LSBU tops list of best Higher Education websites
LSBU's website has topped a list of the best websites in the higher and further education sectors, as judged by independent web auditors SitemorseOut of 330 websites in the sector, London South Bank University (LSBU)’s has been recognised as the best by Sitemorse, an independent organisation that looks at websites’ quality, accuracy, design and many other elements that constitute a quality site.
The number one ranking also recognises that the site is highly optimised for search engines, offers an effective user experience no matter what device or browser it is accessed through, and that it conforms to W3C and IETF technical standards.
Digital Marketing Senior Manager Joe Hoyle explained the significance of the number one position.
“This ranking is a reflection of the dedication and effort we have put in to making sure the LSBU website is of the highest standard both in its content, design and navigability.
“Making a decision about what university to go to is a major undertaking so our objective is to make sure all users of our site can find the correct information they need as quickly and easily as possible.”
The LSBU website is the only HE and FE sector site to exceed the Sitemorse target score of eight out of ten, having achieved 8.3, also scoring significantly higher than most large companies such as Apple, John Lewis and Amazon.
Sitemorse Sales Manager Dave Harper added, “London South Bank University approached us at the end of 2015 and asked if we could help them to achieve a better website with a higher ranking in our Quarterly INDEX, a report of all organisations in a particular sector, by providing the most thorough reports available.
“LSBU were already scoring well and were ranked just outside the top 10 in the previous two INDEXes, but they wanted to improve further and to do that they needed to be informed of all the issues affecting their website so that they could fix them.
“To be ranked number ONE of an INDEX which includes 329 of your peers is a fantastic achievement and we are delighted that all the hard work and dedication from Joe and the team has paid off.”
Steve Morgan, Co-founder of Squiz, whose Matrix CMS software the website is built on and who assist in developing the website, said of the award:
“We do a lot of work within the Higher Education sector and understand that they face a unique set of difficult problems, so reaching the top of the Sitemorse ranking is a significant achievement for all involved - a journey we are very proud to be a part of.
“Results speak for themselves when the right people, strategy and technology come together to reach a common goal and Squiz look forward to the future with LSBU.”
Through a continued programme of improvement over the last several years, the LSBU site has moved from 179th, to top 20 at the end of 2015 and now number one, marking steady and consistent improvement.