Starting out on the design and structure of your website can be a daunting prospect. There are so many layouts and designs to choose from – so where do you start and how do you decide?
While the choices may seem overwhelming and the instinct may be to put as much as possible onto your website the best advice is:
Be efficient and easy to use: Your website should immediately present your USP (unique selling proposition). It should provide simple and easy to use navigational tools. If your potential customers are unable to quickly find the exact information they’re looking for they won’t engage with your business and will in fact leave your site without further thought. And you only get one chance at a first impression.
Simplicity is the key: Don’t be blinded by extensive flash, videos or slow loading graphics, these will not necessarily engage customers and is in fact, more likely to turn them off your site entirely. Endeavour to have a website with lower loading times and that serves your original purpose be that information or a place to sell your product or service. Remember also that the more complicated your site is, the more expensive it is likely to be for very little if any financial return.
Aim for high impact: Avoid standardised and dull graphics. People are becoming more and more internet savvy so you need to be able to stand out from the crowd. You have only a matter of seconds to engage with a visitor so you need to impress from the very first sight of your landing page.
Use the right words: It’s absolutely true that pictures say a thousand words but the content on your website is just as important. Content will tell your story and offering for you and help you achieve good search engine rankings. It’s vitally important that your content be clear, precise, accurate, relevant, engaging and fresh. Add to this is the need for your content to work for you by being search engine optimised without being difficult to read or detracting from your true message. Don’t forget that your website content also needs to free from spelling errors and grammatical mistakes to present a professional image.
