For all your music lovers out there here is a website worth visiting. Last.fm founded in 2002 is a tremendously popular UK Internet radio and music website that caters to the taste of its users. Make no mistake though; Last.fm is not geographically limited; guess that is thanks to Internet Marketing. It boasts more than 21 million users around the world in no fewer than 200 countries. The website analysis will reveal what makes the website so successful.

What makes the Last.fm website so unique is its recommendation system which no doubt causes for excellent content and perfect user interaction. One of the features that should be mentioned immediately is the Audioscrobbler which keeps details of all the music listened to by a specific user whether through streaming from the radio stations or from the user’s pc, mp3 player or iPod. The data is then recorded in the Last.fm database. This is all made possible through a plugin which is installed unto the specific music device used. The detailed profile of the user’s music preferences is then displayed on a personal page for the user. Talk about interactivity and functionality!

In addition the Last.fm website analysis also shows numerous social network opportunities and other interactivity promoted through for instance, blogging. Users can for example, recommend music and share their opinions.

When it comes to navigation of the Last.fm website, the website design also boasts user-friendly features starting with the colours used in the navigation system. A large red banner is displayed at the top, with white menu choices. The main categories are easy to spot such as Music, User, Listen and Events. The help function is also displayed at the top of the page. One drawback is that the links in the menu do not provide drop down menus for quick navigation, but with a search facility present the problem is addressed. Users can navigate the site in several languages by selecting the drop down arrow next to English at the top banner.

Another search facility allows for searching according to artist and finding a radio station accordingly. The uncluttered look of the site also improves navigation. The website design has been done is such a way as to include numerous links to relevant pages lower on the page while the user’s attention is immediately drawn to what is new and who’s listening.

There are surprisingly not many ads displayed which is a definite plus for the Last.fm website as many of these types of websites clutter pages with ads. The overall feeling of the site is one of excitement without every type of advert thrown in your face. The text used is standard, but unfortunately there is no sign of disability friendliness right away.

No dead links were found and all the links which include text and images lead to useful content. Although no sitemap could be located, the site navigates easy enough, but it would be good for SEO and additional navigation assistance if they included a sitemap.

The sponsors are clearly identifiable, the logo is displayed throughout and a terms of use page does exist. The contact us page is comprehensive and you will not have to wonder who to contact. It also includes a map. The standard home button or link does however, lack and will help users to get back to the main page. Since it is an audio website, you would expect an audio greeting or some form immediate multimedia offered, which is not the case.

That being said, comprehensive help with navigation, searching, tools and more are offered which are features that are much needed on such a complicated site. Users feel welcome from the start with help being offered regarding Flash and plugins. The website is rich in videos and streaming features.

Back to interactivity as this is one of the key features of the Last.fm website. Apart from all the search facilities, personalization of pages and features are possible. The blog is prominent and so are forums, recommendations, and the opportunity to connect with other users. An advanced user finder and a directory search option exist for this purpose as well. Users will also delight in the Events page which quickly lists popular events in the country of the user. Be warned though this is a website that will draw you like a magnet and before you know it you will be spending hours at it because of the amazing functions offered.

Artists can upload their music and listening to your radio station of choice is a sheer pleasure. Several resources are offered regarding software, hardware, plugins, and more. When it comes to search engine optimisation the Last.fm website analysis shows that the site is performing well. Alt tags have been included with the images and a Metatag is present. The title tag has been used effectively and although the main page does not include a tremendous amount of words, it still does well. The Last .fm website has a Google PageRank of 7 and with more than 92 000 back links from Google it is not surprising. Visit the site today and start listening.