Your website is a very important reflection of your business. When people go to your website, their experience of your website is a representation, both conscious and sub-conscious, of your business in totality. Potential customers may make a decision about whether they will engage with your business purely based on their encounter with your website.
Almost always, your business website is the initial place a potential customer will go to find out about your business and the products or services it offers. It follows that you need to treat your website design in a manner akin to a first meeting with an important potential client. It is essential that your website has a good look and feel, communicates well, and is highly organised.
The three main ways in which prospective clients will form their first impression of your business are: visual presentation, content, and user experience.
1 Visual Presentation
If your website design is dated or visually unappealing, the website visitor will inherently attach that visual presentation to your business itself and the products and services it offers.
The design of your website needs to be not only professional-looking, but also modern, clean and pleasing to the eye. When something has a good appearance, people gain feelings of confidence and reassurance, and they will want to be part of the experience. When handling your website design, make sure you engage a web designer who has strong experience and talent. Keep in mind that trends in web design change rather rapidly, so be prepared to have a website redesign every second year.
2 User Experience
If the design of your website means that the site is difficult to navigate, it is hard to locate information, and it is slow to load, website visitors will naturally make the assumption that engaging with your business will be difficult and annoying.
Website navigation must be logical, intuitive, and clear. Information must be readily located and clearly written. The aim is to present pertinent information to the website visitor before they even knew they needed to know that information. The website must be fast-loading and display correctly on all browsers and devices. As there us such a massive and growing number of mobile internet users, it is critical for your business website to be mobile-friendly.
3. Content
The content on your website must be to the point, clear, concise, and presented in amounts that are easily digestible. A good place to start is a well-crafted 200-word business ‘pitch’, which is great to put on the homepage. As well as including essential information about your business and its goods and services, your website must also be rich in content that focuses on the fulfilment of the intrinsic needs of the market that is your main target, above and beyond the promotion of your business. You should volunteer strong content that shows you are a resource that has credibility and that you are a trusted industry leader.
The influence that website design has on the perception of a business is of much greater significance than most business owners realise. It is of critical importance to be aware of the most important elements of the design of a website, or to work with an experienced and talented website designer.
The good news is that if you get the essentials correct, your business website can work as a highly effective, efficient and influential sales tool. A great website can lift your business high above the competition and can present your business as a leader in your industry.
This article was contributed by Magicdust, a full service digital agency providing businesses with online marketing services, ecommerce solutions and website design Sydney and Australia wide.
