Your website should serve many
functions and will probably have many parts. A website can mean so
much to your business, it should be a serious undertaking – have a
dream, plan, design and develop, and debug. While your website can
be and do many things, it should have one primary goal. That goal
might be to generate leads, sell products, educate visitors,
establish your company as a solid leader in your industry –
whatever it is, that goal should be the focus through the design and
development of every part of the site. Below are four guiding
principles that can assure you have a killer website!
(1) Create Pages that Engage Readers
Quickly
According to a study by
Entrepreneur.com, the average first-time visitor to your site will
judge your website in about two-tenths of a second! Within the next
2.5 seconds they will confirm that judgment. If it's negative,
they're gone.
For many potential clients/customers,
your website will be their first impression of your business. They
should see a clean, organized site. Navigation should be easy to
find and follow. And your site should be unique – a reflection of
your brand. These strategies will help keep visitors on your site,
retaining readers and possibly turning them into clients/customers.
- Grab Attention with Large Images - It's no secret that images grab
attention. A large, quality images will grab attention and quickly
convey your message and your site's purpose. More companies are using
large photographs or even page wide videos as homepage backgrounds.
- Keep Text Short and to the Point - If Entrepreneur.com is right, you have
less than three seconds to grab your visitor's attention. Long
paragraphs will only discourage them from reading further. Keep your
message short and clear. Use bullet points if necessary, but don't
have long lists. Have a clear call-to-action link or button - “get
the demo,” “buy now,” “request a quote” “get our
newsletter.” Your call-to-action will depend on the goal of your
site or page. But, there should be one on every page and it should
be prominent.
- Be Smart with Colors - Color can increase brand recognition.
Think about a Coke can. You probably will recognize the red can as
Coke even without seeing the logo. And in the store you quickly
recognize the difference between Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Max just
be the color of the cans/bottles. Large companies spend a lot of
money on research before changing colors associated with their
products. You should put some serious time and thought into your
colors – what colors will be complementary and work well together?
What colors will appeal to your target audience? Which colors
complement the emotion you are trying to associate with your brand?
- Use Flat Design – Specifically
Flat Design 2.0 - Even if you don't know what 'flat
design' is, you probably know what it looks like. Since the
introduction of iOS 7, iPhones and iPads have been using a flat
design. And Windows 8 through 10 all use a flat design. It is the
absence of drop shadows, textures and gradients. and the use of easy
to read fonts. The 2.0 version of flat design uses light shadows,
highlights and layers to give elements a little bit of depth. Also,
you might find some elements (buttons for example) that will use a
slight gradient.
(2) Be Responsive
While I have heard (pretty good)
arguments that some business types do not need mobile ready sites,
the fact is that mobile use is rising every year. In 2014, mobile
internet usage overtook desktop usage. A Yahoo study showed that
consumers spent 47% more time on mobile devices in 2015 than in 2014.
Facebook reports that more users access their site from mobile
devices than from desktops.
This all means that potential
clients/customers will likely browse your company website from a
smartphone or tablet and your site should be ready. Visitors who
encounter sites that are not mobile friendly will likely get
frustrated and form a negative opinion of your company. When
visitors leave your site quickly it can increase what is know as the
'bounce rate.' And this can effect your ranking with search engines.
Fortunately, there is something called
Responsive Design which allows your site to adapt to the different
screen sizes of different devices. Responsive design means one site
can work for the desktop, tablet and smartphone. Make sure your new
or revamped site uses responsive design.
(3) Your Website Should be the Center
of Attention
It is a good idea to have a business
account and page with the major social media sites – Facebook,
Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. But your posts and status updates
on these sites are just little pieces of your business – tiny
morsels to wet the appetite of your potential clients/customers.
Your social media posts should always point visitors to your website.
This is where you will make the biggest impression.
Use your website to engage your
visitors. Use blogs, photo galleries, videos, and forums to showcase
projects, show your knowledge in your field, and provide customer
service. Engage in real conversations with your visitors. Encourage
clients/customers to share reviews or testimonials – consumers are
more likely to shop on sites with personal recommendations.
All of this content and engagement will
also improve SEO. Content provided by you and your clients is likely
to contain keyword phrases that will help your search engine ranking.
And search engines rank visitor-generated content high. Use forums,
Q&A sessions, and service conversations to keep visitors on our
site longer. Share links to other areas of your site as often as
possible to get visitors to explore.
Your website is the most valuable piece
of real estate your business has. You have full control over
everything about it – use it wisely!
(4) Make It Flow
Easy site navigation was mentioned in
(1) above. But, it's important enough to get its own number! If
visitors can't find the information they need easily, they will leave
your site. And the bad news is, they won't have the patients to look
for long. You and your developer should put
serious thought into the
flow of your site – which pages should get prime menu space? Which
pages should be placed in dropdown or slideout menus? Which pages
should be placed in secondary menus in sidebars or in the footer?
When considering how to best set up
your site's navigation, consider your business type and your
audience. Is there a structure that is standard for your business
type – something your visitors will expect? Again, if your
first-time visitors cannot find things where they expect, they won't
look for long. There are other businesses that have the same
products / services. If their sites are easier to navigate, they
will likely capture the business. It is always important to
remember, even if your site looks great, if the visitor can't find
the info they are looking for, you've missed the bulls-eye.
Your website plays a significant role
in building your business and your brand. Whether this is your first
website or you are re-launching a site, you must spend the time and
(yes) money to do it right. If not, you are missing out on the most
influential marketing tool you have.
