VODACOM WEBSITE ANALYSIS

As an expert cellular communications company providing a world class GSM service to more than 21.5 million customers in South Africa, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho and Mozambique, it is no lie when it is stated that Vodacom is a Africa's leading cellular network. With a determination to provide top quality services and products Vodacom has rightfully taken it's current place as the market leader in all of the countries where it operates, with satisfactory customer growth, most notably in Mozambique. Vodacom currently boasts a large 57% share of the South African market, which is the largest and most profitable market in Africa to date. Vodacom's South African GSM network consists of nearly 64 000 base stations and covers more than 6% of the total landmass of South Africa and 97.1% of the population.

Striving to provide the best services to all its existing 20 million clients, the popularity and success of the Vodacom cellular network continues to go from strength to strength, and, so as to ensure for themselves that Vodacom remains in the top position of its industry, there is a keen focus to keep with the times and the latest technologies so as to provide only the latest and greatest available to date.

As a direct reflection of their objective to promote customer satisfaction through the provision of personal attention and only the best services one would expect from the leading cellular network in South Africa, is the Vodacom website.

Taking into account the general appearance of the Vodacom website, it is extremely attractive and draws the attention of the viewer the moment the homepage opens. With the basic use of the three colours of blue, green and white of the Vodacom logo, as implemented in a structured layout of clean-cut lines, the website offers the user a professional yet exciting place to explore and search for information regarding what the Vodacom cellular network can give to them.

The Vodacom website in its entirety is neatly segregated into three parts which have been designed according to the specific types of users that there are. As such, the Vodacom website consists of the For You, For Business, and For Partners sections (located at the top on the far right of the homepage), consisting of unique atmospheres and specific information which has been implemented to appropriately echo the needs, requests and tastes of each of these three individual types of users. The For You section acts as the homepage of the Vodacom website.

Navigating through the Vodacom website is quick and easy as the overall design and layout of the website is uncluttered and organised into a few main sections as indicated by the main links strategically located near the top of the site, further promoting user-friendliness and easy navigation. In this way, it will be impossible for a user to visit the Vodacom website and find no useful information as the main links display exactly what information the website consists of. The titles of the main links include: About Vodacom, Sponsorships, Phones, Packages, Services, and Outlets, and all have drop-drop menus displaying further links to information relevant to the main title. At the bottom of the Vodacom website are additional links which direct a user directly to Blackberry, Vodafone Live, and Data Card Software.

The Vodacom website is highly informative, interactive, and promotes an increased knowledge among the public of the company and all that Vodacom can do for you if you choose them as your cellular network provider. The homepage of the Vodacom website is neatly segregated into a number of sections namely that of Vodacom News, Special Offers, an update of new services available, and a FAQ section. On the Vodacom website you can search through the list of phones to find the model you want and in turn get all the information on this phone that you will ever need. The special offers section of the website is interactive in that a user can select the phone, package, and outlet to identify any possible special offers available that coincide with these specific requests. Through the FAQ section located on the Vodacom website, help is always available, all you have to do is ask. The FAQ section on the Vodacom website is very important for the company as, being a place where a user can post complaints and make issues concerning the network known, Vodacom is able to improve the services which they provide to clients, and in turn improve their company as a whole.

Referring again the objective of Vodacom to always provide their clients with the best, Vodacom has a lengthy list of services which can ensure customer satisfaction on all levels. The Vodafone passport option allows a client to take their South African call rate with them while traveling, while the Vodacom Mobile Number Portability service allows a client from another cellular network to join Vodacom without losing their existing cell phone number. Vodacom has even launched a Vodacom Credit Card which now offers the power of this cellular network in plastic form.

Unfortunately, when it comes to search engine optimisation however, the Vodacom website is greatly lacking. It does not even appear as though the site has been optimised at all. Performing search engine optimisation on the Vodacom website can greatly assist in taking the popularity and awareness of this cellular network to much greater heights. As such, what can be suggested for the Vodacom website in terms of implementing effective search engine optimisation so as to get good rankings on the top search engines is the following. Relevant key phrases such as "cellular network", "mobile phones", "cellular package", etc should be implemented into the pages of the website. This will ensure that when a specific key phrase relevant to the Vodacom website is typed into a search engine by a user, that they user will be directed to this website. A sitemap should also created for search engine optimisation purposes. Not only does it assist the site to get higher search engine rankings, but also packages and organises all the information which the website consists of into a neat bundle which is quick and easy to navigate through.

However, despite the lack of good search engine optimisation in the Vodacom website, the rest of the website gets a thumbs up for its originality and the ability to join excitement and professionalism. As such. Vodacom website is most definitely the leaders in cellular communications in South Africa.

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