How Squiz helped one of Britain's most famous historical institutions to increase the functionality and sociability of its website with MySource Matrix CMS.
Download the Westminster Abbey case study (pdf)
MySource Matrix has helped to increase visitor numbers to the Abbey’s site by 30% and repeat visits are on the rise: clear approval from those who count.
The Organisation
Westminster Abbey is steeped in over a thousand years of history and is one of the most important buildings in the country. It has played host to some of the most historic occasions, religious ceremonies and ongoing daily worship. The coronation of Kings and Queens has taken place there since 1066, including Queen Elizabeth II whose coronation in 1953 was the first to be televised. Many of the nation’s Kings and Queens are buried in the Abbey, and there are thousands of graves or memorials to great men and women from history, including: statesmen, politicians, lawyers, warriors, clerics, writers, artists and musicians.
As well as continuing its established traditions into the 21st century, it has successfully evolved to become one of London’s principal visitor attractions.
The Challenge
In the past, the Abbey’s website updates (no matter how small) had been done by an external company as it had no formal content management functionality. Imogen Levy, Online Editor at the Abbey, said: “A change used to take anything up to a week to be implemented, so we needed something more immediate. We also wanted to improve the promotion of our assets and open up new opportunities for customer engagement. The new site needed to satisfy the needs of non-English speaking patrons too and be able to flex with the needs of the business.”
The Solution
Just six months after engaging Squiz, the Abbey now has a fully redesigned website with content management functionality. Visitor numbers have increased by a whopping 30% and repeat visits are also on the rise.
The new site looks and feels ‘Abbey’ on all levels, and opportunities for visitors are varied. An updated set of archives, news section and online shop sit alongside an events calendar, social bookmarking buttons, foreign language sections, a Twitter plugin, regular podcasts and plenty more.
Imogen explained: “As well as improving the fundamentals and adding new functionality, we’ve introduced social elements including RSS feeds and Twitter. Over 1,500 Twitterers now follow the Abbey’s Tweets. And we plan to do much more with the system, like streaming live video.”
The Outcome
The new website has caused a ripple effect across the business. “Because department owners are now able to make content changes, they no longer need to worry about little things; they’re focused on the bigger picture,” she said.
“I’ve been very impressed with Squiz. They’ve provided a great product and delivered a great service. The system is easy to use and has superb functionality and support. As there’s only me in the web team, the supported environment is a huge bonus. Plus, you get technology that’s plugged into an Open Source community of developers. For me it’s a win win situation.”
