10 Tips for Designing A Business Website That Yields Results.

Result oriented websites are possible by following these tips. Creating a web page is a lot of work. It may seem like it would be simple, but when you start creating one you realize right away there is a lot to consider. You will find that if you put it together the wrong way that it won’t yield the results you want.

A high bounce rate can be a bad thing. If it doesn’t look good, most users will leave your page in a hurry and never come back, leaving you with a high bounce rate. Depending on the design, and where you want your users to go your main Call to Action (CTA) could be missed.

Google defines a bounce rate as: the percentage of all sessions on your site in which

users viewed only a single page and triggered only a single request. You can read more

about bounce rates here.

Bad websites are terrible for businesses. A website is often the one and only channel potential customers will ever see of your business. Making a website is time consuming and if it doesn't bring you results, it can be very stressful. I wrote these tips to help make building a business website a little easier.

1. Figure Out Your Niche

The internet is vast and growing. Someone is making a site right now as you read this. It is very competitive. The best bet is to offer something that others don't. If that isn't possible, stand out, be unique, and strive to be the most authoritative at it.

2. Research Your Audience

Set up your site with a strategic plan for your target audience. Research to figure out:

1. What age group are they?

2. How much money do they make?

3. What are their careers like?

4. What are they interested in?

5. Where are they living and where are they from?

6. What is their education level?

7. What is their Relationship Status?

Design the site to cater to audiences' wants, solve their problems and fulfill their needs.

3. Build A Brand

Building a brand is all about the big picture. What is it that makes your business unique and how would you like the voice of the company to sound? What is the business all about? What does the business do? Why does it matter? Focus on the identity of your business so that when customers are looking for you, they will find you. To conceptualize a brand you can do the following: make a mission statement; determine your core values; research your target audience.

“A strong brand stands out in a densely crowded marketplace. People fall in love with brands, trust them, and believe in their superiority. How a brand is perceived affects its success, regardless of whether it’s a start-up, a nonprofit, or a product.” - Alina Wheeler from Designing Brand Identity

4. Develop Graphic and Communication Standards

Once you have evolved into a brand with a concept, it’s time to develop the “look” and “feel”. If your business were a person, how would they present themselves and communicate? Develop graphic standards for your brand and make it remembered throughout the website. Then use these on all your marketing efforts like social media, print and signage.

5. Think About The Flow of Your Website.

A lot of first time website designers make the mistake of thinking of their site as a brochure. Instead, think of the website as a journey. You should ask yourself these two questions to start a website:

1. Where would you like your visitors to begin?

2. What would you like them to do when they have finished?

Figure out your main Call to Action for a site on each page. Persuade the viewer to contact you, sign up for email blasts, subscribe to a video or buy a product. The flow of your site, when done well, should provide results for you. One way to flow your website is as follows:

Value Proposition

You get 10 seconds max to show what your webpage is about and what it can do for the

viewer. Keep the writing short and to the point. People read the first three words and

last three words of headlines. Make it unique for potential clients. Make it for your niche

and get it found in search engines.

About Section

Tell your clients about your business. People like to know who they are conducting

business with.

Services or Products Section

Describe what you are offering to your clients and use persuasive language to sell

them.

Team Section

Let website visitors see that you are a real person and tell them your story. To help

establish trust, let them see a picture/video of you or your team.

Reviews

Maintaining potential clients' trust is crucial for making decisions. A lot of people go

straight to reviews before purchasing any product or service.

Gallery

Showcase pictures of work or services. This will help build your authority and credibility.

Pro-Tip: Use an Instagram gallery plugin. It’s a great way to update your site with

new content and it directly ties into your social media communications. It will

further develop your brand. It’s great for getting traffic to your site discovered, and

is both easy and convenient.

Contact Section

Make it simple to get in touch and let them know when you are open for business.

Some people won’t feel comfortable sending you a question after working hours or

they may find a chat button intimidating.

Frequently Asked Questions

A lot of people would rather just do research on your business first before actually

contacting you.

6. Navigation

Make your site’s navigation simple, clear and consistent across all pages.

7. Theme

Create a good looking overall appearance for your site. Try to stick to using just a few fonts. Use consistent colors that compliment each other. Be sure to incorporate your colors and fonts, if needed, into your photos and illustrations on the site.

8. Negative Space

Negative space is important for people to process information. It helps the overall readability of the site.

9. Use Visual content

People may think something is wrong or get frustrated with your site and leave if you have long load times. Focus on images that complement the information you are providing. Don’t put large file sizes at the top of the page; you want that area to load quickly. Put a large gallery or videos towards the bottom of the page. A page labeled videos where one would expect longer load times is ok. Just keep in mind where people expect to have to wait.

Bonus Tip: Readers are way more likely to read infographics than a text block. Here is

an example of an infographic from the first agency I worked at Trone: An Infographic

Guide To Building Infographics [Infographic]

10. Make CTAs Stand Out

Make call-to action buttons and key content easy to find and see right away. CTA are for getting a person to take a certain action like “Subscribe Now” or “Start your trail”. Use contrasting colors that make them quickly found, and make them clear and easy to navigate. People will even leave a web page if they get frustrated and end up going somewhere they didn’t expect.

Hi, I'm Adam, Founder of Reese Creative Design. I hope that these tips help you design your very own Business Website. If you would like us to design a page for you, contact us and we will be glad to help. We design sites in Wix so that you can make changes and easily add / update your own content.