Web Watch: Relaunching a Grand Old Web Site

Talk to your audience
Once the new GOP.com went public, it quickly became clear that some aspects of the site were missing the mark on a critical component of any good Web site: a focus on the audience.

For example, at launch, the site featured a blog written by Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, titled What Up? To their credit, site administrators quickly realized that the attempt to appeal to young people colloquially was falling flat, and they changed the title to Change the Game (and, subsequently, Steele's Blog). But for some, the chance to make a good first impression and pique visitors' interest already had passed, and despite the quick change, technical issues meant that the original title still was visible in many areas of the site.