Matthew Roblin, Freelance WordPress Web Designer
If you are unsure about updating your website or you don’t have a website at all, this blog post if for you.
Do you ever ask yourself, why bother getting help renewing your current businesses website, is it necessary? In short, yes. But ok, let’s face it, your current company website probably does look a little outdated compared to many of your competitors out there or maybe it just doesn’t function the way it should and It’s not the most attractive website there is, but at least your on the web and that’s certainly a good start. Regardless of how it looks, you have a website for people to go to and there’s visible company contact details listed there. Great!
But does having a credible, eye-catching website design really matter?
Better yet, a more considerable thought might be, how could I get more customers with an improved website?
Are you being found? Are you getting enquiries or making sales via your website?
Times have changed and your website is far more than just a billboard on the internet. There are several factors that go into your website being found online by your customers and also what influences them to make an enquiry.
So next, you consider improvements for your site and you look for a “web specialist” or a digital agency to give your business website a makeover, but your not entirely convinced that a new website design will generate new business.
Skepticism aside, studies show that a well-built, well-designed and also well-managed website will generate significantly much more customer traffic (meaning consumers finding you and visiting your website) and an improved user interface that will increase conversions (turning site visitors to leads and leads to sales) and that’s exactly what you need.
But now you may be thinking, how can something so “superficial” such as a website design impact the success of a business?
Firstly, in the age of digitalization with so much info and competition out there, you want to stand out. So having a nice modern web design will make a difference. It helps with attracting customers and influencing them to buy from you or at the very least show some interest. But of course it doesn’t stop there…
Below, I briefly highlight the key factors that a web designer should consider when designing a website.
Menu Navigation
One of the most important parts of a website is the menu navigation. Website menu navigation includes a list of labels that link to different parts of your website. Menus navigation bars typically include information such as your services, contact, about, blog etc. But a good navigation should be super easy and simple to find and understand – making for a good customer journey throughout your whole website.
Your menu navigation can literally be a make or break for your website, so it’s very important that it functions as it should, keeping it simple and not turning your website into a confusing labyrinth when visitors are navigating throughout the site.
Every page should be interconnected, linking together and also very easy to navigate around for all types users who visit your website.
Be Consistent With Branding
Just like in print materials, your brand should be consistent through all channels and used throughout your web pages, while keeping it consistent. Your brand should be recognised in all forms of communication so that consumers associate your brand authority and promise with your business and it’s proposition value.
Reading and SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is what determines how your website ranks in the search engines, i.e Google. One of the biggest determinants for SEO is good original content and the way it’s structured.
People typically read web pages the same way they would read out of a book, from left to right, top to bottom. More often then not, the most important information should be placed in the upper left-hand column. This will help get the message across more effectively for website visitors who could be possible customers for you.
Another reason for this is that it also helps to improve SEO. When you include relevant and important keywords or terms in your content, the search engines i.e Google will easily crawl your website, increasing your search engine placement and giving your website and company more visibility.
Using strategic keyword placement will help you rank for those terms and boost organic search results for your site. It’s important to use those keywords higher up in your text, for example in the title or beginning of the paragraph. While there are many tactics and strategies you can put together to improve SEO, there is no “secret sauce” to it. The key is to write relevant content for the reader and keeping your website up-to-date.
Good Content
As mentioned and along with reading patterns and search engine optimisation (SEO), content is key. The content on your site communicates what you do and tells about your value proposition, your brand and why customers should choose you. Ultimately, customers want personalization and it’s important to keep that in mind.
A good synergy is when you have good copy and design to compliment it. Depending on the industry, of course, making the message clear, concise, yet warm and welcoming helps the reader to remember the message easier. Not to mention that attention spans can be short, so it’s best to display your message to be eye-catching and to the point.
One common problem noticed is that some especially outdated looking websites are filled and compact with too much text and also bad text fonts, which most often overwhelms and turns away the reader, yet alone hold onto their interest. By streamlining the content, the web designer can insert the text into their design, which they would usually include enough space for it to be most relevant and visually pleasing for the reader.
Establish Trust
Establishing trust is crucial, especially with the amount of competitors like yours trying to grab the attention of customers. It’s one thing to build trust in-person, but it should be equally as important gaining trust from those online, surfing the web. You want to really understand who they are and what they value.
Good marketing tactics can really help to resonate with your potential customers. By enhancing connection with potential customers, you can resonate with them by your new web design. By making your website look more appealing, welcoming and trustworthy to your visitors, you will notice that your website traffic will also increase, bringing you new leads and website conversions, all with the help of savvy web design and better user experience.
The internet can be a daunting place full of the noise of information and sometimes even with shady sources out there. But, we don’t want to scare of website visitors and a so a well-created website design is one great way to gain trust and help create a user-friendly environment where people are searching for information, products and services like yours online frequently.
Before I end off here, a common misconception, especially with small business owners, is that they often claim that they don’t really need a new website design because they are “just a small local business”. Sadly though, they are limiting themselves and their business significantly by not serving their customers the way they should online, as well as representing themselves to the fullest.
Improved web design is not just for bigger firms, it’s really for anyone who wants to appeal to their audience online and attract new customers. Most of all, it’s more than just making your website look pretty, it impacts a whole lot more for your business’s visibility online. It’s certainly a worthy valuable investment. Of course, though, it all comes down to how you want to position your business online. Web design and online immersion will impact your business greatly, regardless of the size or type of business and should not be overlooked.
If your website looks great, functions well, and is also managed properly, customers will return time and time again, ultimately leading your business to grow and acquire new business now and for the future.