Redesigning the sogoods.net Website (and Looking Back at Past Google Ad Revenue)

I decided to redesign the layout of my sogoods.net website, which I had been gradually shaping into what I felt was an ideal form. Over the years I’ve built many different site designs, but the previous version of this one was actually my favorite so far. My web journey began with simple HTML exports from Microsoft Word, then moved through XOOPS (which had amazing functionality), Movable Type (powerful but felt heavy), and eventually to WordPress, which I’ve been using reliably for the past several years as my CMS.

Both the design and structure of the current sogoods.net have been very close to my ideal — clean, simple, and free of unnecessary elements. But as the world changes and more devices and display environments emerge, redesigning became necessary. This also felt like a good opportunity to create something new as part of my own brand. Another big motivation was the realization that my neglected Google AdSense ads had quietly generated nearly 600,000 yen over time, yet I had never reinvested that income. On top of that, I found a paid WordPress theme that I really liked, which gave me the final push.
Looking back, I realized that even the small Google ads I placed on student-era websites around 2005 had, over the long term, earned a surprisingly meaningful amount. With the right keywords and strategy, it may still not be too late for someone to start earning through web content today.
After switching to the new theme, I was impressed by how responsive and reliable the developer’s support was. Instead of spending entire days digging endlessly through search results to fix problems, I could now simply send a question in the morning and try the suggested fix later in the day when I had time. The site’s categories now highlight my works more clearly, and individual articles are structured to remain easy to read.