Transport for London or TFL in short is a local government administration body that manages the transport system in the Greater London area. The TFL has the responsibility to develop, implement and maintain transportation plans to regulate transport services in the Greater London effectively and thus ensure commuter safety and convenience. A Board of Members appointed by the Mayor of London, heads TFL. The local government body was established in the year 2000 as part of the Greater London Authority.

The TFL website and logo used incorporate a roundel in blue with the TFL lettering.The website analysis will show whether the website provides the functionality, ease of use and the organization of information as well as tools in a user and search engine friendly manner.

The overall impression of the website is that of a user-friendly website design with limited usage of graphics. The homepage loads fast and with a white background and the standard web fonts readability is ensured. The main menu design has been done with cascading style sheets and includes the categories:

• Home – the home button is visible throughout
• Getting around
• Tickets
• Corporates
• Business and Partners

The sub-menus are hidden until one of the categories is chosen. This prevents page cluttering. The sub-sections contain sub-sitemaps organized in main categories with hyperlinks to the specific pages. The TFL website is one of the easiest sites to navigate and makes drilling down to required information painless. Links are in a different colour and thus identifiable. All the links work and lead to relevant content. The link wording is explanatory.

The site includes a sitemap which is well organized and ensures quick access to specific information whilst also contributing to search engine optimisation. The sitemap link is on top of the page and thus always available. The website also includes a contact page for which the link is also placed in the upper part of the web pages. Full contact details of relevant bodies and departments are provided.

It can be argued that a government related body such as TFL doesn’t need to focus on Internet Marketing techniques as most people will automatically know their web address or by simply typing the name in a search box, will bring up the website. It may be true, but even government bodies will find that users often make use of keywords not directly related to the government body name. As such a person can for instance, type in Map of London and if keywords were included in the site’s Metatag as well as the site optimised for that phrase the governing body will come up. By also focusing on SEO strategies, the client is benefited who will get to the website when needing help in a specific transport area. That being said, although Metatags are present for the TFL website, there is not a list of keywords targeted.

The website however, does well in search engine results with a Google Ranking of 7. This may be because of many incoming links (171,500) or because the site is well organized and includes a sitemap. An average website makes provision for the user whereas a great site places the needs and interests of the user first.

The TFL website is great because the whole focus of the site is valuable information and resources provision in a manner that it is easy to use and find. The sections are grouped well and information organized in a consistent way.

In terms of text usage the website analysis revealed the following:

• Text can be adjusted for readability.
• The background and images do not influence readability negatively.
• Columns of text are smaller than in books to ensure easy reading on the screen.
• Pages are not too long and as such the attention of the reader is kept.
• The hierarchical structure of information presentation is clear.

The usage of images has been limited to that which is relevant to the content. Each picture contains an ALT tag required for SEO as well as user-friendliness. Most of the images also have descriptive wording. Repetitive features such as sub-menus, same colours and lay-out mark the website design and thus help to provide a consistent look. All the pages download quickly and the homepage fits within the 640 x 460 pixel space.

The site is packed with excellent features such as a journey planner which can be used to plan trips in a number of ways in and around the Greater London. The site includes real time travelling news to help users plan their trips more effectively. User involvement is increased through competitions which are displayed throughout.

If you are planning a trip to the Greater London area or have to make use of daily commuting services in the city, the TFL website is arguably your best online resource. The website analysis shows not only a useful site, but one that should be added to your favourites or book marked for daily consultation.