Who is the audience? ›  Men and Women ›  Age 15-30 ›  Interested in outdoor

sports and active living ›  Fashionable with an

emphasis on laidback and effortless style

  What do they want? ›  Information on

upcoming Billabong-sponsored events

›  Access to online apparel store or style advice

›  Interesting web content about outdoor sport celebrities

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  Who is the audience? ›  Men ›  Age 14-24 ›  Participate in extreme

outdoor sports ›  Youthful, adventurous,

and free-spirited

  What do they want? ›  Information about how to

be more successful in their sports

›  Access to online apparel and sporting equipment

›  Stories about outdoor living

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The home page of the Billabong website is a landing page for over ten unique websites tailored to the different countries and continents that Billabong serves. Additionally, there are separate men’s and women’s pages with content and products that appeal to each gender.

Screenshot of the Billabong Home Page

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The home page of the Quiksilver web site is more retail-driven than Billabong. The bold text and images grab the audience’s attention right away. Unlike the Billabong site, Quiksilver has one website rather than a landing page with separate sites for each country and gender. The layout of the website is conventional, which might come across as boring to some visitors.

Screenshot of the Quiksilver Home Page

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Photos from the main page of Billabong Women USA Website

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Screenshots from the Quiksilver retail shop (L)

and blog (R). Page 10

Like Pinterest, the Billabong page is a grid of photos that are visually captivating but somewhat vague.

The menu at the top is also very understated.

If I was designing this website, I would create an additional landing page that would direct users to either the store, the blog, or corporate news rather than having a home page with elements of all three.

Photos on the Billabong home page that link to the online store

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Similar to the Billabong website, the Quiksilver blog is visually-based with more video and photo content than text posts.

The photos and video are similar to the Billabong website because of the strong outdoor and athletic influences.

The site is intuitive to navigate, and I appreciated the very clear menu and search bars. The online store is organized well and it is easy to browse styles and prices simultaneously.

A photo from the Quiksilver summer 2013 collection.

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The text layout and typographical choices are clear and easy to read.

The media content such as photos and video are not only professional but also artistically consistent. All of the images are colorful and bright, which contributes to the overall brand image of Billabong being stylish and effortlessly fashion-forward.

Travel Diary post on Billabong’s Blog

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The layout of the website is conventional and well-organized, which makes it easy to navigate.

Many of the images and video are high-adrenaline action shots, which would appeal to their young adventurous male target market.

The text and background are black and white like the Billabong website, so the images pop on the screen.

Action shots from the snow section of the Quiksilver site Page 14

The style of the Billabong website is laid back, fresh, and visually captivating. Although the copy is written in a professional and formal way, the topics are fun and consistent with the Billabong Brand. However, the blog posts are conversational and in the voice of their author.

The stories are all informative, easy to read, and the natural photos are an attractive contrast to the black and white text.

Posts from the Billabong Website Page 15

The style of the Quiksilver website is adventurous, masculine, and “cool”. The copy is written in a no-nonsense informative way, and effectively communicates information in as few words as possible.

The blog posts are very informative and rely more on

media content than verbose narrative posts.

Post from the Quiksilver blog promoting new line of wetsuits.

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  Loading Time: Instant   Menu: “Drop Down” Menu that opens to the side. Can only view

when at the top of the screen, and it takes over a large majority of the screen.

Top: The Billabong website menu button at the top of the page

Bottom: The dropdown menu that appears upon clicking “menu”

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  Loading Time: Instant   Menu: The web menu is divided between men and boys, with

separate tabs for athletic gear.

Top: The Quiksilver website menu bar at the top of the page

Bottom: The dropdown menu

that appears when hovering over one of

the menu options

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  Social Media: Hyperlinked buttons to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube at the very bottom of the web page

  Internet Browser Consistency: ›  iPhone: Website was identical

to desktop version but slower to load and more difficult to navigate

›  Safari: Good ›  Mozilla Firefox: Good ›  Internet Explorer: Good

  Note: For optimal viewing, update web browser and Flash player

The Billabong website viewed on iOS.

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  Social Media: Hyperlinked list of social media platforms at bottom of the page

  Internet Browser Consistency: ›  iPhone: Excessive menus were

inconvenient to navigate ›  Safari: Good ›  Mozilla Firefox: Good ›  Internet Explorer: Good

Menus from the Quiksilver website viewed on iOS.

Quiksilver’s social media accounts on their home page.

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Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun.

1 2 3 4

1 post

5

1 post

6

1 post

7

8 9

3 posts

10 11

3 posts

12 13 14

1 post

September 2013

Whereas the online store is updated seasonally, Billabong updates its blog frequently with diverse content that alternates between videos, photos, interviews, and written posts. Because the posts are frequent but not scheduled, it is likely that users come back regularly to see if there is new content.

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Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun.

1 2 3 4 5

1 post

6 7

8 9

1 post

10 11

1 post

12

2 posts

13 14

September 2013

Like Billabong and other retailers, the Quiksilver store is updated seasonally. However, Quiksilver updates their blog half as often as Billabong, typically mid-week. Additionally, about one-third of the blog posts are about sales and upcoming product lines rather than culturally relevant or engaging pieces

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  “Wetsuits”   “Surf Competitions”   “Beachy Women’s

Clothes”   “Snowboarding Gear”   “Active Lifestyle”   “Swimsuits”   “Surf Clothes”   “Skate Clothes” Suggested Google searches for

“Billabong”

Billabong successfully uses these terms in its product descriptions as well as in the copy of blog posts and page titles.

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  “Men’s Active Wear”   “Surf Gear”   “Skate Clothes”   “Extreme Sports”   “Snow Gear”   “Cool Men’s Clothes”   “Kid Boy Clothes”

Suggested Google searches for “Quiksilver”

Quiksilver uses these key words in their page titles, but not prevalently in other text on their web site. Also, many of the suggested Google searches do not strongly align with the Quiksilver brand.

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Alt Tags Unique Page Descriptions Page Titles without “Billabong”

No No Yes

Billabong should improve their SEO in order to maximize the

effectiveness of its impressive website. Since Billabong has striking

photos and unique blog posts, alt tags and unique page descriptions

would improve the likelihood of new customers stumbling upon

their creative content.

A member of the Billabong Snow Team

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Alt Tags Unique Page Descriptions Page Titles without “Quiksilver”

No No Yes

Like Billabong, Quiksilver has underdeveloped search

engine optimization and only employs page titles without

the company name. Unique page descriptions and alt

text would likely drive more traffic to individual products

in Quiksilver’s online store.

Photo from the Quiksilver online store

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Billabong: Positive Features Billabong: Negative Features

- Exceptional Video and Photo Quality - Frequent Updates - Unique content based on geographic region

- Confusing Navigation - combined store and blog integration

- Content separated by male and female markets - Poor search engine optimization

Quicksilver: Positive Features Quicksilver: Negative Features

- Traditional website layout is easy for new visitors to use - Well-tailored to their target audience

- Poor search engine optimization -  Inconvienent mobile web compatibility

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Yes! The Billabong website effectively communicates a diverse range of content in a way that is visually appealing, trendy, and intuitive to navigate. The home page of each site includes features from both the online store as well as news/blog stories. Regardless of why you came to the website, it’s easy to find the information that appeals to you.

4 out of 5 stars Page 28

Yes! Quiksilver has a more narrow target audience than Billabong. Their language, media content, and other web elements create a masculine, adventurous, feel that establish Quiksilver as the brand for “cool” men.

Because the Quiksilver site is so specific, it might limit wider audiences from engaging with their content.

5 out of 5 stars Page 29

Live a life of adventure… Surround yourself with beauty… Be part of the Billabong team…

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Stay young… Stay active… Buy Quiksilver products…

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Website Element Billabong Quicksilver

Reaching Audience Segment X

Homepage X

Graphics and Video X

Style X

Logistics (Load Time, Browser) X X

Menu X

Social Media Integration X

Update Frequency X

Keywords X

Search Engine Optimization Tie Tie

Call to action X

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Brands only get one chance at a first impression. For many companies, that first impression is on an online platform. Even when two companies have similar products or target audiences, a professional and engaging web presence will make a positive impact on visitors. By optimizing their SEO and site layout, Billabong has the opportunity to make the most of their compelling brand story and take their website to the next level.

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