The design of your website can either make or break your business page. Click here to learn the importance of website design for small businesses.
Is your website design blocking your business from reaching its’ maximum potential?
Many companies fail to see the importance of website design when evaluating the possibilities for a lack of productivity. But, in today’s world, most businesses tend to operate off of tactics that are highly digital-reliant. So, if your company isn’t obtaining the results that you crave, there’s a good chance that your website design might be to blame.
According to a 2014 report, only 11 to 12% of websites boast a user-friendly design. At the time of the study, this amounted to about 10,000 sites that were using responsive design strategies.
In the grand scheme of things, this is a minute portion of the number of sites that exist on the web.
Want to be sure that your website design isn’t scaring users away?
Read on to learn game-changing tips to design a winning website for your small business.
The Importance of Website Design
No matter how small your business might be, the right website design has the power to impact your success in a big way.
Often, small business owners succumb to thinking that a professionally designed website may affect how well large corporations fare, but it has little influence over their own satisfaction ratings. Unfortunately, this mindset can limit your success in more ways than you might imagine.
Maintaining a user-friendly website that’s attractive and technologically advanced is key to keeping up with your competition and growing your business.
Increasingly, small businesses aren’t competing with just similarly sized companies to win customers. Thanks to the world wide web, consumers are able to access the products and services of both big and small locally and globally-owned businesses. The makes a winning website design for small businesses more important than ever.
Tips for Designing a Professional Website for Your Small Business
Now that we’ve established why web design is important, here are some tips to help bring your website to life.
1. Keep It Simple
Creating a professional website doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, your site is likely to look best when it’s free from unnecessary clutter.
It’s not uncommon for those new to website design to mistake clutter for quality. But, this strategy can cause your site to lose its appeal and won’t likely win over new users.
A simple, straightforward web design will easily direct users to where they want to go.
2. Mix Up Your Content
The best website design is one that incorporates multiple types of content.
Images tend to be especially effective in attracting users. But, even the highest quality images won’t likely hold their attention for long.
To keep visitors hanging around your site, you’ll also need interesting, useful blog posts. And, if you’re trying to sell products or services, you’ll want to include detailed descriptions and photos to draw consumers’ attention.
3. Make It Mobile Friendly
There are dozens of statistics that point to the increasing importance of having a mobile-friendly website.
In 2015, Time Magazine reported that 70% of Amazon customers made their seasonal holiday purchases via their mobile devices. Since then, mobile trends have continued to show an overwhelming number of consumers who rely on their smartphones throughout the entire buying process.
If your website isn’t mobile friendly, you’re likely losing out on business.
4. Consider Professional Help When Building Your Site
When building your website, you might want to consider using a professional service, especially if you haven’t had much experience in this area. You can then add content and make changes along the way. But, this will simplify the initial steps to get your site up and running and ensure that it’s ready to go from the start.
You can check out LinkNow to learn more about how a professional service can help your website look and perform its very best.
5. Get a Helping Hand From Your Competitors
Whether you’re searching for trending content or deciding on your website’s layout, you can always check the sites of your competitors to get helpful ideas.
While you should never copy a competitor’s content, you can certainly use their site to find out which hot topics are getting attention.
You can also take cues from others’ sites when determining the best design for your own. You will probably notice immediately the websites that are user-friendly.
Look at the details that attract you to your favorite sites and use that as a guide to decide what your site needs to include.
Similarly, if you come across a site that appears overly complicated, take care to avoid making the same mistakes on your page.
Want More Tips for Online Success?
The importance of website design can’t be overestimated as a predictor of your company’s overall online success. But, there are additional things to consider when getting your site web-ready.
Most businesses today rely on their website to generate sales and contribute substantially to the company’s profits. Even brick and mortar businesses are likely to boost their sales considerably by offering consumers the option to make their purchases online.
No matter what line of business you’re in, creating a seamless online sales process will help your company reach its’ maximum potential. Not only is this convenient for customers, but it also allows you the opportunity to suggest complementary products and showcase your store’s signature items.
Does your website have what it takes to make the sale?
If you haven’t thought about your customers’ online buying experience, now’s the time to start.
Check out this post for tips on how to sell your merchandise successfully online.