Website Design
Components Of Effective Website Design
Straight Forward Design: (Be Realistic)
Determine EXACTLY what you need from your Web site and no more. No matter what you decide you need, remember that everything that you do needs to accomplish your businesses’ overall goals of increasing sales and retaining current customers.
Target Audience: (Who Buys From You?)
The foundation of effective web design is the ‘Who’. Determining your target audience, their needs, wants, level of knowledge, goals, etc., is critical to creating a website that will be effective at either lead generation or e-commerce.
Core Message: (What Exactly do You Offer?)
Flowing directly from who you want to target, is the question of what you want to say to them. Your core message delivers your value proposition in a clear and compelling way. Your core message is not a mission statement, or an executive summary of your strategic plan. Your core message is essentially a list of the reasons and benefits that people will do business with you – written from their perspective.
Site Structure: (Is it Easy to Navigate)
Many websites are little more than on-line brochures. Visitors are free to click between this page and that, reading a little here and there. The result is that a site visitor develops very little emotional attachment, and the ‘back button’ is increasingly enticing. Sales people intuitively understand that their message must be delivered in the right sequence – A, B, C, then D, which leads to E. A website that is carefully structured can accomplish this same effect, building understanding and buy-in, step-by-step. At the end of that ‘presentation’ the visitor takes the next step willingly.
Call to Action: (Ask People to Buy!)
Asking a site visitor to take the next step is the ‘Call to Action’. This is the “contact us”, “join our mailing list”, or “Buy Now” option, which informs the site visitor of the next step. Most people are grateful to be guided through the process of evaluating a product or service, so if you tell them that the next step is to sign up for a 30-day trial, many of them will.
Lead Capture: (Get Their Contact Info)
Actually capturing contact (and qualifying) information from leads is relatively easy with today’s technology. Simple web scripts and a database that is provided for for free by most hosting companies are all that are needed. Many companies set up automated responses, saving time and energy, and ensuring that their sales people spend personal time with only the most qualified leads.
Provide Great Customer Service: (Respond to web inquiries ASAP)
A satisfied customer will keep on coming back to your site. Thus, give great customer service support all the time.
Simple Graphic Design: (Makes You Look Professional!)
Unfortunately, many companies spend 90% of their web budget on graphic design, and only 10% on ‘the other stuff’. Effective graphic design serves two purposes: to help establish credibility, and to entice visitors to read your content. Modest graphic design shows your readers that you are more interested in serving their needs, rather than displaying yours.
As a 20 year veteran desiging and building websites, I haven’t won many graphical awards for my clients. But then again they are too busy creating satisfied customers with their websites and don’t have time to chase awards.
There are thousands of web designers available to create sites. If you want a site that generates leads and accomplishes your business goals, contact us.