Weekly Website Review: The Gurnard's Head

This week's Weekly Website Review takes us to one of West Cornwall's most recognisable destinations, The Gurnard's Head, the famous bright yellow dining pub and inn sitting on the wild Atlantic coast between St Ives and St Just.

The Gurnard's Head has almost everything you could ask for when building a great website: history, character, an incredible location, acclaimed food, accommodation and an instantly recognisable building.

The problem is that we don't think the current website captures just how special the business behind it really is.

What Does the Current Website Do Well?

There is no shortage of information.

The website provides plenty of detail about the food, bedrooms, philosophy, surrounding area and the people behind the business. It also makes it possible to book a table or stay online, which are ultimately the two most important conversions for the business.

There is also some genuinely good storytelling. The focus on seasonal food, local suppliers, Cornwall and the surrounding landscape gives The Gurnard's Head a personality that many hospitality businesses struggle to create.

The content isn't really the problem. It's how much of it visitors are presented with at once.

Where Could It Be Improved?

The current website feels too wordy, crowded and dated.

Pages contain large amounts of information placed closely together, which makes the site feel as though content has gradually been added over the years rather than designed around a simple customer journey.

A first-time visitor shouldn't need to work through paragraphs of information to understand the essentials:

What is The Gurnard's Head? Can I eat there? Can I stay there? What does it cost? And how do I book?

The answers are available, but a more modern website could make them considerably easier to find.

A Business With a Story Worth Showing

This is where we think the biggest opportunity lies.

The Gurnard's Head isn't simply another Cornish pub.

The inn has a long history, the current business has been operating at The Gurnard's Head since 2006, and the striking yellow building has become a landmark in its own right on this dramatic stretch of the West Cornwall coast.

Based on the capacity of the restaurant and accommodation, it could be estimated that around 25,000 to 35,000 people eat here each year, with approximately 3,500 to 4,500 guests staying overnight.

These are estimates rather than published visitor figures, but they demonstrate the potential scale of the operation.

For a business welcoming that number of people, with this much history, character and recognition, its website should really capture what visiting The Gurnard's Head actually feels like.

Less Writing, More Experience

We wouldn't remove the personality or valuable information from the existing website.

We'd simply present it differently.

Imagine opening the website to beautiful full-screen photography of the iconic yellow building surrounded by the wild Cornish landscape, followed by four simple choices:

Eat. Drink. Stay. Explore.

From there, visitors could discover seasonal menus, explore the bedrooms, learn about the history, find walks and things to do nearby, or simply book.

Large photography, shorter paragraphs, more breathing room and clear calls to action could make the entire experience feel significantly easier.

The history could also become part of the design itself, using old photographs, subtle traditional elements and the story of the inn alongside modern imagery.

The goal wouldn't be to make The Gurnard's Head look like a modern chain hotel.

It would be modern in how it works, while retaining everything traditional about how it feels.

The Wiles Media View

The Gurnard's Head already has something many businesses would love to have: a genuine story to tell.

An iconic building, generations of history, incredible surroundings, seasonal Cornish food, accommodation and thousands of people visiting every year.

The current website contains plenty of this information, but there is so much content competing for attention that some of the magic gets lost.

We'd simplify the navigation, reduce the amount of text displayed at once, introduce much stronger visual storytelling and make eating, staying and booking effortless on both desktop and mobile.

Because a website for somewhere like The Gurnard's Head shouldn't need thousands of words to convince you it's worth visiting.

The place itself should do the talking.

Discover The Gurnard's Head

The Gurnard's Head is a fantastic independent Cornish pub in one of the most beautiful parts of West Cornwall. The setting is incredible and there's a warm, welcoming atmosphere that makes it well worth a visit.

Explore everything The Gurnard's Head has to offer on their website.

Visit The Gurnard's Head