Maybe you’re embarrassed about your existing website or perhaps you’re starting from scratch. What’s going to make your website design sizzle and build your brand online? To start, think long and hard and to what’s the point of your website – what do you want it to achieve?
make your website sizzle
Decide what your website is forThink about who you are trying to reach and how you want to help your customers and new website visitors. Do you want them to…
- Buy something they need – in a few clicks make a purchase
- Find useful information – encourage conversion of sales
- Save them money and time – a good deal will build loyalty
- Talk to your company – build a two-way conversation
- Enjoy an improved website experience – want them to come back for more
come back for more
An excellent website ticks all these boxes plus it should reach your company objectives too. These might be to increase sales, save you money through cutting the cost of customer support or you might quite simply want to get closer to your customers.
Decide if you can design it yourself
Are you really confident that you can make your website look professional and trustworthy? You have three options – a DIY job, consider a fixed-price starter package or appoint a design agency. Whatever suits your needs (and pocket), remember the website has to look credible and make customers feel welcome. These are the key ingredients for great website design.
- Proper use of colours – draw attention to the right things
- Animations, gadgets – avoid things that might be cool to you but a turn-off for others
- Layout – organise the pages clearly with lots of white space, avoid clutter!
- Typography – make sure you use consistent font sizes and colours that are easy to read
key ingredients – eggs
Decide if you really have that X factor
So what are the key factors will make them feel ‘hungry’ for your products to facilitate online sales and encourage return visits?
- High quality content – offering the right information at the right time
- Ease of use – find information easily with clear signposts
- Quick download – visitors won’t wait for slow downloads
- Updated frequently – stay fresh and add new relevant information
feel hungry
Great design is important but remember great content is what your visitors are really after. You won’t get a second chance to make a great first impression. Don’t leave them feeling ‘I still haven’t found what I’m looking for’.
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