Business Goals and Web Design

By Kris T. Larsson


If you are upgrading your website or starting out and creating a new site, be sure that the overall plan of your site is based on the best marketing and conversion strategies available today. Best design practices are now supported by empirical evidence. It's important to be aware of the basics. You can't be expected to master conversion marketing, if this is not your field, but you should do some general reading so you can ask the right questions of the company you work with.

You're site cannot just be beautiful. One should be slightly reluctant to work with a designer who has no business experience other than their own. Or furthermore, someone with very little appetite or experience for conversion marketing. Your site should be aesthetically pleasing. As long as it is connected and supporting your business and your targets. Always consider your target audience, the user experience, and your ultimate business goals.

You site needs to be your best salesperson... in the form of sales, leads, or sign ups. Accurate or not, people will evaluate your company based on their experience with your site. The science backs up this claim. Whether or not people will purchase your product or service, is strongly influenced by their experience with your company's website.

General Web Design Tips

Clean sites with good color contrast look best across all browsers, tablets and smartphones. There is almost never a good enough reason to have a dark background with light text in your main body. And it looks terrible on smartphones. Take the time to see how your site shows on different screen resolutions and on tablets and smartphones.

Overcrowding is a fatal flaw. There is a tendency for people to try to put everything on a single page. People don't surf the web this way. They scan. And they have very short attention spans. Break it down and strip away anything that is unnecessary. Try to think of a single page that suggests just one, clear goal and action. And don't just focus on your homepage. A purpose and a call to action should define each page you have.

People won't wait for your site if it is slow. Three seconds is really the critical threshold. If you're any longer, people will leave your site. Just search google for the term "test your website speed" and you'll find a number of free services where you can simply add the url of your site and click a button to get the results.

It's not just a buzz word, video really is pushing the internet and business on the internet. You need it. It's not a nice add on or a luxury anymore. It's expected. It increases engagement, time spent at your site, and conversions. And the costs of video for web are inexpensive. The quality of everyday video equipment is sufficient for most online video. There are some guidelines you should follow and there are basic quality standards that need to be met. Above all, make sure the sound is excellent. People will tolerate average picture quality but not poor sound.

Testimonials are social proof and are absolutely necessary for your site. Video is a great medium for testimonials. It is more believable and more personal. And don't just be self promoting when getting testimonials. Keeping it natural and in the words of your clients will lend itself to a more genuine and valuable testimonial.




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