Happy New Year!
We are a few days into the new year and if you are like me, things are hopping. As you can see by the most recent posts, it hasn’t been particularly quiet over the holidays. We have had several new site launches, and other projects that involve “behind the scenes” work. My prediction for 2010 is that things in the business world will improve and that the World Wide Web will be even more important than ever.
Normally I do not make resolutions for the new year. But this year I have made two. Neither one is particularly complicated. The first is to avoid flying through Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. At the very least my goal will be to avoid Terminal C. My most recent experience was actually very smooth, which was not true for a lot of other fliers over the last month. The problem with Terminal C is that it really is an unpleasant place and it really revolves around the weakness in the design. As an example, the so-called “food court” is obviously a gate that somebody decided to “re-purpose” into a cramped and unfortunate cafeteria. That is only the beginning.
Why make a big deal about an airport terminal, and how does it apply to a Web site? Like airports, Web sites are really intended to serve the needs of the visitors. We can learn a lot by studying alternate forms of design. The principles of one are often applicable to another.
Perhaps later we can discuss Art Deco automobile design and how it applies to graphic arts.
My second resolution is to keep up with my Google Adwords. As you certainly know, Adwords is an excellent Web advertising service. You can create campaigns that are very specifically targeted and tailored to your budget. The trick is that for Adwords to be successful you have to monitor the campaign and make adjustments as necessary. That is my plan for 2010.
You plan for 2010 should be to make sure your Web site is up to date. When was the last time you updated your site? Remember, to get good positioning on the Search Engines you have to have an updated site.