New look! The old design of Arizona Coffee was launched in 2005, which is a long time. A really long time! I’ve been planning a redesign of this site for almost that entire time, and especially over the last few years. The old design really held up well over the years, and was flexible. But, times have changed. Now, we have responsive sites that are mobile friendly, and people expect more photos, bigger photos, maps and widgets. This is phase one: redesign And today, I’m really excited to introduce the first phase of this redesign project. This new site design features larger pictures, more social media feeds, and most importantly, will make my job of publishing content easier. The site is still based on the WordPress platform, which I absolutely love. I’ve been using WordPress for over 11 years now, on numerous web sites. My other goal with this redesign is to begin highlighting these types of content: Evergreen reviews — Much of the content written on this site has long-lasting value, especially long-form reviews of coffee shops and coffee roasters. But, right now, it gets forgotten as new posts are added. Great discussion — If you notice, we have some excellent discussion on this site, especially on some of the older posts. So, my goal is to highlight posts that have great discussion, that are currently buried. Photos — Get the photos from Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook back into the site feed with more commentary. As well as post larger images. Videos — Still planning to get more videos up here, and launch a YouTube channel for Arizona Coffee. I’m also going to be exploring new sponsorship opportunities on the site, including new ad formats. Contact me if you are interested! You may also be interested in the updated Arizona Coffee Job Board. To get there, visit arizonacoffee.com/jobs where you can browse open positions. Employers! Sign up here to submit a job for free. You may have also noticed a new logo. This is step one in a rebranding effort, and the core idea may be adjusted as I roll everything out over time. Over the summer, I also picked up arizona.coffee which takes you to the home page. That, along with arizona-coffee.com continue to bring traffic. Upcoming phase two: maps Phase two will expand upon the list of coffee shops and roasters in a new way that includes maps. I’ll be releasing a map and location index system, here on the site, that makes it easier to find relevant posts about a specific location. Most importantly, it will help you find coffee shops on a map. I’m also introducing new ad formats and options for sponsoring Arizona Coffee. When it comes to social media, I like Instagram the best Over the last few years, I’ve been integrating posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram into the mix. I’m planning with this redesign to be able to also include those posts here on the site. Of these, the @ArizonaCoffee Twitter account has recently passed 10,200 followers. Thanks for being a follower! The Instagram account for Arizona Coffee receives lots of interaction! I love it, because I can post a photo there, and get over 100 likes within a few hours. Facebook on the other hand, gets the least amount of traffic, but I still share stuff there when I can. Other sites you may be interested in You may also be interested in some other local web sites I’ve been building. Check out Places To See in Arizona for a huge list of things to do in Arizona! The list currently has over 100 items, and I’ve been working on that site since 2007. If you have kids, you’ll want to check out Things to Do in Phoenix With Kids for tons of ideas for things to do in the valley with kids. I’ve also revived Arizona Reviews, a site I used to run that reviewed restaurants. Thanks for being an Arizona Coffee reader! Now that the new site is launched, I’ll be able to get through a backlog of posts I’ve been working on, but holding for the new site. Stay tuned!
