Revamp for Wightlink website

Press release – 17 September 2008 – Wightlink Wightlink has relaunched its website after a radical year-long overhaul. Wightlink.co.uk went live at 9am on 17 September and offers a greater range of information about travel to the Isle of Wight on a site that has been designed to make it easier to navigate. The process…

Press release – 17 September 2008 – Wightlink

Wightlink has relaunched its website after a radical year-long overhaul.

Wightlink.co.uk went live at 9am on 17 September and offers a greater range of information about travel to the Isle of Wight on a site that has been designed to make it easier to navigate.

The process started last October with an online survey to establish consumer views about the functionality and content of the site.

This attracted 2,455 responses and has ended with a complete redesign of the site.

“We set out with the intention of boosting the number of visitors returning to the website, both to plan and research trips to the Isle of Wight and to increase online bookings,” said Wightlink marketing manager Kerry Jackson.  “It was essential, therefore, to reflect fully the feedback from visitors to the website who took part in the online survey and to streamline the user experience.”

Incorporating Wightlink’s new brand identity, the website now has a bright, modern feel and has been designed to ensure that it is easier to navigate – a key criticism made by the survey respondents about the original site.  It also features more varied content that can help to boost travel to the Isle of Wight.

Upgrading the online booking process has been a crucially important element in the redesign since 40 per cent of advance bookings are taken via the website.

Wightlink expects this to grow after investing in a new Revenue Plus system, intended to smooth the booking process, and this is on schedule to take bookings for travel from March onward by the end of this year.

Meanwhile the existing booking system will continue to operate for bookings up to March 2009.