Gone to the Dogs

Last night, Andrea and I watched the final night of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which took place in New York City. My grandmother used to watch this every year, and I always laughed at her. But now that I am a dog owner, I find myself watching anything that involves dogs — especially ones that look like they’d be fun to have in the house (like mine).

The last group was my favorite, since it included all the biggest dog breeds, like a Great Dane, Newfoundland, Rottweiler, and Mastiff. I never thought I’d be a fan of big dogs, but once the 15-pound puppy we adopted 18 months ago grew into a 75-pound monster that now thinks she owns my house, I was hooked on the biggest breeds. They’re not as intimidating as people think (including people who turn the other way when they see Abby and I walking up the sidewalk), and they just seem to have fun personalities.

(I personally liked this one, because it’s a distant relative of Abby):

Anyway, while watching the dog show, I noticed a funny thing. The official judge in the ring is supposed to evaluate each dog according to the “standard” for the breed, including height, weight, color, face, fur, etc. He or she would actually look in the dog’s mouth, feel the fur, measure the height with his or her hands, and closely observe the dog’s posture while it walked. Each judge did his or her work with a very serious expression, and never really smiled or showed emotion.

The large crowd in the arena, on the other hand, reacted in much the same way Andrea and I did on the couch — laughing at a dog’s funny face, cheering for their favorites, and even laughing when one poor Terrier had a small accident on the arena floor. No one in the audience seemed to care if the Doberman was the “standard” height, or if it had a small gray patch of fur (apparently a no-no in the world of dog shows). They just liked the dogs for the same reasons all dog lovers like dogs.

At DDA, we understand that there are also two ways for corporate, medical, or healthcare websites to be judged. First, there is the regimented and structured view of major search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and MSN, who evaluate all sites according to a standard, just like the dog show judges. If your new website is going to land on the first page of those engines, then it has to be designed and developed with outstanding architecture generated by custom programmers, include keyword-rich content created by experienced copywriters, and be constantly monitored and optimized by a trained search engine optimization specialist. At DDA, we are experienced in all of those areas, and have created websites that not only reach the first page of Google, but rank right at the top for thousands of keywords.

But there is also another way websites are judged, and it’s very similar to the audience reaction at the dog show: The “Wow!” Factor. Internet users see hundreds of sites every day, and if your site doesn’t grab their attention, then you’ve already lost. This is where our team of talented graphic designers comes in here at DDA. They have generated hundreds of sites with eye-catching and engaging designs, which are always unique and never created from a template. And if you want even more “Wow!”, then our animators and video specialists can develop integrated corporate and medical video features, 2D and 3D animations, and interactive features that catch the attention of any visitor — and guarantee that your new site will win “Best In Show”.

Entry by: Steve