Newmarket Racecourses desperately needed to restructure the massive amount of content in its site in a way that would appeal to punters.
Previously it did not have enough control over the website’s content and it ‘was also difficult to navigate around, so it wasn’t user-friendly for our customers’, says Gaynor Haxby, marketing manager for Newmarket Racecourses. ‘We wanted our site redesigned obviously to overcome these issues, but also with an aim of making it the best racecourse site in the country.’
The Newmarket Racecourse brand covers two racecourses, each with its own unique identity, brand and personality. ‘These needed to be conveyed to the site without confusing the customer,’ says Haxby.
Newmarket also offers conference facilities and evening entertainment, but was unable to promote events effectively on its old site.
The old site had presented visitors with a choice between the two courses on the home page. ‘But at this point the customer would not always have understood that there are two courses, or which of the two they were interested in, so it caused confusion and difficulty.’
Newmarket’s design company, Precedent, worked out a strategy to segment the site into Spring, Summer and Autumn. The seasonal approach means that customers can quickly see what is happening at a glance, and the company’s extensive image library is used to full effect.
The content management system put in place also makes it easy for Newmarket to change the look of the site depending on what it’s promoting, and the time of year.