When working with a website designer to improve and enhance your website, there’s always the question of time and cost. Well, putting some zing into ailing websites doesn’t have to be time consuming. And neither should working with a web design professional to make the site more appealing cost you too much.
Easy fix ways to effective websites
Here are four web site design ideas that anyone, even on a limited budget, can implement in just a few days:
1. Make Searching Efficient: A decade or so ago, it used to be 15 seconds, but now it takes less than 5 seconds for visitors to move on from your site if they can’t find what they want. That’s thanks to faster processors and lightning fast internet speed (4G and soon 5G). Make sure your web design includes features that make it quick and easy for prospective clients to search and navigate your site.
TIP: Ask your web design agency to run a complete diagnostic of your traffic and bounce rate. Have your web designer use that data to make searching and navigating your site more efficient.
2. Design For Your Audience: Website designing is like homebuilding – you’ll typically build a home to specs that you (and your family and friends) enjoy living in. It’s the same with your website. If you don’t build it to accommodate the tastes and aspirations of your visitors, it won’t appeal to them.
TIP: When designing for younger audiences, like Centennials, Millennials and Gen Z, use plenty of videos and imagery. If your audience comprises largely of Baby Boomers or members of the Silent Generation, your web site design should focus on more text-based content.
3. Have Your Web Site Designer Test The Site Thoroughly: Most designers will test their work through various phases of the project – stand alone tests, module testing, integration tests, user acceptance testing etc. However, if there are flaws in the web design when you go live, it could drastically impact your online brand.
TIP: Over time, sites can develop broken links or host irrelevant (outdated) content – all of which can severely impact your Google site ranking. Working with a website designing agency that has a policy of continuous testing is the best way to deal with these situations.
TIP: Test for various devices, different operating systems, and multiple scenarios (email conflicts with Gmail versus Outlook etc.)
4. Implement A Well Thought Out Call To Action Strategy: If your web designer makes it a point to include Calls to Action (CTA) only on the Home page or the Contact Us page, then it’s time to have a rethink. Website design is all about gradually convincing (or even enticing) visitors to “take the next step” in placing an order. And that means continually offering (never demanding) them the opportunity to act. – not just at one or two locations, but across the site.
TIP: Depending on what works best for your site, consider asking your website designer to add call to action on several/most pages. If you have multiple product/service pages, perhaps there should be a call to action on each one of those
TIP: Don’t just let your web design team propose product demos or trial offers as part of your CTA strategy. That may be appropriate in some situations. However, think of innovative CTA offers instead: “Place your order for 10 cases now and you can cancel after 5 cases are delivered”
TIP: When developing a CTA, be sure that you are addressing a real pain point and not just making a sales pitch
Proposed Web Site Design Template
So, what are the “must have” components that an ideal web site should include? Well, each web designer will have their own approach to website designing, so it’s difficult to define “ideals”. Besides, every site is unique and may not conform to specific design norms. However, if there is a template that you wish your web design team to follow, it must include:
a) INTRO: Provide an introduction to the site comprising of a short video and text
b) WHY US: State your pedigree (About Us) and value proposition for prospective clients and visitors. This is where you can distinguish yourself from your competitors
c) WHAT WE OFFER: Have your web site designer include a succinct summary of your products and services. Make a strong case for why your offerings are better (higher quality, price competitive, feature rich) than others available online
d) OUR PRODUCTS/SERVICES: Lay out a more comprehensive description of what you are offering. Include plain text descriptions as well as more technical specifications. Work with your web design agency to include high quality pictures and graphics of the products/service offerings
e) TESTIMONIALS: These must be from real clients/users that have benefited from your solutions. Make them short and concise. Include videos and text – but don’t just verbalise the video in the text. Make them slightly different to appeal to different audiences
f) CASE STUDIES: Have your website designer include a few sample cases highlighting novel ways in which clients have used your product
g) ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Offer links to other authoritative, but like minded, sites and blogs
h) FREE STUFF: Have your web design agency create resources – such as White Papers, Downloadable spreadsheets, PDF templates – that support your product and service offerings. In return, all visitors must do is provide their contact details
Follow these simple rules and you should have an appealing website in no time at all. And it won’t break the bank either. Call or email if you have any questions about your website.
