A year is always a landmark event for anything and Guide to Malaga is no exception. This September, Guide to Malaga celebrates its first anniversary after a year of triumphs, challenges and changes. In this blog post, we look back at the first 12 months of Guide to Malaga and offer a hint of what’s in store next.
Please note that this blog post refers to the Guide to Malaga app that is no longer available. For all the information you need about Malaga, take a good look round our website. Everything you need to know about the city at your fingertips!
Looking back at the past 12 months, it’s difficult to believe that time has gone so quickly. I find myself asking myself where has the year gone? But when I take a closer look at how the guide has evolved and see how much content we’ve added to the Guide to Malaga website and I can see exactly where the time went!
Guide to Malaga triumphs
So as Guide to Malaga celebrates its first anniversary, what have been the highlights over the last year? Apart from the pure joy of actually getting the app live and the first sales (!), my best moments were:
User satisfaction
Until I got feedback from the first buyers of The 5 Best of Everything in Malaga, I’d no idea how the app would be received. Would it work? Would it be useful?
Fortunately I needn’t have worried because all the feedback has been excellent and we have some great reviews. Read them here.
Newsletter
This too was a big unknown, but the Guide to Malaga newsletter has slowly built up a loyal following. 12 months after the first newsletter went out (to just 2 people!), plenty of users of the guide and Malaga fans receive a fortnightly update on Malaga – news, events and recommendations. Plus they’re the first to find out what’s new in the guide. If you haven’t signed up for our Malaga newsletter – free in your inbox every other Friday – click below.
Malaga blog
Apart from the work involved in updating the guide, this is the section of Guide to Malaga that takes up the most time. In 12 months we’ve created over 100 blog posts, all about Malaga. When I first started the blog I was worried that I’d run out of topics, but don’t worry – there are plenty more in the pipeline!
More importantly, the Guide to Malaga blog has become the go-to place for information about Malaga in English. Our monthly what’s on in Malaga posts receive hundreds of visits as do popular perennials such as the Top 10 Malaga shopping spots and What should be on your Malaga bucket list.
New content on app
In spring this year, the Guide to Malaga app grew by 40-odd listings. Based on user feedback, we added several new sections including family-friendly hotels in Malaga, best venues for chocolate and churros, and the best tours in Malaga. Again, thank you to those of you who suggested useful additions – much appreciated.
[bctt tweet=”Looking back – Guide to Malaga celebrates its first anniversary.”]
Guide to Malaga challenges
But like anything, the first year of Guide to Malaga app hasn’t always been smooth sailing and there have been a few challenges on the way including:
App issues
This was definitely the most challenging and one of the issues involving the Android download took far too long to sort out. Luckily it got fixed eventually and now both the iOS and Android versions work as they should. The app development side still continues to pose challenges – Android customer support has gone right downhill (Apple’s has got better) – and we’re still learning.
Unusual requests
The Guide to Malaga app has been my first experience of having to provide custom service for my own product. This hasn’t been a challenge in itself, but the requests we’ve received from customers certainly have. We’ve been asked to book hotels, phone concert organisers, find out a price for a particular brand of olive oil and even what time it gets dark. Apart from making a hotel reservation, we’ve helped out with the other requests but this has led to another challenge. We didn’t get a reply or any thanks, but that’s the world of custom service for you!
Guide to Malaga changes
Over the last year, Guide to Malaga has seen some important changes, both to the app and the website:
New content
As we mentioned above, Guide to Malaga got a lot more content in the spring. We also had to replace several venues that closed down. We were particularly sad to say goodbye to Tapadaki, 1 of the 5 best gourmet tapas bars in Malaga in the guide, but we found an excellent replacement.
Not many bars and restaurants in Malaga have closed down since we launched the app. Does this indicate that times are a little easier? We hope so.
Updated content
1 of Guide to Malaga’s USPs (unique selling point) is that it’s always up-to-date. We’re continually checking out opening times, admission fees and if a venue is still there. There haven’t been too many changes, but users of the app notice them every so often when the app prompts them to update (free of charge).
New look for website
In July, we had a bit of revamp of the website. We changed the photos in the slideshow and the call-to-action buttons. All in all a slicker and fresher look. What do you think?
What’s next for Guide to Malaga
As Guide to Malaga celebrates its first anniversary, it’s a good time to think about the future. We have in mind the following:
Getting it out there
Spreading the word is perhaps the biggest challenge for a new product. We have some good mentions lined up for the autumn and hopefully a big-profile review (fingers crossed it works out).
New content
New attractions in Malaga continue to appear. The biggie this autumn is the Museo de la Aduana, set to be the biggest art museum in southern Spain. And in December, the only 5-star grand luxe hotel in Malaga opens. We’re hoping to review the Gran Hotel Miramar shortly after its grand opening and will definitely be including it as 1 of the 5 best splurge hotels in Malaga in the guide.
