website design: considering your business needs
"Clients invest in a design because they hope it will pay for itself in rewards: more traffic, better branding
and more sales. Use common sense and a bit of research to work out what your target market wants."
In an age of fierce competition — especially for top Google placement, merely stating you "need a website" without considering some of the important details and paramters that goes into the design and development will not do. With fickle digital consumers who have become more savvy with their expectations, not providing clear information or engaging the end user will likely result in a speedy departure and potentially lost sales.
Things to consider in laying the ground work for the creation of your business website:
- Why do you want a website?
- What do you want to accomplish? Goals? Objectives?
- Who is your target market?
- Do you have a marketing strategy in place to reach them?
- Is there actually a market for your products or services?
(Consider using the Google AdWords Keyword Tool to check whether people are actually
trying to find the service or product you are thinking of offering.)
- What is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) that differentiates you from the competition?
- Have you created any branding or identity such as business logo?
a poor website is better than no website?
"A poor design isn’t all bad for its own sake. It’s
damaging primarily because it says that you’ve been unwilling to invest in a
professional web presence. When the decision to stay or navigate away is
made in a few seconds, perception is everything."
As you can see, there is far more that goes into creating a website beyond just choosing a platform. You want to professionaly communicate your message to your audience as well as provide a positive user experience — one that allows people to navigate easily throughout your site thus finding the relevant information that brought them there in the first place and which ideally translates into increased sales and conversions. Websites today are not just about "selling". It's HOW they sell — by engaging and informing. They develop trust so that potential customers feel safe and will want to buy from you.
"responsive web design" - what is it?
"Responsive Web Design" is the latest buzz word that translates to creating a website that accommodates and is viewable across all media — from Tablets & iPads to Mobile devices & Smartphones as well as desktop computers. With more browsing slated to take place from Mobile Devices in 2012, this will become more and more important to those who want to remain competitive. While some sites may be built "responsively" others will likely require a much more simplified Mobile specific site to be created as well.
ensuring your site is search-friendly
Content remains king and it is important that a business have keywords & phrases to target. However, you want to focus on creating high-quality, fresh content around topics NOT keywords alone. Future Primitive creates websites to be search engine friendly with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) integration (the means by which Search Engines and your potential customers find you) as part of the initial design structure. Google Analytics are also installed on all sites so that traffic and performance may be monitored.
Please keep in mind that a website IS a living project. It's not a one time "set-it and forget it thing".
Done correctly it should evolve over time and not remain the same indefinitely!!
Want to learn more about creating a great website for your business?
Contact future primitive graphics today!
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) — Increase your search visibility with a well-optimized website.
• Local Search — Geo-targeting your business listing for local searches & customers
• Website Maintenance
— Why keeping your site updated with fresh content is so important.
• Web Banner Ads & Landing Pages
— Online adversting & marketing campaigns.
• Logo Design & Development
— Capturing the essence of your business in a design.
"The path of moving prospects to customers is paved with trust."