The Old Lookout's Main Website - Strengths and Weaknesses.

I'm fast approaching the halfway point of this research internship, so I thought that now would be a good time to start drawing some conclusions about The Old Lookout's online presence as it is. Of course, once we have more definitive evidence of the demographic of visitors to the gallery, we can make any changes according to their feedback. In terms of the gallery's use of social networking websites, it will be interesting to find out how people generally find out about events/things to do in Broadstairs - whether they look to internet resources or rely more on posters/adverts and word of mouth.
The most simple and pragmatic way to start to look at The Old  Lookout's online presence is through examining its strengths and weaknesses. I can then bring all of these thoughts together and form some more substantial conclusions after looking at all the factors. I think a good place to start is The Old Lookout's main website, at http://beyondtheview.org.uk/the-old-lookout/

Again, I've been looking at some articles based on the use of websites in small businesses. Although with The Lookout we are not particularly trying to increase sales or make more money through advertising online, rather trying to attract more visitors, the fundamentals of a successful website are pretty much the same. In an article for The Guardian titled What Makes a Good Business Website?, Abidemi Sanusi suggests that: "A good website has great content, is regularly updated, intuitive, easy to use, and, ideally, has a good visitor-customer conversion rate." (http://www.guardian.co.uk/small-business-network/2012/sep/17/successful-website-for-business). For me, primarily the website has to work: information should be where the navigation bar says it's going to be; I should be able to find out all the information I need to, or be directed to somewhere I can; it should be easy to find through a search engine; it shouldn't be too busy or complicated to use; and the design should reflect the personality of the company it is representing. Sanusi also notes that: "Bad navigation and information architecture (the way you structure your content) can cost you in lost sales. So keep it simple and intuitive – it works." and goes on to say "Online is great, but website visitors like humans too. Ultimately, your customers are human, not virtual, so make sure your contact details are clearly visible on every page of your website."

An article for The Entrepreneur website is also quite useful in identifying the most important things for small business websites (article can be found here: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/217499) The list of 10 things that all small businesses should have on their website is as follows:

"1. A clear description of who you are
2. A simple, sensible Web address
3. An easily-navigated site map
4. Easy-to-find contact information
5. Customer testimonials
6. An obvious call to action
7. Know the basics of SEO
8. Fresh, quality content
9. A secure hosting platform
10. A design and style that's friendly to online readers"
       

For me, the ones that are the most important are numbers 1, 3, 4, 8 and 10. Regarding a website's description, John Zhunag is cited as suggesting that: "Someone who stumbles upon your website shouldn't have to do investigative work to figure out what, exactly, it is that you do. That means clearly stating your name and summing up your products or services right on the homepage." A good example of this being used well can be found on the website of The Beaney museum and library in Canterbury.

One of the first things a visitor can read on this website is that: "The Beaney is an Art Museum and Library situated in the heart of the historic city of Canterbury.  Following a careful repair and restoration project the Beaney House of Art & Knowledge re-opened its doors to the public on 5^th September 2012. This fabulous new facility provides state of the art exhibition galleries, a brand new library, excellent learning facilities and a varied programme of events and activities for all ages." This brief paragraph succinctly sums up what The Beaney is all about, where it is, and how long it has been open. I feel that this introduces the business well. In general, the rest of the Beaney's website is a bit cluttered for my taste, but all of the information is certainly there. They also seem to have regularly updated pages about different exhibitions and events. Although it is certainly a much larger institution, The Beaney has only been re-opened for about a year, which means it will be looking to gain new visitors.

In terms of The Old Lookout, in general I think the online presence is quite good, especially for a gallery of this size. However, I want to look in detail at the strengths and weaknesses of its website, in order to see where improvements could be made.


Strengths:

• Opportunity - other projects on the website, if someone is looking for them they might stumble across The Old Lookout's page.
• Makes a connection between CCCU and The Old Lookout.
• Has a concise list of exhibitions coming up and for the entire season.
• Good, clear details about opening times and how to contact. Also the phone number is there whichever page you are looking at, which makes it very clear for visitors to see.
• Links to social media are obvious, but not as if they have been pushed too much.
• Description is kept up to date and encompasses a good general description of the gallery.
• Videos explaining all about the gallery is on the front page - gives all the info in a interesting and stimulating way. Means that the viewer doesn't have to read the description if they don't wants to - can still know what the gallery is all about.
• Consistent tone throughout all text - text in general is concise and informative.
• Map, helps people visualise themselves going there - helps tourists make plans.
• If I accidentally clicked on to the page would I know quickly what it's all about? YES.

Weaknesses:

• Threat - Could the other projects distract attention away from The Old Lookout?
• Mailing list doesn't appear to work, neither does Twitter feed - doesn't look professional. Upon entering an email address this pop-up appears:

• All project pages have the same look/style - doesn't necessarily allow them to have their own personality. Burton is more slick/more traditional gallery space, Old Lookout is completely different but their pages on Beyond the View are much the same. (I'm not sure if this really is a weakness, but worth commenting on)
• Current exhibition page doesn't have much information on it, could be improved by featuring the poster for the current exhibition, or a press release if the artist had one? Perhaps a link to the artist's website etc.
• URL is not just the gallery's name - potential visitor couldn't just guess it. Also, when just googling 'The Old Lookout', the first result is not relevant to us. However, when adding 'gallery', the page on Beyond The View is the top result.
• Something noticeable on other gallery's websites the this one lacks is images of previous exhibitions, or even a list of past exhibitions on a webpage. The Old Lookout doesn't have one. I also feel there should be a few more images on the website in general, although this is supplemented in some ways by including the exhibitions films instead.

Overall, I do feel that the website is successful at getting all the relevant information across to potential visitors. It functions well for the most part, and contact details, location and opening times are clear and easy to find. However, I think the email subscription box either needs to be fixed or removed, with the same going for the embedded twitter stream. It also might be nice to include either a list of past exhibitors or some photographs of past exhibitions, to give the viewer more of an insight into what kind of thing to expect at The Old Lookout. Saying this, it might be easier to have this kind of information on the Facebook or Twitter pages, and keep the website simple and only containing the more important details. With regards to The Old Lookout's page being in amongst other projects on a larger website, I can think of both pros and cons for it being like this. On balance however, I do feel that it is successful in creating a link to CCCU and the Media, Art and Design faculty, which adds credibility both to the university and the gallery itself.
Although a gallery's website doesn't necessarily count as its social media presence, I still feel it is an important tool in gaining and sustaining the interest of the gallery's visitors.