WEB ANALYSIS: THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS Ranggin Hedayat February 24, 2014
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
I was raised by a family of Laker fans, which resulted in my loyalty to the team. Ever since I could remember, at every family gathering, there was always a Laker game playing in the background. As an overall sports fan, a website is the ideal place to visit for any information surrounding the team, whether it is in regards to a trade, a new player or coach acquisition, the team roster, or game schedules. The official website is the most reliable source for all things Lakers. Fans visit the website to feel a sense of closeness to the team they root for. I will take a closer look at how these websites function, and compare the Lakers official website to that of their hometown rival, the Los Angeles Clippers.
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WWW.NBA.COM/LAKERS
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NBA professional basketball team news, schedule, standings, player profiles, statistics, and ticket information. Lakers Girls featured and Lakers Shop offers official merchandise.
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THE LAKER FAN
WHO IS THE FAN? »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »»
Male or female who loves sports They immediately experience a special bond with other Laker fans A Laker fan stays up-to-date on all things Lakers, especially news stories, trade rumors, and player bios They enjoy friendly competition and are accustomed to winning They look up to the players and want to know more about their personal lives and their lives on the court A Laker fan considers themselves as extremely loyal and an expert on every aspect of the team They are very opinionated on all team and management decisions that are made Most importantly, a Laker fan despises the Boston Celtics
WHAT DO THEY WANT FROM LAKERS.COM? »» News: Up-to-the-minute information on all aspects of the team, which in cludes injury reports and game notes »» Team: Information regarding player rosters, stats and team standings »» Schedule: All game scores and season schedule »» Multimedia: Easily accessible social media sites, videos and infographics »» Tickets: How to buy tickets for games »» Contests: How to enter contests or sweepstakes to win prizes or tickets »» Community: Information on Lakers foundations and non-profits that the team is involved with to help improve the community »» Store: Purchase Lakers gear
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Love (5)
HOW DO THEY RANK?
Hate (1)
Satisfaction
As shocking as it may be, all aspects of this website are easily accessible and updated in a timely manner. Everything is one click away. As a Laker fan, everything I could possibly need is available.
News
Team
Schedule
Multimedia
Tickets
Community
Store
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HOMEPAGE: WHAT WORKS?
Slideshow: Instead of having to scroll or click, the most relevant news stories are on the homepage in the form of a simple slideshow. This automatically captures the viewer’s attention and engages them.
Ticket Purchase: This appears to the right of the slideshow. This satisfies one of the main reasons why a fan would visit the site. Having this be so visible and easy to access is very convenient.
Headlines: These are the most important news stories surrounding the Lakers. They are structured clearly and the design elements help it stand out.
Videos: Postgame videos, shootaround footage and player interviews are very important to a sports fan. The videos on the homepage are very organized and noticeable.
Tweets: This twitter feed on the homepage helps build strong interconnectivity. It engages the viewer with the Lakers’ social media presence, without having them go elsewhere. Schedule & Scores: This is the single most important piece of information that Lakers could provide to a fan.
Social Media Links: Having these links on the homepage is very important. It makes for an interactive experience. Fans are devoted and are interested in following the Lakers on all platforms. 6
HOMEPAGE: WHAT DOESN'T WORK?
Slideshow: This second, less significant slideshow on the homepage is very random and seems irrelevant. It almost feels as if it is simply there to fill space. All of this information can be found at the main link on the top of the page. This slideshow is also not auto-advancing. It does not slide without being clicked, which is inconvenient and not very appealing to the eyes. It would be much more effective if it were organized into one topic, such as Lakers’ work in the community, Laker girls, or just injury reports, instead of all these stories in one.
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WEBSITE ANALYTICS
Header: Very clear and organized. Viewer is directed exactly where they need to go. Loading Time: Pages and media load quickly without any delays.
Text: The articles and press releases are very professional. The text is extremely organized and easy to read. The font style and size are both very readable.
Photos & Videos: Both are in high quality. No image is blurry or unclear. The photos and videos add substance and are visually appealing to the website.
Social Media: The links are very clear and visible. It is located on the left side of the page are moves when you scroll so it is always within eyesight. Style Consistency: When it comes to sports teams, every aspect of their presence needs to stay true to the official team colors. Lakers.com does a great job of staying consistent with the purple and gold duality without being too distracting.
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IS THE CONTENT UPDATED REGULARLY?
The news and press releases are updated regularly as need be. The blog posts are updated daily, sometimes even multiple times a day. As a professional sports team, it is crucial for everything on the website to be current. Lakers do a great job of releasing all information as soon as it happens. There are games almost every day, which makes it impossible not to have an up-todate website. Injuries are reported as they happen on the court. New interviews are posted daily. Game information and stats are also updated daily. Any new player signings are announced immediately on the main website. All updates for Lakers.com are constant.
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HOW DOES IT WORK ON DIFFERENT PLATFORMS?
The Lakers homepage appears the exact same on all major web platforms.
On a mobile phone, there is the option of viewing Lakers.com on the web or through an official team app. On the web, Lakers have altered the website to a mobile-friendly version. The free app is very impressive and ideal for Laker fans. It is very interactive and user-friendly. 10
KEY WORDS AND CALL TO ACTION
Call to Action: Lakers.com has a huge call to action angle, which includes email and text subscriptions, social media, contests, sweepstakes and promotional deals. Key Words: »» NBA »» Champions »» Basketball »» Kobe Bryant
»» Verizon Fan Photo Contest »» Toyota: Enter to win free tickets »» Lakers Insider: Subscribe Now »» Lakers Store: Our best price yet - Swingman Jerseys $99.99 - Order Yours »» Win Xbox One: Click Here »» Lakers Text Messages: Get Lakers info sent to your phone »» Get single game tickets now »» Lakersstore.com: Gear up for the new season »» Jersey Mike’s: Score Big - Win a chance to shoot around with a Laker
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WWW.NBA.COM/CLIPPERS
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Official site containing news, scores, audio and video files, player statistics and schedules.
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THE CLIPPER FAN
WHO IS THE FAN? »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »»
Male or female who loves sports They immediately experience a special bond with other Clipper fans A Clipper fan stays up-to-date on all things Clippers, especially news stories, trade rumors, and player bios They have been through hard times as fans and haven’t experienced winning much They look up to the players and want to know more about their personal lives and their lives on the court A Clipper fan considers themselves as extremely loyal no matter how much the team struggles An expert on every aspect of the team They are very opinionated on all team and management decisions that are made
WHAT DO THEY WANT FROM CLIPPERS.COM? »» News: Up-to-the-minute information on all aspects of the team, which in cludes injury reports and game notes »» Team: Information regarding player rosters, stats and team standings »» Schedule: All game scores and season schedule »» Multimedia: Easily accessible social media sites, videos and infographics »» Tickets: How to buy tickets for games »» Contests: How to enter contests or sweepstakes to win prizes or tickets »» Community: Information on Clippers foundations and non-profits that the team is involved with to help improve the community »» Store: Purchase Clippers gear
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Hate (1)
Satisfaction
Love (5)
HOW DO THEY RANK?
News
Team
Schedule
Multimedia
Tickets
Community
Store
The Clippers page is nearly perfect except for two areas that are lacking. Although there is a small “Latest News” section lower in the page, there is no “News” link in the header for easy access. The social media links are minimal and very small. It is easily overlooked. The links also seem to be low quality images.
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HOMEPAGE: WHAT WORKS?
Schedule & Scores: This is at the top of the homepage and stretches all the way across. It is the number one reason a fan would visit Clippers.com.
Slideshow: This is very effective and displays an automatic-advancing slideshow of all the latest news stories. It is a prominent feature of the page and draws the viewer’s attention.
Tickets: This section is very convenient for a fan. One of the main reasons they visit the page is to purchase tickets to the games.
News: This section lists the latest happenings surrounding the Clippers. A fan would be very curious to read this and be aware of all things Clippers. The news is listed in a timely and organized manner.
Videos: This section is well designed. A major part of sports are the pre and postgame interviews, or highlights from the games, a fan would be eager to check this section out. It is easily visible and functional. 16
HOMEPAGE: WHAT DOESN'T WORK?
The social media links are very small and hard to see. The link images are also outdated and low quality. This is an important aspect of the page to help fans connect with the team as well as other fans. These links should be updated and visible.
The main reason fans visit the official page of the Clippers is to stay up-to-date on all the latest news about the team. That is why a “News” section at the very top header is crucial. There may be a “Latest News” section at the bottom of the page but there should also be a link at the top that automatically takes you to a page dedicated to Clipper news. The fact that all these links are available except for “News” is highly unproductive.
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WEBSITE ANALYTICS Header: Takes the fan exactly where they want to go for their Clippers information. It is clear and at the top of the page, although it is missing a “News� link.
Loading Time: Pages and media load quickly without any delays.
Style Consistency: It is crucial for sports teams to stay true to the team colors. The Clippers homepage does a great job of keeping everything red, white and blue.
Text: The font style and size of the articles are professional and readable. The copy is effectively occupied with a relevant photo. However, the captions for the photos tend to blend in with the article text.
Photos: The photos are of high quality. No image is blurry or out of focus. The images on the website make it more appealing to the eyes.
Videos: The videos are of medium quality. Some are clear but others are poorly shot. The graphics used are also unprofessional and look like clipart.
Social Media: The links are rather small and hard to find. The link images are also outdated. They also have much less of a social media presence as opposed to the Lakers. 18
IS THE CONTENT UPDATED REGULARLY?
Since the Clippers are a national basketball team it is very important for their news and information to be updated in a timely manner. Games happen almost every day and each game requires game notes, gameday reports and injury updates. The Clippers do a good just of updating their latest news every day, sometimes even multiple times a day. The content is upto-date and constant. This helps fans stay current and connected to all team news.
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HOW DOES IT WORK ON DIFFERENT PLATFORMS?
The Clippers homepage appears the exact same on all major web platforms.
On a mobile phone, the Clippers have altered the website to a mobile-friendly version which is very accessible. Unlike the Lakers, the Clippers do not have an official app yet. 20
KEY WORDS AND CALL TO ACTION
Call to Action: Key Words: »» NBA »» Basketball »» Chris Paul »» Blake Griffin
Clippers.com provides many call to action pieces, which includes social media, contests, subscriptions, sweepstakes and promotional deals »» »» »» »» »»
State Farm VIP Sweepstakes: Enter Now to win an interview with Chris Paul, four tickets to a Clipper game and an autographed CP3 jersey Get Mobile Alerts and Represent Ticket Center: Single game tickets on sale BUY NOW! Find us on Facebook Burger King: Show us how you dunk #BKDunks
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BEST AND WORST FEATURES
Best »» Highly interactive »» Effective use of slideshow »» Quality content »» Photos »» Videos/Interviews »» Very Organized and structured »» Scores and schedules
Worst »» Too many links that direct you to other pages throughout the site instead of a continuous homepage
Best »» »» »» »» »»
Effective use of slideshow Quality content Photos Organized Scores and schedules
Worst »» »» »»
Weak social media presence on homepage Low quality videos Lack of “News” link in the header
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CONCLUSION
Official team websites provide a plethora of information to the eager sports fans. It is the optimal place to visit for news regarding a team. Whether a person wants to know what time a game starts, what the score is, or the status of an injury, they can trust one site to provide them with up-to-date and accurate information. Although both sites are very well organized and updated, the Lakers site, much like the team itself, takes the win against the Clippers once again. Lakers.com provides more opportunities for interactivity. The site is much more professional in their video releases. Also, the information on the Lakers page is very clear, whereas the Clippers site required more searching to find something. By comparing these two website, I realize that I enjoy sites that are well put together and structured. I also enjoy when a site has high quality images and videos for visual appeal. One aspect of a site that I really admire is their ability to integrate social media all throughout the website.
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