How to Beat the Competition: Effective Business Website Design
Push your business in front of the competition with a well-designed website. Use the web design strategies that follow to create a welcoming experience for potential customers. As most business owners know, the manner in which you deliver information to potential customers is important when it comes to achieving success. In today’s society, the majority of information is delivered to consumers via the internet. It is important that your business has a well-designed website that can leave visitors with the most important information about your business, from sales and promotions to testimonies. Whether you are creating the simplest of websites or an impressive Drupal website, keep the following website design strategies in mind while doing it.
Don’t Be Intimidated by Larger Websites
It is common for business owners to be intimidated by all of the impressive websites on the internet, especially if these websites are direct competitors. It doesn’t take a wealth of web programming knowledge, or even a huge budget, to create your own website that will be equally impressive. There are now a handful of companies on the internet that allow you to use a website builder to create a business website, with some even being free of charge. A few particular website builders allow users to create a free Flash website, which consist of moving objects, navigation bars and sound.
First Impression is a Lasting Impression
One of the founders of SEOmoz, a website devoted to helping people build effective websites, said, “The quality of your site is often a measure of the quality of your business.” The goal is to create a website that shows the credibility and industry expertise of your business. In other words, don’t create a modern themed website if your business prides itself on its 100 year history. This type of business would call for a more traditional themed website.
Use Your Website to Brand Your Business
Any marketing expert will say that the most important element of a business website is the “branding” of it. You want your logo to be “branded” into each visitor’s mind, making it the only thing that comes to mind in regard to the specific product or industry. Creating your website’s brand can be effectively done by using a logo and tag line, or slogan. This logo needs to be visible on each page at least one time. There are a few rules when it comes to a business website’s logo: (1) place it in the upper left region of the website, (2) it should contain your business’s name and (3) the business’s phone number should be close to the logo.
Show Off Your Finest Assets: Your People
A business is only as good as its founders, owners or employees. Be sure that your websites gives appropriate credit to those who deserve it. You can dedicate a portion of a page to each person or a whole page. Be sure to discuss what each person contributes to the success and services of the business. Visitors see a website as more credible and trustworthy when they can put a face or faces with it.
Let Your Best Clients Speak for You
Most businesses have experienced happy customers, or they would have gone out of business by now. Let those you love your services sing praises for you. Testimonies are one of the most effective ways to convince potential customers to choose your product or service. Dedicate a section of your homepage to short testimonies provided by past or current customers. Include a picture or logo associated with each customer and a few details about them. The goal is to make the testimony feel as real and sincere as possible.
Slow to Graphics
Some people hate to write and therefore choose to fill their website with images and videos. While images and videos are nice additions to a website, there is nothing more valuable than quality text content. Pictures are great for a page that shows examples of work or products, but be sure that they are not congesting the site. Websites with numerous images and videos also take a lot longer to load, which may cause your visitors to become impatient and leave.
Avoid a Rat Race
One of the biggest nuances in regard to websites is a poorly designed navigation system. Be sure that the buttons and navigation menus within your websites direct visitors to the appropriate links. Visitors will surely question your site’s credibility it your “About Us” button directs them to the “Shopping Cart”. A messy navigation system can easily be avoided by testing every button and link before the website is launched live.