Thanks to software like WordPress coupled with great hosting services like Hostiserver, it’s really easy for teams to make a sports website for their fans, but is it easy to create one that serves a purpose?
A sports website can accomplish a number of things if it’s done properly. It can help teams stay update-to-date on upcoming events, attract other athletes, and make it easy for them to contact team managers. Most importantly, it can help sports teams like the Seattle Seahawks market their brand by having an online presence.
Unfortunately, just having a web domain and slapping together a site is not enough if you’re an organization trying to make an impact in the sports industry.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some core features every sports site should have in order to make the experience worth wild for those loyal fans.
Must-have Sport Features
A sports website needs to stand out in a way that makes it easy for visitors to navigate their way within the first few seconds. In other words, visitors should have a good idea of what they’re in for once they access the sports organization’s landing page, a page that is commonly used for marketing and acts as a standalone page for visitors.
So, how can a professional sports team make their websites better?
Here are some ways you can make your website stand out and be in tune with current web design trends:
- Identify Your Brand Early On
When it comes to sports, the team’s logo needs to be placed properly on the site. This is what gives the team recognition and gives visitors the ability to connect with them.
Take the NFL website, for example. When visitors go this site, they immediately see team logos at the very top of the page. Logically, that’s one of the best spots to place your team’s logo, but not just there. If you take a closer look at the site, you’ll notice that they’ve also strategically placed team logos all around the site, including them in their images and videos as well.
Logos are highly important for branding purposes. They need to be consistent, and the logo should also be placed somewhere on the site that feels natural to the readers. That being said, there’s no need to bombard readers with your logo.
By using a reliable software that enhances the user experience, your visitors should always know which page they’re on and they should also be able to navigate their way around. That way, everything flows together beautifully and of course, logically.
- Keep the Readers Up to Date on the Latest News
How many times have you clicked on an article that sounds interesting, only to have it fall totally flat? It’s annoying, right?
That’s why it’s important for a sport site to have sections dedicated to helping visitors know what’s going on in the sports industry. In other words, create relevant content that viewers can both read from and learn from. This will help build trust between the team and the fans.
Aside from the wins and losses or talk about players like Richard Sherman being traded, people want to know what’s going on off the field. Fans will always love a “behind the scene” glimpse of what’s going in the lives of their favorite players. After games, for instance, you can share detailed match reports and provide social media updates as often as possible.
In addition to this, you can also make a blog post an important part of the website’s success. Not only does this help keep fans up-to-date on news, but it also helps attract and retain visitors.
- Images and Videos Speak Volume
A sports site’s multimedia section should be filled with everything from photos to videos. In some cases, the site should also include audio files. Videos, for example, can increase engagement rates on a website by up to 22% and are also heavily searched for by visitors. YouTube has become one of the biggest search engines, and sports channels are almost always among the Top 10 on the video sharing platform.
Photos are equally important too. You can have galleries for specific events and players, making it easier for visitors to find what they need. Feel free to also include highlights of the fans in attendance cheering or wearing their sports gear. This is will help the site grab more attention.
Building a professional website doesn’t have to be so daunting. Rather than jumping among various emails, Facebook post, and calendar reminders, use something that’s more user-friendly.
Fortunately, there are free tools and WordPress logins out there that can be used to help professional organizations build their online presence.
Whether you’re building a site for a team modeled on the sites of the Seattle Seahawks or the Portland Trail Blazers, keeping these features in mind when building a site will allow you to represent your organization in the best light possible. It will also give you the ability to track your performance and see what your competitors are up to. After all, the sports industry is one big giant competition.
