How to Build Effective Websites 101
Effective Websites 101
Posted by Adam Hayes
Many small companies are making a wise choice and investing in professionally designed websites that raise the company's level of professionalism, exposure, and sales.
I have had people come to my saddle shop and they were surprised to see that we are just a a small shop because the website made us look so much better.
Online you can be as big or small as you want to be. The web gives small companies an opportunity to go toe-to-toe with big brand companies. It even gives small companies an advantage of being more flexible and quicker to adapt compared to large companies. However, you must have these things for your website to be effective.
- Usability - Allowing people to find what they came to find, quickly. And then find it again once they come back to your site.
- Findability - If they can't find you, they can't buy from you. Ranking and ranking for the correct keywords are key to getting and keeping customers online.
- Legibility - Does the design of your site allow for quick scanning and easy access to critical information. Can they read your headers, text, captions, etc.
- Clean - Graphics enhance your message. Every piece of your website should motivate your customer to a specific goal.
- Consistent Branding - Reinforce your brand image, building on your logo and other marketing materials.
- Fast Loading - Slow sites lose visitors. Don't be one of them.
- Cross-browser compatible - Make sure your site looks good across all current browsers.
Unfortunately, there are too many companies that just use an online template for their site. These are plagued with problems from being slow loading, brand destroying, unprofessional, and search engine unfriendly. Don't settle when it comes to your website. Would you want a lousy salesman talking to all of your potential customers and ultimately turning them off to your business and products?