Around Algorfa is One Year Old!

In the last week of June, 2022, I realised a dream I’d held in my heart since 2014, when I published my first website, Sandra In Spain. At the time, I mentioned to my webmaster Elle Draper that eventually, I wanted to focus my Spain writing on my adopted home town of Algorfa, to help raise its profile and showcase the many good points about it. Too often, we tend to just drive through typical Spanish small towns and villages and miss the real heart of the place, don’t we? And who better to write about the local attractions than someone who lives and works there?

One of the categories on the original website was Around Algorfa, and Elle found out that the domain name was available exceptionally cheap, so she purchased it on my behalf. I planned to launch the site within a couple of years at most, but life got in the way and it wasn’t until 8 years later that Around Algorfa finally hit the Internet.

Now there are 36 features on the site covering all aspects of life in Algorfa, and the companion Around Algorfa Facebook Page has over 700 followers, with numbers growing daily. If 36 features doesn’t seem that many after a year, I also run my spiritual site, Sandra’s Soul Cave, which launched at the same time and has around 30 features, and I’ve written and published my first book, The Soul Cave, as well as editing two major publications, taking on various writing commissions and attending numerous local events in my other incarnation as a psychic and healer!

Who said life got more leisurely as you got older? At 71, I’m busier and happier than ever, and I love showcasing my home town in any way I can. While I offer lots of free publicity to local businesses, sharing special events on Facebook and adding links to features whenever I can, it takes time and money to keep a website running and promote its content, so I do rely on advertising to help pay the bills. As Around Algorfa heads into its second year, I’m looking to increase the number and variety of my advertisers, to give my readers the best choice of goods and services at their fingertips.

So, what do you get when you advertise with Around Algorfa? There are a number of options, tailored to suit you. I can write an exclusive feature showcasing your business and helping your customers get to know you, and I can also place an advertising banner on the site. For example, if you’re a local estate agent, your banner will appear on all features in the Your Home in Algorfa category, meaning people can instantly click through to your website to check for their dream home or upgrade their existing property.

Because this is a new website still establishing its presence, rates are competitive, and I am keeping 2022 prices to help you keep your advertising costs down. In the next week or so, I’ll be contacting existing advertisers with a special incentive to stay on the site, because I believe loyalty should be rewarded. If you feel Around Algorfa can get your business noticed and help you connect with potential customers, check out my rates here, then get in touch so we can talk about your requirements.

I’m proud of all the content on Around Algorfa, because it’s written from the heart, with love for my home town. However, if I have to choose one stand-out achievement over the last year, it has to be the ‘Shop Local’ initiative. This came about recently when I found out that some people were discouraging shoppers from using our local shops and advising them to ‘Go to Mercadona’ for all their shopping – even the bits and pieces and forgotten items.

It made my blood boil on behalf of my friends in business, and I wrote this feature, which has had an amazing number of views in the short time since it was published. More importantly though, it’s raised awareness of the crucial role of local shops, and brought the community together in understanding and encouragement. And that’s what living in a small town is all about, isn’t it – wherever in the world you happen to be.

Going forward, I will continue to work for Algorfa, its people and its businesses, and help attract footfall and revenue into our beautiful town. Let me know about your favourite things about Algorfa, and together we’ll spread the word!

Featured image credit: Steve Farr of La Finca.