Website Review 4: Common Purpose
This is my fourth website review of some community development related websites. If you haven’t read the others, check out these previous posts to catch up:
- the purpose of website reviews; its worth checking so you understand why I’m doing this;
- my method for website reviews;
- I mentioned today’s site a few weeks ago as one of several community development websites;
- check the “Miscellaneous” category for reviews 1 – 3;
- you can request a free review of your site, by going here and scrolling down.
The image on the right is the site’s home page. The reason it’s there is in case the site owners change the site! I shall comment mainly on the home page for this reason! Click on the image to open it and click again for full size.
Today’s website is the United Kingdom site for Common Purpose, an organisation I have been aware of for several years, providing innovative training in the sector. They say, at the top of their “About” page, “Common Purpose runs courses which give people the skills, connections and inspiration to become better leaders both at work and in society.” This is a disappointing site because it communicates little of their innovative approach to the casual visitor. I cannot find anything about the content management system they are using.
Their domain authority of 50 reflects their position in the sector, with nearly 6000 back-links from 276 distinct domains. This is a magnificent performance! These links must drive a lot of traffic to the site. However I suspect it does not do well at conversions. It may deliver a reasonable number of responses from visitors because many visitors will be looking for Common Purpose and have a goal in mind when they visit. Maybe this means they can afford to ignore conversions, or think they can.
Site Structure
Appearance
The home page starts with a whopping great slider. I’ve written about these abominations before and so won’t take up more space re-treading old rope. This one is a beauty though, on my monitor it covers the entire width of the window and little else appears ‘above the fold’.
The logo could do with a tagline. There is one of sorts in the top right “The heart of leadership development for 25 years.” I think I probably know what this means but many won’t even if they (a) spot it, and (b) can read it (diagonal in pale grey).
There is a lot of grey text and some visitors may have problems reading it. Overall the site has a messy blocked approach to presenting content. On most pages I don’t know what I’m supposed to look at.
Navigation
The primary navigation is clear and there are no drop-down menus. If someone wants to find out about courses or apply for a course, they can see where to click. The link to “Home” is not necessary because the logo leads to the home page.
There is secondary navigation and it appears below the primary navigation, when you click a page in the primary navigation. It appears in an unassuming font and is easily missed. The colour changes when you click on one of these links, so you know which page you are on. More secondary links appear in a green box on the right hand side of the page. I don’t know what distinguishes these two lists of secondary links. It took me a while to notice the green box and I suspect some visitors never will.
I am at a loss to understand why there are two lots of secondary navigation. They seem to link to different pages. This site needs to review its structure and navigation.
Clutter
I’m completely bemused by the higgledy-piggledy approach of this site. Various blocks of information are slung together on most pages without rhyme or reason. There may be a reason in the eye of the designer(?) but I haven’t a clue what it’s supposed to be.
The site abandons the visitor upon arrival and left to navigate the site to whatever it is they seek, that is assuming they know what to look for.
Site Content
Market
If you pause the slider you can work out the market appears to be people! On their “About” page, they write:
Common Purpose is an independent, international leadership development organisation. We give people from the private, public and not-for-profit sectors the inspiration, skills and connections to become better leaders at work and in society. We develop their ability to work together, innovate and to thrive in different cultures – this helps people, organisations, cities and regions to succeed.
This should have more prominence.
Purpose
I hunted around the “About” page and eventually found a statement about the benefits leaders will gain from Common Purpose. It’s in the second column and as such lacks prominence on the page. This is what visitors need to know:
Common Purpose helps leaders to:
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become better – and significantly faster – at breaking down silos and crossing cultures. We bring together an incredible diversity of leaders from different sectors, cultures and backgrounds.
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operate effectively outside their comfort zone. Our experiential work takes place in prisons, trading floors, schools, hospitals, production plants and more.
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deliver complex change. We take our inspiration from real-life leadership issues and insights.
I think these need more attention. They’re good ideas but as a visitor who may be new to them, is breaking down silos (whatever they are) my first priority? Once they’ve been approved they need much more prominence. Replace the slider with these and people will have a good idea what the site is about and what they might want from it!
Call to Action
Take a look at the home page. How long does it take to find the call to action? There is one. I found it after several scans of the page because I was looking for it. It’s hidden in plain sight. And it shouldn’t be.
When you find it, ask whether this is a good call to action. I think it’s asking too much too soon for a visitor. They need to be taken through a few steps before they encounter this call to action. Is this the best call to action for the home page? They don’t appear to have a list or a blog. Perhaps they don’t need one. Perhaps their brilliant reputation gets them the sales they need. Perhaps …
Neglect
Apart from 2014 in the footer, which may automatically update, the only date I can see is in the second news item, 2015. The practice of not dating items does not make the site look up-to-date. It simply means that on any page I have no idea whether I’m dealing with something current.
Verdict: I find this site disappointing. It could do so much more to educate the visitor, draw them into the world of Common Purpose. Common Purpose runs brilliant training courses and must have masses of brilliant insights it could pass on to visitors to its website. Marketing today is training. Common Purpose is training but not sharing its insights effectively. If they shared more online, I’m sure more people would sign up for their courses.