The Pitchero rankings are a nod to all the hard work that webmasters, admins and authors put in throughout the year.
Each Pitchero website has its own ranking displayed on the homepage, based on a number of factors including how often it’s updated, the variety of content and the range of Pitchero functionality it uses.
With 10,000+ clubs using Pitchero, you can imagine it can be tricky to tease apart the success of one club’s content over another but the rankings are a guide and a popular talking point.
Is your club website using video content? How many teams use the Club App and Manager App for availability and selection? Are you boosting revenue with an online shop and payments?
Many of your clubs will be doing some or all of these suggestions and yes, it all boils down to that precious commodity of time!
The rankings are automatically updated on a Monday through our in-house algorithm and you can search the Top 100 for each sport.
Want to see how your club’s website has done over time? If you have access, head to the Club Control Panel and under Dashboard > Pitchero ranking (in blue in the centre of the dashboard).
Your website rankings results show the last week as default with the option to select a date range. The data will display the highest, lowest and average ranking for your club over time. You can also view by your particular sport or your club's overall Pitchero ranking.
Whether you’re 2nd or 5,459th, it doesn’t mean your club website is a failure. The truth is there’s always tweaks, updates and improvements to encourage even more readers and engagement.
Top Tips for improving your ranking
- Utilise social media
Add links to your website in your Twitter/Facebook or Instagram bio (if you use a custom domain, update it on social media). Always post your updates with a link to drive traffic back to your club website.
- Use a custom domain
Custom domains (such as https://www.bostonunited.co.uk) are a great way to make your site look even more professional, plus it should make it easier for members to visit the site and can help improve your SEO rankings.
- Use the communication tools
You can use the communication tools in your Pitchero Control Panel to send messages to groups of people at your club.
Whether it's sending an email to all parents promoting an upcoming charity event or contacting junior players about buying club kit - try to add links to all emails to the areas of your site that members can find out more specific info (rather than just the homepage).
- Promote your website address at every opportunity
Add your domain to email signatures, posters, leaflets and club documents to get an extra boost of traffic.
Ok, that's it for this blog post...enjoy the Pitchero rankings, whether it’s tracking your own club’s success or keeping one eye on another club in a different sport to pick up tips.
Credit to all those who put in the many hours each week with running your club websites, it doesn’t happen by magic and I'm sure your hard work is paying off.