Pursuing the digital podium
The UK Sports Institute have been a valued partner of Bulb Studios for over a decade. Previously the English Institute of Sport, the organisation champions athletes and practitioners in elite sport, working with 93% of the UK’s medal winning athletes at the 2016 Olympic Games.
Throughout our partnership, we have helped the UKSI lead a fierce international market of sports bodies, whose respective countries compete against each other in the biggest competitions in the world.
A website for athletes and practitioners
When first partnering on a website, the organisation was undergoing an identity overhaul. The team were seeking clarity on how they can best service athletes and practitioners online. Our team conducted a series of Discovery Workshops and Data Analytics Audits, a number of service functions - Careers, Resources, Nutrition - were identified as high-potential and under-value.
Our research and insight into the demand for careers information triggered a shift in organisational resourcing. Careers became the gateway to the institute for practitioners, which ultimately led to a concerted organic SEO effort to raise long-term brand awareness and attract prospective industry stakeholders. The website helmed a distinct new chapter for the UK Sports Institute, then the English Institute of Sport.
We implemented a sleek editorial look and feel to house the invaluable resources that help train athletes and improve sports teams’ processes across the UK. Professional photography was commissioned and prioritised, enforcing the UKSI’s brand mission. This provided the springboard for an extensive nutrition-focused recipe hub and detailed sport-specific pages that have proved incredibly popular.
Rebranding and rethinking
With more coverage and a growing network, the institute sought to change its name, from the English Institute of Sport to the UK Sports Institute. This shift meant a transformation of the organisation’s digital ecosystem, including its SEO strategy, owned content, and brand mentions.
An efficient, smooth transition between the two came from comprehensive research and strategy prior to implementation. Our support initially came in the form of a thorough SEO audit of the current website, which formed a distinct migration strategy and identified the priority areas of the site to hone in on.
Alongside the migration, we identified a number of under-performing pages and articles that could bring more users to the UK Sports Institute website. The content, meta data and linking of these pages were optimised as such, and have since risen in search engine rankings to surpass market competitors.
Designing for longevity
Our long, valued partnership with the UK Sports Institute has maintained a focus on longevity. Longevity in how we present information to stakeholders. Longevity in helping the UKSI function as a public institution. And longevity in the strength, consistency and vibrancy of the organisation’s brand.
The digital products we’ve created with the UKSI have helped to clarify internal organisational strategies and continue to inform structure for brand identity, content, messaging etc. We continue to partner with the team and believe deeply in their vision and mission to elevate sport in the UK.