page and the consumer can tell where they are at all times. Recommendations: www. blacktomato. co. uk| www.

jdwetherspoon. co. uk| * Include “book here”| * Insert quick search | * Added map side| * | IV. CONTENT The goal of every search engine is to help users find useful, relevant, valuable information that they are looking for.Breaking up text with descriptive sub-headings allows site visitors to easily see what each section of the page is about.

Good content is invaluable for an effective and successful website. Both homepages adhere to the stereotypical conventions of what a homepage should look like in terms of structure and content. They are designed with ease for the user in mind. The content of the site is purposefully enhanced and recognizable from the onset. The first immediate goal of any homepage is to answer the questions, where am I?And what does this site do? Blacktomato. co.

uk website uses plenty of images to illustrate holidays. On other hand, the site has useful information for each particular destination. The content of the website and the way it is presented is opportunity to sell products. Obviously, not everyone in the world uses the same language. As the web grows it is becoming more common to find pages that are available in multiple languages.

Recommendations: www. blacktomato. co. uk| www. jdwetherspoon. co.

uk| | * Design language option| Include map for each holiday to add Perspective | * Added customers feedback| * Design language option| * Load quickly for customers with slow internet access | V. INTERACTIVITY Interactive sites encourage visitors, who are hopefully potential clients, to communicate through comments, opinion polls or online voting. It’s a way to give consumers a greater voice in the direction of a business. The both websites have got news section which adds to the impression that they are regularly update. With only ‘contact,’ you don’t get that social proof that people are coming to your site.You don’t have any way to show other visitors that your site is popular.

Sites that allow people to leave comments, though, can use them to show just how popular they are. Jdwetherspoon. co. uk website is very easy to use and navigable as the links are clearly defined, there are site shortcuts, and the customer can easily go back to previous sections. Blacktomato.

co. uk website is also personalized for members and has a 24/7 customer service number and an enquiry online. They have two separate calling centers, so they have plenty of people for customer support. Recommendation: www. lacktomato.

co. uk| www. jdwetherspoon. co. uk| * To re-design the BT Newsletter| * Include feedback and comments| * Don’t use enquiry form is better online booking| * Re-design the job application or make it online | * Added new column | * | VI.

PERSONALISATION Personalization is a process of gathering and storing information about site visitors, analyzing the information, and, based on the analysis, delivering the right information to each visitor at the right time. Personalizing the website will attract more traffic to your site, for visitors have a tendency o return back to personalized websites. They feel comfortable and find the pages convenient to view. Web personalization is a strategy, a marketing tool, and an art. Personalization requires implicitly or explicitly collecting visitor information and leveraging that knowledge in your content delivery framework to manipulate what information you present to your users and how you present it.

Personalization was used to keep the visitor on the site, exploring more of the site, which provided opportunities to advertise and promote products.Today, personalization is increasingly used as a means to expedite the delivery of information to a visitor, making the site useful and attractive to return to. Recommendations: www. blacktomato. co.

uk| www. jdwetherspoon. co. uk| * Incorporate registration or login services into the site| * Include Login membership services | * | * | VII. COMMERSIAL ELEMENTS Jdwetherspoon.

co. uk website automatically pops up new windows with ads. This is an advantage for the customers because they are inform what is new and from which day the particular offer start.The site offer vouchers online purchase. Every customer can sign up and get the latest offers and deals by email. The purchasing process is simple and straightforward.

On the other hand, Blacktomato. co. uk offers sign-up for newsletter by email. There are no special offers on the website to grab visitor’s attention. Recommendations: www.

blacktomato. co. uk| www. jdwetherspoon. co. uk| * Insert special holiday offer on the homepage | * Include apply online for job| * Insert booking online| * | VIII.

Conclusion Blacktomato. co. k is not like any other travel website that just offers flight and hotel deals. Not only do they discuss travel trends and point out must-see spots; they work closely with travelers to create a special, tailor-made, unique experience that fits their needs, budget, and desires. Jdweatherspoon. co.

uk is well designed and laid out and the home page clearly states what the company offer and sells. Words: 1500 References: Head, A. (1999). Design wise: a guide for evaluating the interface design of information resources. Medford, New Jersey: CyberAge Books.