Web design in Canterbury

Two peaks, and the gap between them

The student market is busiest when the visitor market is quietest, and vice versa. That is an unusually convenient shape for a business willing to serve both, and it requires the site to be able to say two different things.

In practice: decide in advance what the home page says in term and what it says in the season, and make each a quick edit rather than a project. The alternative is a site that is accidentally aimed at whoever is not currently in the city.

The businesses that do best treat the quieter market as a genuine second season rather than a lull to be endured.

Visitors do not know where anything is

In a compact historic city with restricted vehicle access, practical content does more work than promotion: where you are, where to park, whether to book, and how long the walk is from the centre.

Answering those plainly converts better than anything written about atmosphere.

Students judge on speed and price

For the term-time market the priorities are the familiar ones: quick on a phone, price visible, one obvious action, and no form that punishes a mistake.

Questions people here ask

Should I target students or visitors?

Both, at different times of year, which is easier than it sounds because their peaks do not coincide. What matters is deciding in advance what the site says in each period.

What content do visitors actually want?

Parking, location, whether to book and how far the walk is. Practical detail converts better than description in a city people do not know.

Is a rebuild needed each season?

No, and it is the expensive way to do it. Build so a headline and an offer can be swapped in minutes.