Effective is More Than Skin Deep

Posted by Mark Hess

____________________________________________________________________________________________

You want your company website to stand out and appeal to more people because that’s how you create buzz, authority, trust and most importantly, sales. Think of your website as your hub of information dissemination for all of your marketing efforts; your customer service center, your store and your business card.

It’s no longer possible to be taken seriously if your website doesn’t offer a good user experience, doesn’t use current sophisticated methodologies, make a good first impression, and help guide your visitors through the sales funnel efficiently and effectively.

And today our experience has grown and it has become more of a science as to how you provide all these attributes, than we understood just a few years ago. We now know exactly how to help influence a visitors understanding and feelings about your company. Your design also needs to take into account and plan for SEO (search engine optimization), and marketing efforts; for only by designing from the ground up with an understanding of the intricacies of these two important efforts in your arsenal for sales supremacy, will your site truly be the asset it should be.

Keeping Visitors Engaged

Studies prove that a new visitor will leave your site, on average, within three seconds if it doesn’t hold their attention immediately. Good web design makes the aesthetics of your website's layout and graphics attractive enough that people will want to see what else your site has to offer. In addition to the visual aspect of your site, it needs to communicate clearly the purpose of your business, the benefits and value you offer and lead a potential client through a sales funnel that will produce purchases and referrals.

Your home page needs to act as an introduction; presenting your company’s value proposition and containing a clear call to action (something you want the visitor to do), and using an understanding of psychological principles give your new visitor a sense of the trust, professionalism and competency you want them to feel about you.

Must Haves for a Home Page:

• Identifiable, memorable and accessible logo and company name; your brand.
• Clear message explaining your company’s value; the problem you solve. Usually in the top third of the page.
• Simple navigation system; consistent, understandable, logical
• Call to Action; sign up, see the offerings, contact you, or any number of things you want a visitor to do to help the sale.
• Special attributes such as testimonials, news, partners, discounted offers, videos, mentions in the press, awards, etc. Anything to validate your importance and stability. This starts to establish trust, which is the most important aspect for customer loyalty.
• Contact info, preferably a constant in the header or footer.
• Policies including returns, shipping, guarantees, customer service, etc.
• Good SEO foundation; relevant content using specifically chosen keywords, page titles, alt tags, inbound links and much more.

Advantages of Effective Web Design

1. You can appeal to target audiences. When designing your website, it should be with your target audience in mind; speak their language, encourage, build trust. Being able to do this effectively will generate a great deal of interest in your company.
2. You can tell a story about your brand. This allows you to create a relationship, instill a compelling memory, gain people’s trust and establish your brand. You can also use content to create an ongoing narrative. The flow of your layout in telling your story is important, and can help lead people through the site to help convince them to buy from you.
3. Show your expertise in your field. Trust needs to be established if anyone is going to buy what you’re selling. Give advice, use human language, don’t over sell. Show the visitor your depth of knowledge by presenting the problems your company can solve with antidotes, tips, background info, etc. If what you’re offering is good, a good story can sell it.

The Future of Web Design

Standard is no longer acceptable. In the ‘90’s websites were all over the place trying out new ideas. The trial and errors of others are now available for you to build upon. Today the art of web design has become much more of a science. We know what works well and what doesn’t.

The challenge is to find the knowledgeable designers and developers who can leverage this new found information and apply it to your specific niche. The goal should be to best present your company, influence others to trust and value your offerings and make purchases and referrals. It’s complicated, but very doable with the right team. And the cost of getting a truly modern, sophisticated, productive website built today is less than ever.

Mark Hess is a marketer and small business expert as well as an award winning illustrator, painter, graphic designer, entrepreneur and co-founder of BizSaves; with a passion for online marketing and small business success.
_______________________________________________________________

More Great Articles:

Entrepreneur: 4 Fatal Website Design Mistakes Entrepreneur: 8 Tips for Working with Web Designers Forbes: Relaunching Your Startup's Website? 7 Steps for Not Screwing Up. Forbes: User-Focused Design, a.k.a., The One Affordance Rule