New FerrisStateBulldogs.com Officially Launches

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Big Rapids, Mich. - Ferris State University Athletics officially unveiled its re-designed website on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Designed by its website provider, PrestoSports, the department's new site includes a host of features not found in the original www.FerrisStateBulldogs.com, which originally debuted in August of 2009.  A sleek new design created to deliver the latest in Bulldog Athletics offers engaging ways for fans to interact with all Ferris State athletics programs and increased access to what fans want most on the homepage, including video, social media, audio, score updates and more.

New features in the redesigned and interactive site include the Bulldog Sports Network "ticker" that is anchored to the bottom of the user's screen, no matter which page is being viewed, several rotating areas for special announcements and pertinent tabs for social media, audio and video content.

"We hope Bulldog fans enjoy the new site and the unique features we've added," said Rob Bentley of the FSU Athletics Communications Office.  "We're excited to continue our partnership with PrestoSports and continue to help the Bulldog Nation find all the information they need in an interactive way."

The redesigned site has been configured in a way that nearly 100 percent of the pertinent information and navigational links on the main and sport landing pages are visible without having to use the vertical scroll bar.  Additionally, fans will find increased photo sizes across the new look.

An improved global navigation bar at the top of the page includes new drop-down menus while a redesigned social media bar can be found on the top right corner of the page.  Tabs for calendars, results, live events and standings can be found further down the page on the left hand side.

In a day and age where social media and video are prominent among sports coverage, PrestoSports has helped integrate these tools, such as Facebook and Twitter, in an easy-to-locate layout for Bulldog fans.

The relaunched FerrisStateBulldogs.com features a unique design and a number of innovative features while putting athletics administrators in complete control of the look and content within the site. Some of the distinctive features implemented on the Bulldogs' improved online home include interactive statistics, video clips, rotating feature stories and links to Ferris State's social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Fans can also look forward to a fully functional mobile site that is compatible with any smart phone. The brilliant feature can be accessed on the lower left-hand side of the website or from any mobile browser.

Since its launch in August of 2009, FerrisStateBulldogs.com has served more than three million visitors from all 50 states and nearly every country around the world.  Those visitors have combined for more than 180 million hits. Visitors in the United States account for more than 96 percent of all site traffic followed by Canada at roughly two percent.

Last spring, from January to April, saw the four most visited months on record for FerrisStateBulldogs.com with more than 700,000 unique visits over the span.  FSU recorded more than 100,000 unique visits per month throughout the entire 2011-12 athletics season.
 
The FSU Athletics Website, which is maintained by the Ferris State Athletics Communications Office, had been hosted on-campus since its original site inception in the mid-1990's prior to the launch of FerrisStateBulldogs.com in conjunction with PrestoSports in 2009.

The school's official website includes all the latest news, scores, results and more covering each of FSU's 15 varsity athletics programs.  It is updated on a daily basis and also offers video, audio, photos, blogs and more for fans interested in keeping up to date with all the action.

PrestoSports, founded in 2002, is a leading provider of athletic content management software to colleges and conference offices across the country. It markets solutions for website design and hosting, live stats, award management, merchandising, officiating and photo hosting.

The PrestoSports staff features more than 40 years combined experience in collegiate athletics. It includes former sports information directors, conference administrators and experience in collegiate marketing solutions. PrestoSports currently designed and manages websites for several collegiate conferences as well, including the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).