Enhancing corporate web presence

Century Yuasa (CYB), Australia’s oldest battery manufacturer, has been designing, manufacturing, and supplying batteries since 1928. As an affiliate of the globally renowned GS Yuasa Corporation, CYB leads the industry in battery development, manufacture, and distribution across Australia and New Zealand. 

With multi-million-dollar investments in Australian manufacturing, CYB required a modern web presence, supported by Zeroseven.

Objective

To create a modern web presence that supports CYB's growth and enhances user experience, security, and accessibility.

Challenges

CYB's existing website faced several technical issues. Slow load times were frustrating users and leading to higher bounce rates. The old, cluttered design was not optimised for contemporary monitors and mobile devices, making navigation difficult and deterring users from deep engagement. Additionally, the site was not fully accessible to users with disabilities, which limited its usability.

Solutions implemented

To address these challenges, Zeroseven implemented a comprehensive redesign and rebuild of the CYB website. The new design features a clean, intuitive layout that helps users find information quickly and easily. Optimising the website for quick load times has significantly improved user experience and reduced bounce rates. The site is now fully mobile responsive, ensuring it works well on all devices, including smartphones and tablets.

Accessibility was a key focus, with the site now adhering to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This ensures that users with disabilities can easily navigate and use the website. Rigorous testing with web accessibility evaluation tools was conducted to ensure compliance and usability.

Security enhancements were also a major component of the redesign. The website now uses HTTPS, ensuring that all data transmitted between the user’s browser and the website is encrypted using SSL/TLS protocols, preventing eavesdropping and tampering. Regular updates are performed to keep all software, including the web server, CMS, and plugins, up to date, avoiding vulnerabilities and compatibility issues. Firewalls monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules, and sensitive user data, such as passwords and personal information, is encrypted both in transit and at rest.

Strict access controls have been implemented to ensure only authorised personnel can access sensitive data and update content. Secure coding practices are followed to prevent common vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF). The website utilises .NET's robust cryptographic services, including encryption, hashing, and digital signatures, to protect sensitive data. All user inputs are validated to ensure only properly formatted data is processed, preventing injection attacks and other malicious inputs. Parameterised queries are used in database operations to prevent SQL injection attacks by treating user inputs as data, not executable code. Finally, the application configuration is secured by default, with unnecessary features and services disabled and secure defaults used.

Results

The comprehensive redesign and rebuild have significantly improved user experience, with the clean, intuitive layout and quick load times reducing bounce rates. The website now performs consistently well across all devices, including smartphones and tablets. Modern security practices have been implemented, ensuring user data is protected and the website is resilient against common vulnerabilities. This has positioned CYB's website as a secure, user-friendly, and reliable platform for its users.