What we know now about website design compared to a few years ago, is that more focus is given to user experience not owner experience. Seems obvious, right? Well this is easier said then done. You may say, "of course I care what my targeted audience wants" but your actions say "I'm spending a small fortune on my new brand and web presence, so I'm going to tell them what I want." You certainly have every right to think that, but if you want to achieve both, you're going to have to forget what you think you know about websites and listen to those who do. Users (and agencies like us ;) ).

We all want our websites to be found, positioned and ranked high by search engines. Are you checking to see that your site is attracting traffic? Or, are your professionals sending you emails asking you why your firm’s site doesn’t appear on the first or even the second page of search results? SEO is not optional; it is critical to the success when designing or redesigning websites. We all have websites; we all have to take SEO into consideration when building our sites!

So I guess you figured out by now, that no one really has the magic bullet. But there are a few things that you, the marketing professional, can do this year to help make your firm successful. And seriously, if there were such a formula that produced marketing results, then that would probably negate any need for our strategic services. Don't you think?

Besides going to the gym and trying not be such an agressive driver, here are 5 new year's resolutions we can all shoot for this year.