Question

Topic: Website Critique

What Do You Think Of The New Marketingprofs Design

Posted by jason.fiske on 12/18/2012 at 11:09 AM ET 125 Points
Just curious what people think of the new design. Obviously, the target for MarketingProfs was to create a mobile friendly layout and design.

I primarily use MP on my desktop, so I admit, I'm not wild about the slider on the landing page to discover new content. However, I'm sure the intent was to create a better experience reflective of the tablet experience.

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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 12/18/2012 at 9:28 PM Accepted
    It's really a moot point now, isn't it? There are things I like and dislike about several sites I have a long association with but those points don't prevent me from visiting those sites often.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 12/18/2012 at 10:58 PM Accepted
    The questions are:
    - Is the new design producing more traffic from mobile devices?
    - Does the new design produce less traffic from non-mobile devices?
    - Is the net result more/better traffic?

    If not, then the design missed its mark.
  • Posted by mgoodman on 12/19/2012 at 7:59 AM Accepted
    I'm with Gary and Jay. My like/dislike for the new design is totally irrelevant. If it works for MarketingProfs (i.e., delivers their objective) then it's fine. If not, it was a waste of time/effort/money. Someone there must have thought it was a good idea, so let's see what happens.

    And sometimes change (of any kind) looks like progress and communicates an intent to improve in some way.
  • Posted by jason.fiske on 12/19/2012 at 9:56 AM Author
    Mgoodman, I'd say your opinion is the only thing that's relevant. If you like it and become more engaged with their content, that's better than any measure beyond new subscriptions. Success for MP is creating the best possible experience for its users.
  • Posted by mgoodman on 12/19/2012 at 10:52 AM Moderator
    I clearly don't agree that my opinion is "the only thing that's relevant." If my opinion were important to MarketingProfs, they would have asked/pretested before making the change.

    I'm also not so sure that "success for MP is creating the best possible experience for its users." That's a great goal, and I'm sure they'd like to do that, but given the wide range of "users," that's probably not a very useful -- or measurable -- goal. (How do you know when you've reached the goal? How do you even know if you've made progress toward the goal? How do you know if your users are having "the best possible" experience?)

    And are all users equal? Some only visit the Know-How Exchange. Others only pop in to ask a question and read an article. Some pay money for premium content, while others are strictly looking for free information. MY opinion may not be that of the most important target audience.
  • Posted by mgoodman on 12/19/2012 at 6:39 PM Moderator
    You may want to read Ann Handley's blog post of December 3, in which she provides some rationale for the change. She never mentions mobile-friendly as the reason for the change. Rather she cites simplicity and easier navigation. ("... a far simpler and cleaner homepage that we think helps visitors make sense of MarketingProfs and directs them efficiently and easily to the content they are looking for.")

    https://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2012/9634/behind-the-scenes-at-marketi...


  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 12/20/2012 at 9:06 PM Accepted
    I agree with Gary, it's a "moot point". Why be a monday morning quarterback when for whatever reasons the top experts weren't included during the developmental process.

    IMHO, over all it's an improved site.

    I was thinking about the Know-How Exchange Discussion Forum and how we might increase the quantity and quality of the Q & A and how that might impact MP's revenue goals. A decade ago the forum was a primary driver of traffic to the MP site, now not so much. Why? I can remember when the MP home page would feature a KHE question and provide more exposure for the forum (that's how I found the forum).

    So I'm wondering what MP's marketing plans are for the forum's growth? What is the strategy/positioning relative to its competitors? What are the new promotional tactics going to be?
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