5 Business Website Design Tips

Web Design for Business

Web design is not as easy as DIY Website services claim to be. In addition to designing a visually aesthetic site, a designer must understand the fundamental purpose of the site and the complexity of the business for which it was designed for. Statistics show that about 48% of people believe building a website is the number one factor in deciding the credibility of your business. There are many variables that influence how a website attracts customers and influences their perspective on your business. The following are 5 tips to consider when designing a site for your business.

01.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization is often neglected small businesses hire traditional web designers. Business owners may go one step lower and use Wordpress or Wix to design their own websites.

What value does a website bring if no one can find it? SEO is the practice of increasing both the quality and quantity of website traffic, but it requires consideration for variables such as Search Engine Algorithms, human behavior and even meta-data. It is no surprise why there is an entire industry dedicated to SEO alone. A good Web Development firm will have a team of experts for specialties such as SEO, UX (User Experience) and UI (the visual aesthetics). SEO requires constant Analysis of web traffic and user behavior to continuously optimize and adapt to algorithms, user behavior and even trends.

02.

Mobile-Friendly Design

Every year, more and more users use their mobile devices to browse the web. The probability of a prospect customer visiting your website on a mobile device is higher compared to desktop visits. Despite this, many businesses continue to maintain and even pay for websites which are unusable on mobile devices. When a company's website is not mobile-friendly, it gives the user the impression that the company is outdated or even imcompetent. They immedietly leave that site and look for a competitor's site which is visible on their phone. In 2015, Google even changed their search engine algorithms to prioritize mobile-friendly websites in their top results. A mobile-friendly website will increase your presence on search engines which means more visitors and more traffic for your website. For your website to be mobile friendly, you should use responsive web design. You will be able to optimize your website to be more consistent, be compatible for all screens, improve user experience (UX), and engage more prospective customers.

03.

Easy Navigation (UX)

There is a saying for UX (User Experience) Design "Do NOT punish the user!". No one likes a complicated website which makes navigation impossible. People expect navigation to be as simple as possible so they can get to where they need to quickly. A great UX Designer will prioritize the most important pages on your website and provide the intuitive accessabilty for secondary content using a combination of Information Architecture and the Least Clicks method. Try to limit your navigation bar to 4-6 options located in the header of every page, and simplify the internal links to reduce complexity and number of clicks required to travel from the top content to more specialized content such as blogs.

04.

UI - User Interface

A brand is the essence of company's reputation. This is why fortune 500 companies effectively leverage design, color and quality to maintain a memorable brand in the eyes of their customers. A Company's website is similar in nature. The design should be consistent. All pages should have the same color schemes, fonts, composition and logos. A customer visits your page is drawn by the visual aesthetics. The user stays on your site if the content is neatly organized to showcase your company's purpose, products/services and what sets you apart from the competition. A visual designer will enhance your brand, and will focus on increasing the value of your company by showcasing a high-quality standard.

05.

Analytics

Digital Marketing and Social Media provide tremendous opportunities for businesses. When integrated with your company's website, you increase the insights gathered from analytics. Many companies neglect customer insights and ignore rather than cater to their loyal customers. Combining Analytics from Facebook, Google and even Yelp can give business owners tremndous insight about what their customers want and need. The best Digital Marketing Consultants deliver reports, insights and marketing strategies for companies. A good website will leverage these analytics and integrate with social media.

Advice to Business Owners

Although Squarspace and other DIY companies make designing your company's website seem simple, the reality is that online presence alone will do nothing for your business. You could spend years developing all of the different skills which will yield a great website worthy of your brand.

You're in the business to make money, and thus a website should be treated as an investment. Invest in your brand by hiring the best Intelligent-Website developers and Digital Marketing Analytics Consultants.

At Blue Data Owl, we provide all of the services needed to strengthen your brand and place your company above your competition. Add your email below to subscribe to more great tips!

5 Website Tips for your Business