If you’re a small or mid-sized business thinking of establishing an online presence, the first thing you’ll need to do is create an engaging website. The main page can make a great first impression, as long as you think of a website as your virtual storefront. Even more, you’ll want to ensure that the web design is consistent with and reflective of your company’s brand.
Unfortunately, and far too often, business owners become susceptible to bad advice when it comes to websites and web design. And most of this advice comes from inexperienced marketers, business associates, family members, and close friends. As pure as their intentions may be, there’s a lot they don’t know as it pertains to building great websites. So, to ensure you don’t receive bad advice, we’ve provided information below that you should look out for during your next web design project.
Buy a Web Design Template & Build Your Own Site
This tip may work somewhat for business owners who are already familiar with building new websites or updating existing ones. They must also know WordPress and graphic design if they truly intend to create a beautiful and responsive web design. However, for the amateur, this tip is just plain bad advice. A lot goes into building a website; hence, it goes well beyond how it looks on the screen.
About WordPress Programming
WordPress can be somewhat generic if you’re not familiar with other design elements. Also, it may not give your customers the correct impression of your goods and services. You can indeed save money by opting for an inexpensive WordPress site, but how will that affect you long term?
What Developers Do That Most People Don’t Know About
For example, website developers have to consider how well a site looks and functions on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices. And for customers to find a business online, that web design must also have optimized content and follow SEO guidelines.
Custom Websites
At the same time, if a business owner wants a custom web design, a template and D-I-Y mindset simply will not do! Professional developers will always come through with a business site that is relevant, functional, responsive, and attractive enough to capture visitors. And the bottom line is this: Website templates can never generate the kind of leads or business that a customized web design can.
Getting an Expensive Website is Always Better
This statement is not true. Expensive doesn’t always mean “better.” More so, it’s the comprehensiveness, functionality, responsiveness, page-count, and customizations that drive the cost of a site. Likewise, what makes a site “better” is when the full purpose of the web design results in getting the right prospects and hits to the site. Regardless of the investment you make for the kind of business website you require; you’ll want to see a return. However, your investment should match exactly what you need from your site.
Thankfully, professional website developers can provide you with a customized web design according to your business needs and goals. They can also ensure that the designs are high-converting. This way, you’re likely to attract more traffic to the site and convert more leads into sales. Customized websites will make a long-lasting impression on your audience. As such, this will most likely require a significant investment. Then again, just because a business makes a hefty investment for an expensive, beautiful website doesn’t mean it’s better. This is especially true if the site isn’t relevant, responsive, or functional.
Use the Overselling Approach in Your Web Design
That’s a big no-no! Like it or not, overselling can be a huge mistake. Overselling is a big turn-off for prospects as your business may come across as annoying or pushy. Therefore, don’t make your website too salesy, brash, or overly aggressive. Instead, build each page to tell a story that makes a genuine connection with your audience. Also, structure page content according to your customers’ needs, such as adding facts about your product rather than making dramatic claims.
Show potential customers how your products and services can benefit them and make a positive difference in their lives. People will often buy products and services when businesses present them in a concise, straightforward manner. Lastly, they will stay on your site longer and keep visiting if the web design is clean, user-friendly, and intuitive about making their experience as convenient as possible.
Your Web Design Should Last Several Years
With the pace of today’s ever-changing online marketing requirements, if you haven’t at least refreshed your site in the past 24 months, it’s old. What many business owners don’t always realize is that visitors need a reason to keep coming back to a site. Whether it’s fresh, relevant content, updated information, new videos, or even images, each feature keeps visitors coming back.
If your site looks the same as it did three years ago, statistics show that over time, visitors will stop coming to the site. Did you know that nearly 95% of site visitors won’t trust an outdated website? Consistent updates on your site, along with fresh new designs over time, not only attract visitors but also allows bots to crawl your site continuously. These things are keys to moving your online business up in ranking and increasing SEO efforts.
Content Doesn’t Matter
The myth that content doesn’t matter can be a slippery slope. Having a visually appealing web design is one part of a successful strategy; the other part is relevant content. Remember that content is king. Content is what determines your ranking in search engines and helps increase online visibility. It also attracts, captures, and stirs excitement among audiences. How well your content compels them to learn more about your business is what encourages them to take the desired call to action. Without quality content, you may not be able to rank as highly during keyword searches. Relevant content should educate, engage, connect, and/or better visitors’ lives, and then ultimately encourage them to action.
Ready for Some Good Advice?
Convergent1 is ready to help! Understanding your business industry and thinking like your clients are the things that help set us apart. With our skilled team of creative writers and researchers, we can create the perfect marketing strategy for you. We’d love the opportunity to discuss your service needs with you. For more information, or to schedule a consult, call us at 713-690-0707.
