How a Dance Awarding Body Cut Bounce Rate by 50% and Tripled Page Speed
A UK dance examination awarding body was losing visitors because qualifications, syllabi, and exam resources were buried behind confusing navigation. We rebuilt the site in two weeks — halving bounce rate, tripling load speed, and hitting WCAG 2.1 AA.
The Problem
Independent Dance Training is a UK-based dance examination awarding body and teaching association. Their existing website was outdated and poorly structured — making it hard for dance teachers and students to find the information they needed.
Visitors were regularly leaving without finding what they came for:
- Qualification pages were buried four levels deep in navigation
- Exam information was fragmented across unrelated sections
- The site wasn't mobile-friendly — a serious problem when most visitors arrive on phones
- Load times were slow enough to push people away before the page finished loading
The goal: a professional, accessible website that could serve as the primary resource hub for the UK dance education community — and actually convert visitors into members.
Before and After
| Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation depth | Qualifications buried 4 levels deep | Flat structure, key pages in 2 clicks |
| Mobile experience | Not responsive | Fully mobile-first |
| Page load time | ~5 seconds (desktop) | Under 2 seconds (all devices) |
| Accessibility | No WCAG compliance | WCAG 2.1 AA throughout |
| Bounce rate | ~70% | ~35% |
What We Built
- Web Design
- Frontend Development
- Content Strategy
- Accessibility
- Faster page loads
- 3×
- Bounce rate reduction
- 50%
- Accessibility standard met
- WCAG 2.1 AA
- Brief to live
- 2 weeks
Approach
The redesign began with a content audit to understand what teachers and students most frequently needed — and where the old site was failing them.
Navigation and information architecture were rebuilt around real user journeys: a teacher looking for a syllabus, a student checking exam requirements, a new visitor exploring membership. Each pathway was simplified so visitors could reach what they needed in two clicks or fewer.
Accessibility was a core requirement throughout. Every page was built with clear heading structure, sufficient colour contrast, logical reading order, and full keyboard navigability — ensuring the site works for all users regardless of device or ability.
Results
The new site delivered measurable improvements across every key metric:
- 3× faster page loads — significant performance gains on both desktop and mobile
- 50% reduction in bounce rate — visitors are finding what they need and staying longer
- WCAG 2.1 AA compliant — accessible to all users, including those using assistive technology
- Cleaner member experience — teachers and students can now find syllabi, exam information, and resources without confusion
Our new website is so much easier to navigate. Teachers and students can now find exam information quickly, and we've seen our bounce rate drop by 50%. The site loads three times faster than before, which has made a real difference.
Free 20-minute discovery call — fixed price and timeline before anything is signed.