EMARKETING WEEK 3

EMARKETING WEEK 3 BLOG

Case study (4.10): Happy Cog and Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation

1. What role did navigation and usability play in the redesign of the website?

On the original website the navigation was excessive and confusing for some users, so Happy Cog minimised and simplified the choice process to:

-          Selecting a destination

-          Then Building the itinerary

-          Then obtaining detailed information about the city

The original website was hard to follow leading to users giving up and not booking a trip to Philadelphia as they found the website not meeting the goals. Happy Cog redesigned the website so that the users would find easy to book their trip without out really having to think about it too much. The simplified the structure and made it easier to follow along with high engaging pictures etc to keep the users interested.

2. Why was the addition of social layers important in the redesign?

It was important to add the social layers of facebook, twitter etc as this brings in a whole new audience as people may not know about the website but see it on facebook and then have a look at the website. The pages also give discounts and keep up to date information which might entice previous visitors back for another visit. With the excessive use of social media these days they would have been silly not to add them on their page gain a wider audience.

3. Why did the developers decide to consolidate the content management platforms?

They consolidated the content management platforms because they had to migrate hundreds of entries manually before hand which could lead to mistakes and failures in the website. It also meant that they could code it all together to make sure the real copy of the website wouldn’t breakdown once it had been coded. It also minimised time on making the site as tasks could be distributed greater by working on the front and back end of the pages at the same time.

4. Having considered the case study, discuss in general terms what role you now understand a website plays in an overall digital marketing strategy.

Websites are a major factor because it is like an anchor point for businesses, and should be used in any marketing campaigns. With people relying on the internet so much these days, by using search engines to find information they need and if you don’t have any information on the internet you are missing out on potential customers. With a successful website development and design it should convert people looking at your website into customers as you should understand the customer’s needs and wants.