If you do a Google search for “great website design,” you’ll likely find several articles offering advice on how to make your website more noticeable among the many others on the web. The author’s worldview and biases may inform the content of these posts. Web accessibility, search engine optimisation hierarchy, and the effectiveness of colour and typography choices may not be covered. If your company already has a website, there are several steps you can take to increase your site’s appeal and the number of visitors it receives. What follows are some dos and don’ts for refreshing previously created content.
DO: Determine the Target Audience for Your Website
If you don’t know who you’re selling to, marketing to them can be a challenge. Finding out your target audience is the first step in taking your website to the next level. Your website, like all of your other promotional materials, should make it crystal clear to visitors what problems your company can solve and how they can get in touch with you.
Make Your Message Clear
Consider not only the people you are targeting with your site but also the people you are not. Do not squander effort on people who are not ready to buy your wares. Make sure your website serves both your needs and those of your customers. Outline the site’s function; what is it meant to accomplish?
Have Specific Targets in Mind
Learn who you want to visit your website so you can appeal to them. How can we best reach this audience with engaging material? Once you have a clear picture of your target market, you can put your knowledge of effective marketing tactics to the test. Having trouble zeroing in on your target audience or refocusing your offerings? Our discovery (Power Plan) will be of assistance.
Have Clear and Compelling Calls to Action(CTAs)
When people come to your site, what actions do you hope they’ll take? Can you describe the ideal method of communication between the two of you? When used in a way that speaks to the client’s values and needs, CTAs inform the visitor what to do.
Calls to action such as “Learn More,” “Subscribe,” and “Try for Free” are effective. In other words, these are just basic statements of direction. Even better would be if you could come up with a call to action that is unique to your company and its offerings. The target audience is the site’s visitors, and the objective is to make them feel like they’ve been there forever.
Communicate with Your Readers by Providing Useful Material
Blog posts are helpful for all three purposes: generating new material, building an audience, and improving search engine rankings. Embrace the opportunity to get intimate. Folks are also interested in learning more about who you are outside of work. Blogging is a powerful natural search engine optimization tool. If you don’t have time to sit for hours and ponder over what content to the blog, no worries, the content strategists at Engage Platform are here to help. Click here for more information.
DON’T: Overwhelm Visitors With Too Many Customisation Options on Your Website
Having a user-friendly website is a great way to connect with your target market and attract new customers. According to a Google study, people make snap judgments about whether they enjoy or despise a website’s layout in under a 10th of a second, and they don’t like sites with overly complex visuals. You have mere milliseconds to grab the attention of your target audience before they move on.
Flexible Layouts
No matter what kind of device is being used to access your website, it must be presented in an easily readable and usable format. Mobile devices are the way of the future; consequently, your website must cater to them. Learn the reasons why you need a responsive website design.
Develop Your Own Personal Look
Your website needs to stand out and have character, specifically the character of your brand. The goal is to leave an indelible impression on your customers with the decisions you make. All of the websites we create for our clients are unique and tailored to their specific needs.
Don’t Skimp on the Pictures
Your website’s aesthetic will suffer if the photos you use are subpar. If at all possible, you should avoid using stock photos. Make sure to showcase either your team or your ideal customers. It helps your website seem more personable and gives visitors the impression that they understand you and care about your mission.
Select Appropriate Typography
It’s important to use legible fonts that don’t clash with the rest of your design. However, typography in web design is crucial. It’s the intersection of content and form. People won’t read your content and will leave your website if you use poor typography.
Select a Color Scheme
Users are drawn to the right color scheme, while the wrong one can drive them away. If you’re having trouble deciding on a colour scheme, you could consult Pinterest for inspiration, use a colour generator, or hire a designer.
Make Proper Word Choices
However well-designed your website may be, if the content is illogical, no amount of polish will save it. We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that content is king, even though this blog post is largely concerned with form and function.
The content of your site’s messages should always come first. Have you attempted to write your content but found that you lacked a good starting point? Lessen your load by having someone else, like a professional writer, handle the content creation. Here are the four reasons why.
DO: Ensure That Your Site is User-friendly
You can easily lose potential customers and prevent them from returning to your website if it is difficult to understand. After all, why should a potential customer waste time try to understand what you do when they can simply return to Google and locate a competitor who better addresses their concerns?
Easy-to-Use Interface
Make sure your website’s navigation is simple. Don’t use more than five links to get around. When one has a specific target in mind, nobody wants to waste time wandering around aimlessly. The primary menu should only contain the most crucial links to pages. Toss the rest of the information into the footer. A search bar that works will also help your audience find what they’re looking for on your site.
It Takes Time to Load
Is the loading time of your webpage quick or slow? Maintaining a steady stream of visitors and their satisfaction requires a lightning-fast website. The point is to give site visitors a great experience. The success of your official site can be enhanced by using web-optimised image formats.
DON’T: To Be a Loner and Push People Away
Nowadays, with Google Reviews, it’s much simpler to find out what other people think of your business and the services you offer. Visitors to your site are interested in hearing about the positive experiences other customers have had with your company. Individuals who stop by your site want to get a sense of the person you are and what you stand for. Reviews are an excellent medium for spreading data like that. Your marketing efforts have limits; at some point, you’ll need to rely on word-of-mouth from happy customers.
Reviews and Testimonials
Genuine customer feedback in the form of photos, videos, and quotes is a powerful marketing tool. Prospective buyers will want assurance that your claims have been verified by customers like themselves. Facilitate the review process to help you get more positive feedback. If you’d like some feedback from your customers, send them this link and ask them to rate your service. In addition to providing them with a picture and talking points, you can also encourage them to write a review on their website. They’ll appreciate the convenience and be more likely to leave a review if you do this.
Including a review link in your email signature makes soliciting feedback easy. You could also add a call to action to your site’s homepage encouraging people to leave reviews or create a special page for reviews and link directly to your third-party review platform.
Inbound Links from Social Media
Ensure all your links are active and lead to the appropriate social accounts. This will allow your audience to learn more about you and connect with you in other places besides your website (more marketing opportunities!).
After All, is Said and Done
Making a website that conveys your vision clearly may seem impossible, but if you take it one day at a time (and use a handy guide such as this), you’ll be amazed at how simple it is. With the right resources and a focus on your ambition, you can build a website you can be delighted with within no time. Looking for assistance? Visit IconAF’s page to learn more about how you can outsource your web development and SEO to professionals.