A slightly different than normal website that comes under the website analysis spotlight,
is the Tiscali website portal for the UK. First to understand what works for the portal and what hampers its
user friendliness, value, and Internet marketing we will have a look at the Tiscali background to get an
understanding of the scope that the company will offer.
Tiscali as a European telecommunication entity is based in Cagliari, Italy. The company
provides a wide range of broadband and telecommunication products and services in several European countries.
Formed in 1998 the company derived its name from a Sardinian village. Although the original focus of the company
was Internet connectivity services it has since then expanded its services to not only include Internet access,
but a range of additional services including mobile, sms, and other telecommunication services.
Tiscali is one of the largest ISPs in Europe. As such it also runs several web portals for
specific countries. These portals feature an array of services such as webmail, dating, chatrooms, videos, radio
broadcasting, streaming, television guides, and more.
Categories of services available at the Tiscali website include, but are not limited to:
- Broadband
- Content
- Help
- Services
- Community
- Entertainment
- Games
- Jobs
- News
- Search
- Music
- Shopping
- Referencing
- Technology
- Property
- Sport
- Mobile
- Money
- Motoring
- Lifestyle
Each of the categories sub-divide to ensure that users can get everything they need from
one web portal. Users thus have the benefit of only visiting one site for all their information, entertainment
and connectivity needs. From a website analysis perspective navigation of the Tiscali website portal is rather
easy because of the following features:
- Site map available that is organized alphabetically according to categories and sub-categories.
- Search facilities for quick location of information.
- Easy to use menu system which is organized into colour coded tabs and highlights the current page.
- Home link present in the main menu for getting back to the main page.
- Sub-menu on the left side of the main page, which lists categories such as channels, what’s on for today and specials.
- Directory style listing of all the topics on the main page for drilling down according to categories.
- Help features and text only versions for Java and Flash limited browsing.
When it comes to colour usage, the Tiscali website portal can be described as a rainbow. The
Tiscali logo is displayed and all the standard statements are present such as terms and conditions as well as
copyright. Several contact options exist and when it comes to assistance with services or browsing the user simply
has to click on the help link. The website refreshes every now and then, ensuring that what the user sees is the most
current page available. Although the refreshing can be annoying, the reason behind it is logical. The Tiscali website
portal UK supports a wide range of browsers and fits in the standard screen size.
Advertisers will also not struggle to find information and contact details as direct links exist
for the purpose. When it comes to images and multimedia users with Flash player and plugins will benefit most. There
are several rotating banners and an equal number of multimedia ads from Tiscali itself on broadband services. It can
become a bit overwhelming at times. Pop-up windows with ads are used for advertising. Many of the ads may never be
seen as more and more users disable pop-ups because of the annoyance. Images contain ALT tags and or text descriptions.
Apart from excellent portal content, easy navigation and good website design features present, the
Tiscali website portal also offers a tremendously high level of interactivity to users through the community section
where dating, email communication, discussions, quizzes, competitions and games are at the order of the day. The website
has not left out any form of social networking. Users can also share in videos and galleries. Webmail services, email
accounts, and more provide for useful tools. When it comes to email Internet marketing the Tiscali website offers
subscription options to newsletters ensuring that even the most basic of Internet marketing has been applied.
When it comes to search engine optimisation (SEO) the Tiscali website analysis shows that the company
is not a leader in Internet services for nothing. It has taken all the necessary steps in website design and content to
ensure good ranking and exposure as well as branding. The Tiscali website portal, which has been online since 2000,
boasts a Google Page Rank of 6. Some of the reasons that it may not be at a number eight spot may be because of the many
outbound links, Flash and JavaScript. Also because of the many categories that it covers, it can be difficult to include
all the relevant keywords in the Metatag. If you are tired of having to search for information in the traditional way, make
your way to the Tiscali website portal for easy browsing and location of excellent information.