When you go to your website, what do you see? Do you see a site that you are proud to own and be able to say “Yes, this is my company”? Or do you see a site that makes you bow your head in embarrassment, a site that makes you want to immediately close the tab and walk away? Your website is the second most important aspect of developing your company’s brand, as it is one of the first places your potential customers will look at when they’re trying to decide whether to use your services or not. So make sure it is worth visiting. Follow these 3 steps to make a fantastic first impression:
1. Design a layout that will marvel.
The very first step you need to take in order to transform your website from awful to awesome is ensuring that you have an aesthetically pleasing web design. You want your site visitors to arrive on your page, take a step back, and say, “I want whatever this business is selling.” When your potential customers see a website that is clean, modern, and visually compelling, they will associate this response with your business. Therefore, it is integral that you have a beautiful web design that keeps people coming back for more.
Because your website is an extension of your company’s public image, it should accurately and consistently convey your brand. Therefore, it needs to use the same color palette and font type as your logo in order to reinforce your brand message. Your website should have great graphics that are customized specifically for your business and that convey your company’s character. Including these important elements in your web design are crucial to further building a uniform brand that your customers can count on.
2. Develop a website that is navigable.
The worst thing you could possibly do for your business is to frustrate your site visitors so much that they either hit the “back” arrow, or worse, close the window entirely. Therefore, your web developers need to take into account user experience in order to avoid potentially losing valuable customers with a poor user flow. This means that your website should load quickly, be simple to navigate, and reflect current web trends.
In addition, make sure that your website stays beautiful across multiple platforms. Studies show that 48% of users think that your business doesn’t care about them if your site doesn’t load well on mobile. Therefore, the site should function properly regardless of whether someone is viewing it on a computer, a tablet, or on a mobile device; responsive web design is one way to achieve this. You might also consider going mobile if it makes sense for your business. Either way, though, you don’t want to be that business that loses half of its customers due to poor web development.
3. Write content that grips people’s interest right from the get-go.
The purpose of a website is not to make people wonder what they’re doing there but rather to easily and quickly convey your company’s value. You don’t want people digging through multiple pages to find out who you are. You want to make it clear and readily apparent to your site visitors what you can do for them.
When writing your copy, compelling your site visitors with a good story is another great way to keep them on your site. Tell your company’s story, but similar to your web layout, remember that your content should remain consistent with your brand’s voice. For example, if your company’s brand relies on humor, make sure your content conveys your quirkiness. Also, include call-to-action phrases, like asking them to click to a new page or subscribe to your newsletter. Doing this increases user engagement and builds brand loyalty.
When all is said and done, a good website is an important piece in building your company’s brand, because it makes or breaks your business. However, following these three steps will ensure that you not only gain new customers but also keep the old ones coming back for more.