The RFU website analysis shows a website that fits the profile of a typical sport site. The first page of the RFU website is a welcoming page. Once you enter you will however, find a modern approach. Although the entrance page is quite appropriate it causes some confusion as two entrance options are provided – both leading to the same home page. That being said the RFU logo is prominently displayed throughout the website and the colour red is consistently used. The website design provides for easy navigation through a menu system.

Before we view the results of the RFU website analysis, a short overview of RFU will suffice. The RFU has been in place since 1871 to promote the sport of rugby and it forms the governing body for rugby in England. There are around 2000 clubs that belong to the RFU plus students from acclaimed universities and members of the Armed Forces. Visitors to the site will find the Twickenham stadium do be a prominent feature.

The web design has been done with Cold Fusion Studio version 4.5.1., JavaScript’s, cascading style sheets, Flash animation and videos which are prominent. What it boils down to is a visually attractive website which requires plugins in certain areas if the user wants to download podcasts etc. The website however, is extremely user-friendly with links to download Acrobat etc. for optimal functionality. No side scrolling is required and enough white space makes it easy on the eyes. The standard web fonts have been used, showing consideration for the user. It supports most platforms and loads fast.

The main categories are on top of the web page and are easily identifiable as is the title which displays in the blue bar on top of the screen. The main menu consists of:

• Rugby Store
• News
• Results
• Fixtures
• Twickenham Stadium
• Tickets and Travel
• Community Rugby
• England Rugby
• Forums
• Women’s Rugby
• Twickenham Experience

Each of the main menu items includes a variety of sub-categories for easy browsing. More categories can be accessed from the homepage at the left-side menu. The user has the advantage of a search facility for quick information retrieval. From a website analysis perspective the web design adheres to the principles of good design and lay-out, easy navigation and useful content.

All the images are relevant and compliment the text. Alt tags are present and the images load fast. Videos ensure visual appeal and an exciting visit to the website. Interactivity is further promoted through questions, forums and the contact possibilities. The copyright notice is displayed at the bottom of the page and sponsor can be identified. A sitemap is lacking for the main website although some of the micro-sites do include sitemaps. Users will appreciate the level of involvement such as the opportunity to say their say. The users can also find information about tickets and can participate in competitions. Virtual tours of the Twickenham stadium are provided.

In terms of search engine optimisation sound SEO principles have been followed through Alt tags, title display, and main keyword being in the domain name and being prominent throughout the RFU website. Metatags with site description and keywords are present. There are enough words on each page to ensure indexing and with well-placed internal linking the website manages to have a Google Page Rank of 7 and a high Alexa Rank. There are a total of 184 107 incoming links with some overlapping possible (May 2, 2008). It shows a total of 1160 incoming links from Google and 702 incoming links from Alexa. Two outgoing links were found. The RFU website which has been online since July 1996 is well visited and is definitely seen as a mature site by Google giving its page rank of 7.

The website competes for keywords such as Rugby Football Union, RFU, rugby, rugby football and sport all of which are found in its Metatags. By including these keywords in the Metatags for SEO the site is already in a good position for ranking well in the search results. Given that the information is current and that no dead links were found, it is evident that the required steps have been taken to ensure good search engine placement.

Football Rugby supporters whether junior, men’s, women, community or England level can get all the information required about games being played, the history of the RFU, map of the Twickenham Stadium, directions and more at one well designed and search engine optimised website of the RFU. In conclusion of this website analysis the RFU website provides a user-friendly outlay and maximizes the visual attractiveness of the site through videos, images, and a high level of interactivity.