Seven tips to achieve great results when you’re thinking of designing your website
In the third decade of the 21st century, every business needs a website.
Even if you don’t plan to attract new customers through your online presence, people will expect to be able to learn more about you and your operation – and a site is the best way to give them the reassurance and information they need.
But how do you go about designing a website that showcases your services and products in the most compelling way?
If you want to sell directly, you need an e-commerce site. If you want your site to be a prime generator of new business, it needs to be expertly optimised to appear highly on search engine pages. You may want only a basic brochure website – a one-page site or a detailed creation with a multitude of pages.
Your choice will be determined by the way you operate. But, whatever type of site you want, it is critical that the design of your site works as well as it needs to. And, while every website’s look and feel will by definition be unique, there are certain design principles you should follow to get the best possible results.
1. Make it mobile-first: Most people now search using their mobile device rather than a desktop, so your site should be designed with the smaller screen in mind.
2. Streamline your content: There’s always a temptation to cram your site with as much information as possible. But you don’t want to confuse your audience. Have faith in your key messages and keep the design uncluttered and easy to follow.
3. Make it legible: All too many sites use artistic fonts, sometimes on colourful backgrounds. That might fit in with your creative genius – but it makes them hard to read.
4. Use the right colours: Your branding should be chosen with the subliminal message you want to send in mind. It should be reflected on your website – but keep it readable.
5. Immediate impact: Front-load the information you want to get across so that people don’t have to scroll too far or click through to get to the good stuff.
6. Use authentic pictures: Photographs of yourself and your team work better than artistic general shots. They humanise and personalise your site in a potential client’s eyes.
7. Use visual cues: Guide people towards the call to action that tells them how to engage with you. Make the relevant button prominent and point viewers in its direction. It sounds cheesy but it works.
There is an eighth tip we’d like to give you. And that is, unless you are a skilled and experienced web designer, look at outsourcing the task of designing your company’s website.
It’s easy to find DIY web development tools such as Wordpress and Squarespace that persuade you to design and build your site yourself. However, quite apart from the technical demands of creating a top-class website that demonstrates your excellence, there is another factor at play too.
Telling your own story, in words or pictures, is one of the hardest tasks you can face in business. You are simply too close to the business in question to do yourself justice.
Come and speak to us at Vinegar Creative. We have extensive experience in designing, building and delivering beautifully designed websites for a host of businesses – and we’ll take all the stress out of the design process for you.