Gleneagles

Redesigning a website from bounce to bookings

Nestled in the heart of Scotland, Gleneagles offers an extensive range of luxury experiences, including world-class golf, activities, and nine on-site restaurants and bars. However, its website faced high bounce rates and low conversions, especially on mobile devices.

DEPT® partnered with their marketing team to increase engagement and bookings with a UX-driven strategy.

Revamping the web structure

Gleneagles found themselves with an overwhelming and confusing UX, especially on mobile devices, which resulted in lower-than-expected engagement metrics across their site. After a thorough audit, we looked at user acquisition data, user flows, and conversion paths to optimise Gelneagle’s information architecture and on-page content.

Digital declutter: We reduced the number of pages from over 200 to 80, streamlining content without losing crucial information and maintaining SEO ranking.

Clean and consistent aesthetic: We utilised UX/UI best practices and familiar design patterns to make navigation more intuitive for users.

Intuitive CMS: We implemented a content management system that allows easy content editing while maintaining brand consistency.

Enhancing the user experience

To tackle high bounce rates and boost conversion rates, the teams introduced several user experience enhancements. For example, we implemented sticky navigations on the desktop homepage, which allowed key CTAs to remain visible as users scrolled down. This simple fix gave users extra time to engage with the content.

An e-commerce approach was employed to present Gleneagle’s activities in a visually engaging and easily understandable manner, applying e-commerce principles to make them more accessible and appealing to users.

Elevating design

Aesthetic enhancements played a crucial role in the redesign.

This encompassed the infusion of a “Contemporary 20s splendour,” achieved through atmospheric photography, colours inspired by the Scottish highlands, and watercolour illustrations, giving the website a personality that mirrored the look and feel of the resort.

A modular design approach was adopted, characterised by an elegant design system that ensured visual consistency and allowed users to navigate pages on any device without sacrificing essential information. To further enhance the overall user experience, we employed micro animations, illustrations, and decorative elements.

Of course, mobile-first

Recognising the importance of mobile, the website was designed responsively, with a “mobile-first” approach.

After launching the new site, mobile traffic accounted for 50% of site traffic and achieved a 20% conversion rate. Gleneagles also achieved a 70% year-over-year increase in booking conversion, specifically from July to September 2020, validating the new UX/UI.