As our world moves towards more digital interaction your website will likely be the first point of contact for customers interacting with your business. What your website looks like, says a lot about you. When a potential customer visits your site you want something that captures their attention. It is an opportunity to show off your brand’s colors, logo, and images that will instantly present to the world what you care about. Your website should be professional and expertly designed. But your design is also an opportunity to capture the essence of your business and tell the world who you are.
How do you want to present your business?
There are many different ways to design a website, but the question to ask is how do you want to express your business with your site?
Maybe you are a business that wants to highlight your seriousness and professionalism. Something that highlights your core values in a plain and straightforward way with clean design and calming colors.
Perhaps you are a restaurant, bar, or event and you want a website that oozes with atmosphere and charm. You might want a lot of pictures to show off the vibe of your establishment that prominently displays when and where you can be found.
Are you a retailer? You need an e-commerce site to serve as your online storefront. You might want a homepage that shows off your quirky, unique style and quickly directs visitors to your products, while headlighting special products and sales.
How to Keep Your Website Professional and Well-Maintained
Stay up to Date
Web design changes rapidly and it is easy to notice when a website hasn’t been updated in a few years. An outdated site suggests your business is stagnating, your products and services are old and out of date. At worst, an out-of-site will make a visitor question, “Is this company even still in business?”
New Content
Freshen your site with new content regularly; set a schedule if needed. New content not only helps improve your site’s search engine ranking but it keeps your visitors coming back.
Here’s our guide on creating good content.
Simple and Easy to Use
A strong website has clear, simple-to-use navigation. The homepage serves as the lobby, the jumping-off point to wherever else on the site someone might want to go. Avoid too much clutter that makes navigation confusing. We want to find what we are looking for with as few clicks as possible. Confusion leads directly to frustration and a frustrated customer is likely to quickly give up on your site.
Make Contacts Easy
The ultimate purpose of a website is to convert a visitor into a client. Place a contact link where it is easy to find in the top header or at the bottom of the page, or as an unobtrusive corner pop-up.
Have a Clear Call to Action
What is the most important action you want from your visitors? Focus on one clear objective. Whether it is signing up for a mailing list, getting them to shop in your store, or directing them to more of your content.
Read more about effective calls-to-action.
Improve Page Speed
Slow speeds will have a negative effect on your search rankings as your bounce rate increases and people quickly give up on your site. Google recommends a web page load in two to three seconds.
Whether you are a smart, professional business or a trendy, cool business a website can show off your atmosphere and can speak about who you are in many different ways.
