As we close this year out and look towards the new year full of promise, I wanted to remind you to be conscious of your firm's website. I'm currently working on how to make the AIA TAP homepage more engaging and intuitive. You will see some positive changes rolling out over the next several months.
I know small firms have suffered lately, no doubt, but that doesn't mean you can get away with neglecting your site, especially your online portfolio. It amazes me how many architecture firm websites have become stale over the last year. Look closely at yours and double check the following:
- Is your latest news post over a year old?
- Does your portfolio show well on high resolution monitors?
- Does the look and feel of the site reflect the quality of your firm's work?
- What differentiates you? Is it reflected on the site?
- Does it still use Flash (and, gasp! have a splash page with a "Enter site" link for a home page)?
And last but the most important** is your site easy to navigate? Does it use eccentric navigation rather than a clear, intuitive menu bar? Prospects don't have patience for artsy navigation; they want to get to the good stuff in less than 2 clicks.
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you better ensure a website budget is created for the new year ($2,000 can generally get you a face lift).
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Crystal Wilson
Director of Interactive Media
PlaceVision Inc
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