The Royal Navy website needs to cater to both its target recruitment audience and other groups such as policymakers, but needed a new approach. Built in 2015, the site had too much content, so it was difficult to discover information and potential recruits were left uninspired. Working with Great State, the Royal Navy needed to reduce 10,000 pages of text-heavy content into a more contemporary and user-friendly candidate journey.

User research showed that Gen Z had the same needs of an employer website but expectations had changed – they responded to real people and stories, and 72% prefer a mobile experience. The overhaul looked at every element of the recruitment journey, and took on a new mantra of ‘global, modern, ready’ that would immerse candidates in the world of the Navy in a digestible way. It has introduced conversational AI to keep the recruitment funnel moving, and the job search has been gamified with a role finder – a personalised job filter that matches users to suitable professions.

The content audit has reduced bloat and removed duplication, and content is now restricted to designated areas so the deeper candidates go, the more they learn. The post-application journey is clearer, and site pages are now modular with bite-sized, mobile-first content. The new site has not only met its key performance indicators but has delivered wider benefits to the organisation, attracting more of the right applicants with a 43% reduction in ineligible candidates.