Analysis of user behaviour across the full range of devices used to interact with the current site was an important resource to guide the key decisions.

A combination of Google Analytics and heuristic evaluation was used for research and to understand user behaviour on the former website. Equipped with this data, we decided to put the stallions firmly in the spotlight and came up with the guiding principle of ‘stallions first’. The former site had too great a focus on news, which got in the way of access to the stallion pages. (Despite this, the stallion section received more than 50 percent of site traffic) The new site was built putting the stallions front and centre.

Additional key priorities were to interweave photography and video seamlessly throughout the site, and provide flexibility to allow key positions to be available for campaigns/takeovers and other marketing-led developments. These key locations are used to host videos, bespoke presentations and statistical carousels. They also carry the live streaming of important events.

CPL began with a two-month analysis and design phase to create the new look, and the site took just under four months to build. We made use of wireframe technology to map out the infrastructure of the site. Our designers then produced visuals that CPL’s digital team turned into the actual web pages using the Drupal 7 content management system as a platform.

We revolutionised the site when we introduced personalised pages for breeders – an industry first.

These allow breeders to: manage their mares and foals; sign contracts; see content exclusive to each of them; reply to invitations; and contact nominations staff quickly and easily.

Since the rebuild, further updates have been made to the homepage and stallion pages, as a result of  continued analysis of user behaviour and interaction with the new site, as well as the changing requirements of Darley’s marketing teams and ever-evolving technology.