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Designing a Website for Success

Any fledging business and company needs a website to properly lay out and advertise their services. In this day and age, everyone has access to the Internet, and for many businesses, this will be one of the first things that potential customers will see.

Landing a good first impression through your website is essential. It may seem a bit intimidating at first – you may wonder, “How can I make my company’s website stand out from the competition?” Here are a few simple steps that will help guide you and your website to success.

Set & Define Your Website’s Goals

First, consider what your business has to offer for its customer. The answer to this question should pave the road to the perfect website for your company. Think about your website’s demographic. For example, if you manage a company that sells children’s toys, the most frequent visitors to your site will be parents with their children.

Next, think about the intended benefit of visiting your website – you want to inform your customers of what toys are available for sale, what they do, how much they cost, etc.

Finally, consider what your company does better than its competitors, and remember this strength, as you will want to highlight it in some way. For example, your company’s toys are more durable than the competitor’s.

Once you have determined the answer to these three questions, you will have defined your main goals for your website, and you will be able to accurately detail what you want to be portrayed through your site’s design to your developer.

Use Brand Elements

Brand elements are what helps a customer recognize your brand, so it goes without saying that they will be the most important assets of your website’s design. Things like your company’s logo, color scheme, and font will be set in stone through your company’s website – if they haven’t been already.

If your company is a startup, then perhaps some of these elements will be defined by your web designer. Most likely, their eye for design will help your company excel, and you can work alongside them to make sure it also fits your desires. If your company is already established, make sure that these brand elements are present and a key component of your website.

Platform Accessibility

It is important that your website works and is easy to use on both desktop and mobile platforms. In 2020, mobile platforms (most specifically, cell phones) are how most customers will be accessing your website. Make sure that most if not all of the features of your website are useable on each iteration.

As your company’s online presence expands, you may actually want to create a mobile app for your company. When users go to your website on their mobile platform, it will redirect them to the mobile app, creating an even easier and smoother experience for them on their phone or tablet. This step will come later and involves consulting with an app developer. For now, concentrate on making your mobile website the best it can be – it will still be important for those who decline to download your company’s app.

Regular Maintenance

Once your website is up and running, it is important to constantly keep tabs on it. Make sure to check your website a few times every week, if not everyday, to make sure it is still functioning properly without any broken links or faulty features. If you leave your website improperly maintained and allow bugs to sit unfixed, this will drive customers away and make them less likely to do business with you.

It is also essential that you keep the website updated with regular new content and features. This will assure that present customers will not lose interest and will return to the website in the future to make use of your services once again. It is also important to listen to user feedback and make tweaks to the website as needed to ensure your customers’ best experience when interacting with your company’s web presence.