Start Archery - New website and brand identity for a National Governing Body of Sport

Archery GB approached 93ft to help them engage and connect with first time archers. Here’s what we did.

Archery GB had several criteria they needed to meet. 

First, they wanted to create a hub for people coming to archery for the first time, separate to the main catchall Archery GB site. Balancing the needs of their existing members, alongside encouraging new people to join, involves creating unique user experiences. 

They wanted to highlight both the health benefits, physical and mental, of archery, along with the diversity and inclusivity of the sport. 

And they wanted to create a fresh new look, that appeals to younger people, whilst being welcoming to people of all ages and backgrounds. 

As part of the strategy, we agreed that a new website, with its own brand identity, look and feel, was a better approach than adding it to the existing site.

A 93ft website begins with a strategy. 

We led Brand Strategy and Name Idea Generation workshops with Archery GB to generate a shortlist of names and pinpoint the strategy we would move forward with.

Start Archery hit the mark

The outcome from audience research revealed a favourite brand name - Start Archery. The clarity perfectly aligned with the search engine optimisation (SEO) making it perfect for people, and for search engines, to find. 

The website needed to feel welcoming to a diverse range of people, across a wide demographic. It was important the brand didn’t feel exclusive or elitist- instead favouring an open and welcoming feel to reflect the nature of the sport, or all genders and abilities. And you don’t have to begin at a young age - many first discover archery as an adult.

Designing the brand

We created a brand identity to reflect this inclusivity through typography, colour, style and tone of voice. 

We designed a unique brand motif to be bold and fun, appealing to the youthful spirit. Based on two arrow heads crossing paths that leave a stylised ‘S’ in their wake. Colours are fresh and youthful with a sans serif script that feels crisp, modern and friendly. 

We used a conversational tone to reflect the friendly nature of archery clubs, highlighting the social benefits and how members “love sharing cake or a barbecue away from the shooting line.”

User experience at the forefront

Every website needs to be intuitive to use, with a logical navigation and clearly laid out sitemap. This was particularly important for the Start Archery site to ensure that getting to a local club or finding an experience is easy and accessible.

We created a concise sitemap with a logical user journey and clear navigation. We also considered key pages that people may land on first, other than the homepage, to ensure that every aspect of the site was enticing and easy to use.

Integrations in partnership with Sport:80

Archery GB needed certain functionality to be included in the site. Club and experience finders to help first time archers find lessons or “Have a go” experiences in their community were a must. 

We worked with our partners, sports tech experts Sport:80, to develop these integrations, drawing on their years of experience working with NGBs to create websites that meet the unique needs of various sports and their members, athletes and coaches. 

We integrated Google Maps, so that site users can type in their postcode and see their local clubs and experiences on the map. Most people are familiar with using Google Maps so this is an intuitive way to find archery opportunities nearby. Distance from the selected postcode can be adjusted to help site visitors find classes and events nearer or further afield. 

We also integrated a signup to Start Archery’s email marketing channel. This creates a way of staying in touch with interested site visitors and encouraging that first trip to their local club. The nature of 93’s bespoke and custom approach to websites means that there’s also the potential to create additional revenue streams in future, making this a site that will grow with the organisation’s needs.

Archery to boost physical and mental health

With the government putting a focus on both physical and mental public health, the tail end of the pandemic is leaving people eager to get out and experience new things. With the Olympics during the summer of 2021 - conditions for elevating archery as a widely accessible sport were perfect. 

Archery is a sport that’s accessible to all - the nature of the sport means that social distancing is easy, while still allowing for one to one coaching to occur. This means that the mental health benefits of joining a club need not be put on hold due to COVID-19 concerns.

Archery is also fantastic for physical health, allowing for increases in strength by using different bows and equipment. Participants can see their physical fitness improve as they progress.

We wanted to help Archery GB capitalise on this junction of events and appeal to a wide range of ages, genders, abilities and backgrounds.

Compelling content 

We worked within our client’s budget and used existing content, editing current video in new ways to create a ‘hero’ video that instantly catches the eye and compels the viewer to watch. 

We positioned key content such as information guides, beginner’s kit guides and COVID-19 safety guidelines front and centre on the homepage to keep visitors on the site and clicking through. 

We made a feature of key stats, such as the fact that there are 24,256 active members in Britain, 782 archery clubs in Britain and 7,333 licensed instructors - creating a community feel, and the sense of belonging to something bigger. 

Search engine optimisation (SEO)

As with all 93ft sites, we made sure that Start Archery’s SEO works from the foundations up. We connected Google Analytics and Google Search Console - powerful tools from Google, that help keep track of how the site is performing.

The custom built CMS provides the opportunity for the client to upload rich content via the blog and we ensured that the site loads quickly and smoothly - a key point for search engines. 

As Team GB shoots for gold in Tokyo, 93ft sets Start Archery up for a successful future.

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