Happy New Year!

While everyone seems to be intent on looking back over the past decade, the near future is looking very exciting, too. Rumors abound that Apple will be unveiling their next big technological product – will it set the world on fire like the iPhone did? Newspapers are carrying headlines such as ‘Google phone could arrive next week’, indicating that the rise of the mobile internet has really only just begun. Commentary abounds on the possibilities of marketing within virtual worlds. It’s all stuff we could barely have imagined ten years ago, and it’s on the verge of happening right now.

If your personal New Year’s resolutions are safely decided, now would be a good time to look to your online business. It, too, will benefit from a little foresight and some solid commitments. Here are Notting Hill Web Design’ suggestions:

1. Take a step into social media. Last year was the year everyone was abuzz with the new marketing possibilities of Twitter; in 2008 it was Facebook and blogging. This year it may well be some new contender we’ve barely heard of yet. One thing is for sure: things move fast in social media. You need to get a grip on it now, before it – and your competitors – leave you behind. It’s not hard, and a little time will yield enormous benefits in customer loyalty, visibility, and potentially, sales – but you need to establish your presence now.

Don’t forget, social media is eminently outsourceable, so give us a call if you’d like some direction there.

2. Give your website a little love. How long is it since you last updated your website? If there’s one thing that the new year hammers home, it’s that time flies, and before you know it, your site could be looking old-fashioned and untended. Take a long hard look at your competitors, and then try to look at your own site as if seeing it for the first time (ask a friend if you don’t find it easy). Does it look dated? Hard to navigate? Remember, too, that you’ll get great benefit from the search engines for updating your site regularly, so if the content has remained the same for ages, do yourself a favor and update it.

We can give your site a whole new look at a very economical price. We can also advise on usability, and provide a new copy if required.

3. Make 2010 the year of the new customer. Every online business can benefit from new customers. The great thing is, with structures such as Google AdWords, you can find them, and at minimal outlay. No matter how specialized your product, you can tailor your Adword ads to display on searches that will bring only qualified traffic to your site.

Again, it’s not hard (though it can be fiddly and time-consuming), and again, it’s something that we’ll be more than delighted to help you with.

We hope that all our readers have a happy, and prosperous new year. Here’s to multiplying your online success in 2010.