The automotive category is - like the office equipment category - one in which you'd expect purely functional websites that are low on wow-factor and high on functionality. It was to our great and pleasant surprise then to find a site like www.fleetmatics.co.uk on which we've bestowed our 2012 website award for Best Automotive Website.
Who are they?
Fleetmatics is a global fleet management and vehicle tracking company with world headquarters in Dublin. They provide Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions which allow businesses to track a wide range of data on their fleet of vehicles in real-time.
Fleetmatics have been Approved Index suppliers since 2008.
Why did they win?
Design - As you'd expect from a company whose chief aim is to improve the productivity and reduce the operating costs of their customers, the design of the Fleetmatics site is chiefly functional. Elaborate graphic design is eschewed in favour of clean lines, clearly demarcated spaces on the page and large fonts to guide you to the relevant information quickly. The design, branding and layout is kept constant throughout the site reducing the possibility of user confusion.
Navigation - A primary navigation bar at the top of each page gives access to the pages about the business and the blog while a secondary navigation bar with drop down menus guides you through the content about the Fleetmatics product. It's therefore almost impossible to get lost on this site and incredibly easy to find the content you're looking for in super-quick time. Despite a host of widgets, pictures and videos the pages load very quickly.
Content - The Fleetmatics site is brimming over with vehicle tracking information. There are white papers (which cleverly require registration to download - a great lead generation tool which competitors should note) and copious articles which take you through the product features and benefits - all enhanced by images or videos. There's also a handy 'fleet savings calculator' which estimates how much you stand to save from vehicle tracking and loads of customer testimonials and case studies which provide empirical evidence to back up their claims.
Contact Options - Another element that this site gets bang-on. If you don't make it easy for customers to get in touch or register their interest you're virtually pushing them into the hands of your competitors. Why bury your first contact form in a deeper page when you can put it right on the homepage? That's exactly what Fleetmatics do here. The homepage also has phone numbers, invitations to take a free demo (again requiring registration), social media links and a clearly highlighted customer login button. These elements appear on every page. The 'Contact Us' page meanwhile gives the numbers, email addresses and locations of all their offices worldwide.
Pizazz - Maybe it's because it conjures up memories of playing games on a Commodore 64, maybe it's because we're suckers for a bit of dynamic content or maybe it's because it gives a clear and concise demonstration of the Fleetmatics product in the simplest way possible.
In any case, the Flash animation on the homepage is well conceived, well executed, really sucks visitors into the site and lets them know exactly what kind of website they're on before they even have to read a word.
Who are they?
Fleetmatics is a global fleet management and vehicle tracking company with world headquarters in Dublin. They provide Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions which allow businesses to track a wide range of data on their fleet of vehicles in real-time.
Fleetmatics have been Approved Index suppliers since 2008.
Why did they win?
Design - As you'd expect from a company whose chief aim is to improve the productivity and reduce the operating costs of their customers, the design of the Fleetmatics site is chiefly functional. Elaborate graphic design is eschewed in favour of clean lines, clearly demarcated spaces on the page and large fonts to guide you to the relevant information quickly. The design, branding and layout is kept constant throughout the site reducing the possibility of user confusion.
Navigation - A primary navigation bar at the top of each page gives access to the pages about the business and the blog while a secondary navigation bar with drop down menus guides you through the content about the Fleetmatics product. It's therefore almost impossible to get lost on this site and incredibly easy to find the content you're looking for in super-quick time. Despite a host of widgets, pictures and videos the pages load very quickly.
Content - The Fleetmatics site is brimming over with vehicle tracking information. There are white papers (which cleverly require registration to download - a great lead generation tool which competitors should note) and copious articles which take you through the product features and benefits - all enhanced by images or videos. There's also a handy 'fleet savings calculator' which estimates how much you stand to save from vehicle tracking and loads of customer testimonials and case studies which provide empirical evidence to back up their claims.
Contact Options - Another element that this site gets bang-on. If you don't make it easy for customers to get in touch or register their interest you're virtually pushing them into the hands of your competitors. Why bury your first contact form in a deeper page when you can put it right on the homepage? That's exactly what Fleetmatics do here. The homepage also has phone numbers, invitations to take a free demo (again requiring registration), social media links and a clearly highlighted customer login button. These elements appear on every page. The 'Contact Us' page meanwhile gives the numbers, email addresses and locations of all their offices worldwide.
Pizazz - Maybe it's because it conjures up memories of playing games on a Commodore 64, maybe it's because we're suckers for a bit of dynamic content or maybe it's because it gives a clear and concise demonstration of the Fleetmatics product in the simplest way possible.
In any case, the Flash animation on the homepage is well conceived, well executed, really sucks visitors into the site and lets them know exactly what kind of website they're on before they even have to read a word.
In summary, Fleetmatics have got almost every aspect of their site spot-on and are well deserved winners of one of our Approved Index Website Awards 2012.
Automotive Honourable Mention: The Fuelcard People
The Fuelcard People are independent fuel card agents based in
Oxfordshire. They'll help you compare the available fuel cards on the
market, select the one that's best for your business and help
you manage your account online.We love the bold choice of colours on www.thefuelcardpeople.co.uk, the easy navigation, the clear contact options and the friendly, non-technical tone of voice used throughout the site.
What really stod out for us though was how The Fuelcard People use the wesbite to stress the people-led nature of their business through multiple references in the copy and a whole page dedicated to introducing every member of the team.
Well done The Fuelcard People for producing an eyecatching website with a thoroughly approachable vibe.
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Looking to get head and shoulders above your competition with a stand-out web design of your own? Then use our free service for comparing web design and development quotes at Approved Index.
The site carries the usual plethora of contact options you expect from a top quality site but also goes one step further.
Outsmart are another marketing company that recognise the importance of putting together a quality website with a customer focused approach to content.
Every member of the team and every trainer gets their own page on the site. From here you can read about them and email them directly. You also learn from their mugshots that the images on the rest of the site, including the home page, really are genuine photos of the team in action.
While it may not achieve what Phoenix's site does in terms of creating a human story it goes above and beyond the call of duty when providing information for prospective training candidates or people who are generally interested in process improvement methodology.
These pages include: a comprehensive guide to using their CRM app; a blog for addressing common user issues and providing news; a forum where users can seek advice and guidance from other users and the technical team; a customer ideas section where users can suggest and vote for their most desired product enhancements.
Despite being pipped to the post in their category by Workbooks, Northgate's site has the depth and quality of content to really make it stand out in a crowded marketplace.
A whole page dedicated to corporate social responsibility.
2. Develop A Clear Business Model
4. Design Your Site To Attract Free Traffic
9. Use A Telemarketing Company To Set Appointments Or Find Contacts