ask the experts - make the web work for you
FROM ONLINE BOOKING SYSTEMS TO SIMPLE WEB MANAGEMENT This month Club Mirror asked LAWRENCE HARDCASTLE, Managing Director of web design, development and marketing company Larrytech, for his take on the value of websites, their critical role, and how they can help clubs – at all levels – to increase interaction with the membership, from simple sites which clubs can update themselves, to online booking and responsive web design. Q. The World Wide Web has been around now since 1989. What would you say has been the biggest shift in websites in recent years? A. I would say that responsive web design is probably the most important development in recent years. This is the task of creating sites to provide an optimal viewing experience, for easy reading and navigation with minimal resizing, panning and scrolling. This is mainly to ensure the website performs across all mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets as it is generally expected that by 2015 the majority of traffic will come from mobile devices. As a result of this shift, many organisations are focusing too heavily on mobiles; the real challenge is to offer compelling experiences on all devices. I believe that access will increasingly be gained through a myriad of devices with varying capabilities, and responsive web design is the best way of addressing the parade of devices on the market now – as well those that are yet to be imagined! We find that more and more of the work we are doing now is responsive. Q. How can clubs maximise the presence of their website? A. There is SEO of course, or Search Engine Optimisation, which is the task of making your website more search engine friendly with the aim of increasing its popularity with the search engines, in order to rank as highly as possible in search results. SEO isn’t a quick fix nor a last minute measure to be added at the end. It needs to be planned and implemented as part of the substance of any website in order to maximise its effectiveness. Q. So assuming an increased hit rate, what are the practical benefits to clubs? A. Well, one area we’re seeing a lot of growth in is online booking systems. Many clubs are moving away from using manual paper booking systems to much slicker online versions that handle booking payments and drop all the contacts into a database for marketing purposes. Clubs should remember though, that it’s all very well using SEO to get users onto your booking system, but this is pointless if the booking system isn’t easy to use, as this will result in ‘abandoned shopping carts’ when people just give up trying to book. Q. So a good booking system should be what? A A good booking system should be easy to find. There should be a ‘book online’ button on each page of your website - not just on the homepage - and the system should be quick and easy to use.
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Hitting it off with the web: online booking systems should be quick and easy to use
Q. What are the additional benefits of this online interaction? A. With all of the above comes increased contact information. This means that clubs can become very targeted in their marketing and – with the help of email marketing software – can send out special offers, promotions and so on. They will also be able to track the ‘journey’ of recipients when they have clicked on the ad or promotional activity. This means clubs can tailor a follow-up accordingly. A good system will allow you to customise what is sent out and let you create newsletters for blogs as well as for emailing out. Q. What’s your best advice for clubs on the design of - and use of - their website? A. It’s one thing to design a really stylish web site, but it has to function exactly how that club needs it to. This is something I’m passionate about, and something that – dare I say and without trying to plug us too much! – we at Larrytech are extremely adept at. We work best with clubs that are after a website that looks stylish but equally functions exactly how that club requires, whether that be through updating the website through the CMS, helping the club generate more traffic through SEO or through creating a slick online booking system to help automate manual processes. More and more of the work we are being asked to do particularly for golf clubs - is responsive, because, as I said earlier, this is crucial in today’s ever-changing market.
Having said that, each site we design is custom-made for each client at the appropriate level. As such, the content management systems are created to suit the exact requirements of each club, giving them the ability to update a wide variety of features on the website themselves. There’s nothing worse than feeling that you have a great web site but you don’t know how to use it. It can be as simple or as sophisticated as each individual club needs it to be; don’t get blinded by the jargon.
CONTACT DETAILS Larrytech Ltd, Calverley House, 55 Calverley Road, Tunbridge Wells TN1 2TU t. 01892 888 011 e. info@larrytech.com www.larrytech.com Larrytech is a web design, development and marketing company, founded in 2001. Clubs of all size and scale are invited to contact Lawrence for an informal discussion on how the company can help build club business through the design of tailored made web sites. Online booking systems and responsive web sites are particularly recommended for golf clubs and sports clubs where members need to book tee off times, courts, classes etc.
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