Blog
Misosouper Version 2.0 Launches
Published on Oct 21, 2008
Last year I worked with Misosouper to design a unique website built on the WordPress platform. The website went live early in 2008 and since that time it has grown exponentially. Today Misosouper publishes daily and has been nominated for a Blogger’s Choice Award and has been dubbed one of the 101 Best by the Orlando Sentinel. Articles from Misosouper have also appeared in syndication, most notably on Reuters. Indeed, a very successful year!
However, with any rapidly growing website there are challenges. Last month the client contacted me about creating a new version of the website to better accommodate the ever-growing content and additional ads.
Building for tomorrow
The biggest issue faced was the advertising. Misosouper had picked up a number of advertisers and the website quickly became cluttered with them. Combine this with the fact that advertisers had requirements about ad positioning and the need for a new layout was clear. To better accommodate these ads (and prepare for continued growth) I reworked the layout to add a third column designed specifically for advertisers. I also reserved space in the second column below the navigation to accommodate future ads. The new design now accommodates all ads and meets advertiser placement requirements.
During my work I also discovered that the current server proved to be less than reliable. I suggested an upgrade to the client and, once approved, migrated the entire website (including the database) to a new, upgraded server. Today Misosouper resides on a reliable server that can handle today’s traffic and will be able to accommodate future, increased traffic as well.
Minor enhancements to improve usability and style
Along with the layout and server upgrades, several smaller changes were made. A new button for the Misosouper RSS feed encourages subscriptions. A change in link color to a softer blue gives the website a more elegant look and image replacements for the navigation headings add additional style. In the individual articles social media links were repositioned to align to the left and always be in the same place. While all the changes are seemingly minor they all improve the overall usability of the website, encourage user interaction and also give Misosouper an enhanced touch of style.
But enough about me talking about it. See for yourself the new Misosouper!
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