ADS website usage soars.
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| ADS Success Figures 1996-2006 |
In the tenth anniversary year of the ADS a significant milestone in user numbers has been reached. The ADS website which provides on-line access to the resources we hold reached more than 500,000 page impressions a month in March 2006. In fact, a number of changes to our web configuration have caused a significant increase in usage in recent months. Our record monthly figure now stands at over 760,000!
As can be seen from the graph above our website usage figures have been on a satisfyingly upward trajectory since 1998 when the number of available resources began to increase and ArchSearch was launched. Closer inspection of the graph shows a significant spike in 2002 when ArchSearch 2 with its improved interface was launched. It is also possible to see the cycle of the academic year reflected in the figures from October 2003, with a clear dip during the summer holidays.
The significant and unseasonable increase in the summer of this year is the result of the ADS exposing more of its data to search engine 'spiders' and 'bots', a technology used to index the web. Even we were surprised at how quickly and how well this has paid off in terms of attracting users to the website.
We are always looking for new ways to reach our target audience and new ways to make their experience of the website more enjoyable. Next in line is a search box for pages and topics internal to the website. Hopefully this will make finding the right page that bit easier, as well as keeping the usage statistics going in the right direction.
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