IDA Provides A Digital Roadmap to Fuel Success
““It’s empowering to know what to do to have the roadmap to success… Imagine your website is a racecar - the audit is like getting an engineer to make the racecar faster and more reliable. It’s no different.””
About Speedcafe
Established in 2009, Speedcafe.com is Australia’s premier source of online motorsport news and race reporting. Its expert editorial content covers Australian and international news and information for motorsport enthusiasts. The website is a major partner of the Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame. Speedcafe operates with an advertising revenue model.
“Our website is critical to our business. It IS our business.”
As a small to medium-sized business, Speedcafe’s website is managed by a team of in-house developers. An in-house Social Media Coordinator manages organic and paid social media platforms and campaigns. Management of SEO is supported by an external agent, coaching Speedcafe’s team of external writers to ensure best SEO practices are followed.
“The IDA audit has become a key guide for our agent to follow. It helps ensure that best practices are maintained and the best results are achieved.”
While Speedcafe currently does not run any paid advertising, the company is developing its strategy, ready for execution with help from the IDA audit.
Challenge / Goal
"From my perspective, one of our biggest challenges is keeping up with rapid advancements in tech and processing, as well as staying up to date with best practices. It evolves so quickly, so staying relevant and leveraging content across all our platforms effectively is a constant challenge.”
Speedcafe’s consultant recommended the IDA audit to help gain a clear picture of the site’s baseline performance, identify areas for improvement and growth and understand where to channel its resources.
Speedcafe’s external journalists required a set of guidelines to optimise their work for online publishing as opposed to traditional publishing. For a growing business, Speedcafe must have clarity and consistency amongst its internal departments, external agents, journalists and owners.
Key Findings / Results
The audit revealed a significant number of easy changes to achieve quick results and see significant improvements in traffic, user experience and return on investment.
“I was surprised by the amount of quick wins and low-hanging fruit identified in the audit”.
The audit identified technical issues with the website. It highlighted potential SEO optimisations and helped shift Speedcafe’s approach to its data analytics. It has also enabled Speedcafe to develop a set of best practices around SEO for its editorial components and social media content.
The audit is so easy to understand and to action. It’s been a seamless process. It’s digestible and motivational. The potential it provides us has been really exciting. Our external agency that recommended the audit has been enthusiastic and optimistic about the report.”
““The audit has definitely provided our writers with a clearer understanding of how to utilise content, SEO and social media together to generate more traffic, engagement and revenue.”
Aside from the quick changes already implemented, Speedcafe is in the process of implementing the audit’s other prioritised suggestions. As the website’s content follows the news cycle, the company has made the decision to develop a new website rather than focusing its energy on improving its existing site and optimising its historic content. Speedcafe is in the process of designing and developing a brand new website that will incorporate the learnings gained from the audit.
Thanks to the audit, we now have a road map of priorities. We have a plan now and have started to roll it out. It’s exciting. We are overhauling the site. Our learnings from the audit are being built into our new site instead of trying to patch it up.”
And there’s more good news for the news publication. Speedcafe has already seen increased performance from the changes made to date. It has given stakeholders and staff greater insight into the work they are doing and how to work optimally for the online environment compared to traditional publishing.
