Web design in 2022 seems simpler than ever. DIY options look more and more enticing as technology marches on. With better drag and drop features and affordable options, it appears like you can create the perfect website just by using your fingertips and some keystrokes. But can you?
Sure, you can create websites using site builders all day long, but if you’re designing a website for your business, you want to make sure it’s effective so your customers will know what to do when they visit. Do you want them to make an appointment? Buy what you’re selling?
Your web design is critical to your customer’s overall experience with your business. It’s their first impression of you if they throw your name in a search engine. Not just your customers – anyone who searches for you on the web and finds your website will either stay or leave depending on its design.
So it’s crucial to leave building – or updating – your website to the professionals, people who understand how to fold your website into your overall branding and your customers’ experience. Here are the components a professional web designer can bring to your business’s website.
The overall look and feel
Does your business’s website look and feel clean? Is the negative space maximized well? Are the links to different pages visible? What about calls to action, like ordering items or scheduling appointments?
The presentation of your website, from the fonts, colors, and layout, should visually communicate what your business is about. Like we detailed in our graphic design blog, visual communication says way more about who you are and what your business is about than any copy can, no matter how stellar it is.
However, getting the visuals down-pat can take some understanding of visual language. That’s where a professional web designer comes in handy. Your web designer should know more than the basics about composition, color theory, and more to create a website that fits into your customers’ experience with your brand.
Is it informative and easy to use?
Speaking of links and calls to action, are they easy to find, and is your website intuitive to navigate? Links to key pages should be easy to find, and the call to action should be prominent. If you’re looking at your website, and you’re trying to book an appointment for a manicure, you wouldn’t stay too long if you couldn’t find a place to book the appointment.
Beyond your call to action, your website should have stellar content that fits your overall brand, tone, and style. Written content should follow best SEO practices, but it should also have a tone and once one that matches what your business offers.
Does your website look great on all devices?
No matter what device you’re looking at your website from, the design needs to be responsive so it can fit a PC, tablet, or phone. This is old hat; we look at websites and engage with businesses from multiple devices a day and have done so for the last few years. Our web design needs to cater to all of them – and be intuitive on every single one, too.
Responsive web design is the principle that your website should respond to the device your customer is using. If they’re on an iPad, your site should be just as accessible as if they were looking at it on a desktop, an Android, or even a Kindle. No matter what device your customer is using to look at your website, it should appear intuitive, easy to navigate, and on-brand.
The layout for responsive web design itself can be implemented by an experienced web developer, or even implemented in a DIY developer package, but it takes a creative eye for layout and brand to fit into a number of styles. Just another reason to call in the pros to create or update your business’s website!
Does it drive your customers’ experience?
Every aspect of your business contributes to the overall experience your customer has. If looks like a confusing, garbled mess, your customers will walk away shaking their heads in confusion. Similarly, if you have a bunch of popups and fluff with no clear purpose, it will be a turnoff.
Also, building a website isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it deal. You have to continuously update it to keep it relevant, and keep it competitive with SEO rankings. Besides creating new content and promotions to keep your website fresh, new technology drives the customer experience, and their expectations for a well-designed website.
If there’s too much clutter on your website, your visitors are going to think it’s an eyesore and move on. Not only should your webpage be clean, it should also influence how your customer interacts with your brand beyond funneling them into the call to action.
That’s where an understanding of branding and brand experience comes in. A web designer should be able to understand your brand well enough to communicate it visually, content-wise, and navigationally on your website. We might get to a point in the future where you can think up the perfect website, or automate it yourself, but now, leaving it to the pros will be the best way to communicate to the world what you’re about.
Ready to take the next step and make a great first impression online? Contact us today to start building an effective website. If you have a site with us, but it’s getting close to two years old, contact us about upgrades! Never done business with Smart Link Solutions, check out our reviews. All new websites include a six-hour content management package after the website is completed!