kinetik IT blog spot

Every business owner wants to have a website that’s a beautiful and effective marketing tool. So, why is it that so many companies have put up layouts that look plain, or just plain bad?

In some cases, they are probably following poor advice from creative teams who are rushing through the web design process. In other situations, they may be giving in to instincts that are counterproductive. We don’t want you to make either of those mistakes. That’s why we want to give you a simple, usable guide you can follow to ensure you get a great web design.

Let’s start with a straightforward step a lot of business owners and web designers overlook…

Pick an Aesthetic Theme

If you’ve ever searched for a new home, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that realtors talk about different properties in terms of distinct styles. They might show you something that’s Ranch, Victorian, or even Tudor. These terms serve as shorthand for a particular architectural philosophy. You should begin your business website with the same type of concept. Decide what kind of look you’re going for and then let that guide subsequent inspirations.

Choose a Clean and Engaging Layout

Even when a website is built from scratch there are going to be mockup designs to choose from. As a business owner, one of your most important roles in the web design process is to make the final decision on the overall look and layout. Don’t fall for the trap of choosing something that’s too cluttered and confusing just because you want to put more apps and content on every page.

Keep Colors and Fonts Simple

Go to a museum and you’ll see many different styles of art, ranging from the strikingly simple to more complex mixtures of colors, shapes, and textures. On the web, though, your visual medium is more limited – people can only see what you put in front of them on a flat screen. Knowing that, you should stick to simple color and font schemes that work well together. It’s usually better to be a bit understated online than it is to go over the top and annoy website visitors.

Only Use High-Quality Images

No matter how strong your website layout and visual plan is, your pages aren’t going to look their best if you have low-quality images. Ideally, you would fill your website with lots of custom photos that had been shot by a professional photographer. If you don’t have those, however, consider using stock photos (where appropriate) rather than trying to convey your credibility with grainy or outdated images.

Keep One Eye on Utility

The look of your website is important, but it isn’t the only thing that matters. That’s important to remember when considering things like layouts and color choices. You only have a few seconds to impress a first-time visitor who is arriving on your site for the first time. Make sure they can understand what you do instantly, and can find the information or resources that will lead them to give your business a try.

Looking for Web Design That Goes Above and Beyond?

At Kinetik IT in Arizona we think a business website should impress customers, support your marketing goals, and have a positive impact on your bottom line. If you’re looking to build a web presence that helps your company grow and compete in the digital age, contact us today so we can set up a free consultation.

Your website probably has a lot of different purposes. You might use it to recruit talent for your team, for example, or to spread news about events. However, its primary purpose is likely to generate sales, leads, and subscriptions. In other words, you likely judge the success or failure of your online marketing efforts on your ability to generate conversions.

Despite what a lot of marketing gurus might want you to think, pulling those conversions out of thin digital air isn’t always as simple as they make it out to be. It often takes a substantial investment of time and/or money to make an impact on your bottom line.

There aren’t any shortcuts to this process, but there are some proven practices you can follow. Today, let’s look at three tricks top online marketers use to generate massive conversions…

#1 Tailor Your Content and Campaigns

The classic mistake business owners and web designers make when trying to generate conversions is building a site (or ad, landing page, etc.) that is supposed to appeal to everyone. That just leads to the site promoting a generic marketing message that isn’t particularly effective for any group of buyers.

If you want to generate massive conversions, your first step is to figure out exactly whom you want to convert from your website and what it is they really need from a company like yours. Then you can tailor your content, and all your campaigns, in a way that feels like a meaningful one-on-one interaction between you and the customer.

Don’t market your products or services to everyone. Instead, zero in on the buyers who are most likely to respond to your offers and remain loyal customers for years to come.

#2 Mix Hard and Soft Offers

It’s no secret that different buyers respond to different cues. That’s why you should have a mix of so-called “hard” and “soft” offers on your website, your social media accounts, and other marketing platforms.

In this context, hard offers are ones that force your prospect to make an immediate choice. A pop-up ad is a good example of this: your visitor can either do what you’ve asked or click away. A soft offer, on the other hand, is an embedded link, a button, or an image that takes them to a targeted resource. It remains in the background, ready to be used, but isn’t intrusive.

If conversions are your goal, you should implement and experiment with both types of offers.

#3 Create Multiple Conversion Opportunities

No matter how well-designed your website is, you aren’t going to win most of your conversions on the first attempt. The majority of online searchers and buyers are going to require multiple exposures to your offers or brand before they’ll respond.

Luckily, you can give yourself second and third chances to generate conversions by using tools like retargeting and email autoresponders. By putting them to use you can not only improve your conversion rates, but also generate subsequent conversions (such as turning an email download into an in-person appointment).

When you create multiple conversion opportunities, your results will almost always improve significantly over time.

Need to Generate More Online Leads or Conversions?

If you aren’t getting conversions from your website, then your website isn’t doing its job. And neither is your web design and online marketing team.

In this business results matter more than anything, and the team at Kinetik IT in Arizona knows how to get them. Contact us today so we can schedule a free consultation and evaluate your current website and approach to online marketing together.

Many marketers think about web design in terms of what they want potential customers to see. That perspective is important, but it’s equally important to consider what it is you want prospective clients to feel and do. That’s where user experience (or UX for short) comes into play.

UX is a huge topic in web design, and there have been a lot of books, videos, and even entire seminars devoted to the topic. Assuming you are a business owner or executive who just wants to improve online results, though, most of what you need to know can be boiled down to five simple rules…

#1 Audience Awareness Gives You a Big Web Design Advantage

Good UX, like good web design, is highly subjective. The way you would build a page for a group of executives might differ very much from the layout created for an audience of teens.

Knowing that, it’s important that you and your design team think very carefully about your target audience. In fact, you should be aware that there might be several audiences (including decision-makers, researchers, and influencers) who all have their own distinct needs and preferences. Then you can create pages and content that appeal to your specific prospects.

#2 Website Loading Speed is a Top Priority

One thing that is virtually universal about providing a pleasant online user experience is the need for webpages that load quickly. This is underscored by the fact that numerous surveys have shown that the average visitor will leave your page in just a few seconds if they don’t see what they’re looking for.

There are a lot of ways to speed up your website, including upgraded web hosting, more efficient website coding, and image optimization. If yours aren’t moving fast enough, you should take steps to correct the problem.

#3 Your Most Important Information Comes First

In the old days, newspaper editors knew that the lead story had to fall “above the fold” so people passing by could see the headlines and decide whether to make a purchase. The same principles apply to your business website.

Whatever is most important for visitors to know about your company should fall within the areas that will load immediately on a user’s screen – even (or especially) if they are using a mobile device. That’s not a lot of space, so you should use it wisely.

#4 More Clicking Means Less Engagement

There are a lot of different ways to organize information on a website, but you and your web design team should pay close attention to the “depth” of your content. That term refers to the number of clicks or layers a visitor has to navigate in order to find the information they want.

As a rule of thumb, the deeper a website is, the less engagement you’re going to have. You don’t necessarily want to put everything on one or two pages, but you also have to be careful that things like product details or event registrations aren’t difficult to locate.

#5 Visitors Should be Guided in the Right Direction

If you have a conversion goal you want to achieve, you should do everything you can to guide website visitors in the right direction. Make sure all of your pages and calls to action lead to a specific point.

This is good for your marketing efforts, of course, but it’s also good UX. When you funnel visitors in the right way, you show them what they can do to get more information and never leave them stranded.

Is It Time to Boost the Results from Your Business Website?

If you feel like your business hasn’t been making the most of trends like UX, mobile marketing, or custom web development, it’s time to start getting the personal advice you need. Talk to the creative minds at Kinetik IT in Phoenix today to see how we can help with web design, online marketing, technology management, and so much more!

We get the chance to meet with new business owners and executives every week. Often, they have been referred by their friends and colleagues. That gives us a big edge over the competition, of course, but many still ask the question that’s really on their minds: why should they work with Kinetik IT instead of another Arizona technology service provider?

There are a lot of answers we can give based on a client’s needs and situation. However, the most compelling answers can be summed up into four major benefits we bring to the table. Today, we are going to tell you why we think you should choose us for your outsourced IT needs.

We Keep Your Business Running Smoothly

The biggest reason clients go looking for outsourced IT provider is that they are tired of dealing with hardware and software problems, along with unplanned service outages. In other words, they just want their technology to work the way it’s supposed to.

Our team of specialists knows how important it is for you to be able to concentrate on your company, not the latest software update or cybersecurity threat. So, everything we do is designed to make your life easier and stress-free.

We Do More Than Fix Hardware and Software

While there are other IT companies and in and around Phoenix with similar technical skills and qualifications, few can match the consulting services we provide. That’s because they are used to fixing IT problems rather than seeing the big picture in a client’s business or organization.

You want an IT firm that can understand your goals, help you plan for the future, and even establish accurate technology budgets. With that kind of help you can turn IT from an expense to an opportunity and not only get exactly what you need to move your business plans forward, but do it while saving money.

We Offer Plans For Every Group or Need

Some IT companies will try to lock you into a much bigger monthly contract or agreement then you need. Or, they’ll charge big fees if you find your company is growing or shrinking and your technology needs change.

Our business has been around for decades, meaning we’ve gone through those same changes ourselves. Along the way, we’ve learned that everyone is happier when our clients have the flexibility to add or scale back services as needed. And, we make a point of customizing plans and billing options for every situation. That’s the way we would want to be treated, so it’s what we give our clients.

Kinetik IT Has an Unmatched Reputation in Arizona

One of the big challenges business owners have in choosing an outsourced IT company is that so many pack up and go every year. That’s unfortunate, because there is nothing enjoyable about having to bring in a new team of technicians, get them familiar with your hardware and software, and explain the ins and outs of your business or industry.

The Kinetik IT team has been serving clients around Arizona for a long time, and we don’t plan on going anywhere. That stability, along with an unmatched reputation for service has made us the choice for business owners who want real value in a tech support vendor.

Ready to Work With the Best?

If you’re tired of working with technology support companies that charge too much, play games with their pricing, or don’t deliver on their promises then we would love to hear from you. Contact Kinetik IT in Phoenix today to learn more about our work and get a free estimate for the maintenance, advice, and security services you need.

Amongst new ecommerce entrepreneurs, there is a sense that the big challenge of getting an online store off the ground has to do with generating traffic to the website. They tend to think that if you just find enough buyers you’ll be bound to sell lots of products.

That’s certainly accurate in the sense that you need lots of targeted traffic to your website if you want to generate sales. However, simply having visits won’t ensure a healthy bottom line. In order to get profits month after month you have to have plenty of conversions from that traffic.

In this article we are going to give you a handful of tips you can use to jumpstart your ecommerce conversions starting today. Let’s begin by defining a successful website visit…

Figure Out Which Conversions You Need

The first step in boosting ecommerce conversions is defining what a good outcome looks like on your website. More often than not, that’s going to be a finished sale. However, if your customers make decisions in stages then a “conversion” might mean downloading a buying guide or getting them to watch a demo video.

Once you know what your goal is, it’s easier to set up your online store in a way that funnels visitors towards that outcome.

Upgrade Your Marketing Tools

In some ways, we seem to be entering a golden age of ecommerce. Not only are there tools for advanced analytics and mobile-friendly programming, but also content management systems that allow you to track buyers on a contact-by-contact basis.

You can use these platforms to streamline your marketing, customize offers, and refine your landing and product pages over time.

Offer Social Media Specials

Social media sites haven’t exactly replaced search engines, but they are influencing buyers more than ever. If you can build a strong following on Facebook or Twitter, for example, you’ll have the ability to broadcast coupon codes, live events, and limited-time offers to your audience.

Each of these can generate fast sales at high margins, particularly if you create a sense of urgency in your social messaging.

Make Use of Reviews and Testimonials

Buyers like reading about product specifications and seeing informational videos. When it’s time to share their credit card number, though, they want to know what other customers like them thought about your products. That’s where real-world reviews and testimonials can carry a great deal of weight.

By making it easy for buyers to leave their feedback, and for shoppers to find verified reviews, you increase your own credibility and make your product pages more persuasive.

Remove Any Barriers to the Sale

Most customers will be a little bit nervous placing an order with you for the first time, even if they feel good about your products and prices. So, sharing information like industry awards or money-back guarantees can go a long way towards easing their minds.

The biggest barrier between you and a new customer is one of doubt and skepticism. When you put trust indicators in your online store to show that purchases are safe, you take away a big mental stumbling block that could otherwise keep buyers from submitting an order.

Need More Ecommerce Firepower?

At Kinetik IT in Arizona we have helped dozens of entrepreneurs to launch – and even revive – their ecommerce websites. Whether you need help with design, programming, or online marketing, our team of creative experts is here to help. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and online store review!

Are you sick of seeing visitors come to your website without completing a purchase, signing up for your newsletter, or otherwise taking action to further a sale? Do you have plenty of searches and social visits, but too many bounces and too few revenue-generating results?

If so, you might need one of our seven proven tactics for massive website conversions. Let’s look at some tools you can put to use in your business today…

#1 Better Traffic-to-Landing-Page Alignment

Wherever your web traffic is coming from, visitors have something on their minds when they arrive on your website. Keep those “pain points” in mind as you put your landing pages together. The more a potential customer identifies with your marketing messages, the easier will be for you to persuade them to take the next step.

#2 Instant Discount Codes

It goes without saying that price is a big consideration for a first-time customer. They want to get as much as they can for the lowest possible price. By offering instant coupon codes for new customers you can sometimes nudge otherwise-reluctant buyers forward so they feel comfortable placing their first-order on your website.

#3 Customer-Focused Information Offers

In situations where there is a big purchase or decision to be made, you can’t always persuade a prospect to take a huge step all at once. What you can do, though, is offer a very targeted piece of information (like a downloadable e-book or video) that helps them to see the value of what you have to sell. That gives you a way to follow up with them again later and get them thinking about your solutions.

#4 Targeted Video Testimonials From Customers

Online marketing can present you with a catch-22 situation. On the one hand, your content has to be compelling if you want to generate results. But on the other hand, if your content is too good buyers will be skeptical of your claims. By showing them video testimonials from other real customers you can break through their hesitation and allow them to move forward confidently.

#5 Money-Back Guarantees on Your Products

Just like testimonials, money-back guarantees help prospective customers to remove some of the perceived risk from a transaction. If they know they can recover any cash that has been spent in the event that they aren’t 100% satisfied, then there isn’t much of a reason for them to hesitate in buying.

#6 Dynamic Content and Individualized Offers

It’s easier than ever to integrate dynamic content into your website. These could be pages, offers, or even pop-up ads that change based on browsing history, shopping cart behavior, etc. Given that no two buyers have the exact same needs, integrating that kind of individualized approach to your marketing can be a huge boost to conversion rates.

#7 Retargeting Ads That Give Buyers a Second Chance

Internet marketers are starting to realize what great salespeople have known for decades: that “no” usually isn’t a final answer. With retargeting ads, you can give buyers additional chances to come back to your website even after they’ve failed to convert on the first visit. In some businesses these campaigns can triple or even quadruple conversion rates.

Ready to Boost Your Website Conversions?

If you want to see more visitors coming to your website – and turn more of those visits into sales opportunities – you need a creative team that understands what it takes to generate real-world results you can see in your bottom line. Contact Kinetik IT in Phoenix today to schedule a free consultation!

Branding is a big topic. It’s such a big one, in fact, that amidst all the talk about logos, identities, and style sheets, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that it isn’t an abstract concept. The fact of the matter is that building your brand can help you boost sales. We know because it’s a story we’ve seen play out again and again.

Wondering exactly how the money you spend on improving your brand and image could come back to you in terms of new sales, accounts, or appointments? Let’s look at a few of the most obvious ways…

Branding is about Instant Impressions

When you have a great brand in place, you'll make a sharp first impression on potential customers, colleagues, and even employees. That means you have an immediate advantage and people are more apt to decide to work with you. That’s because they began the relationship assuming you are competent, professional, and trustworthy.

Conversely, when your branding is vague or underwhelming you don’t begin with any of these advantages. That makes it harder to establish the right tone later.

People Recognize Brands over Products and Prices

Business owners often assume customers buy based on price. That's certainly a factor, but it’s definitely not the only one. Just look at the way many people will pay premiums for certain types of clothing, food, or luxury items even though more cost-effective choices are available.

When people know and like your brand, they are more likely to buy from you even if competitors sell similar products or services for less.

Strong Branding Builds Trust

The real goal of your branding effort should be to establish an identity in the marketplace that is instantly recognized by anyone within your customer base. That is, when they see your logo they know exactly who you are, what you’re about, and why they should work with you instead of taking their business elsewhere.

All of this comes back to an issue of trust. When you have a strong brand, it means buyers implicitly trust your marketing messages in a way they don’t trust others.

The Right Branding Campaign Can Increase Referrals

Although we’ve touched on the advantages of branding in a one-to-one setting, it’s also true that you can increase positive referrals and reviews with a strong brand. Buyers feel more comfortable recommending businesses that are known to others. Furthermore, we all have a subconscious bias towards being associated with winning and success.

When your brand is strong enough people will want your prestige to rub off on them. That means more introductions, better candidates for your job openings, and bigger opportunities to expand.

Good Branding Improves Conversion on All Marketing Campaigns

Your brand doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The more well-known it gets, the more effective the rest of your marketing is. When people know your image and message they are more responsive to email, online ads, and even print offers. That, in turn, boosts your brand even more.

The bottom line is that a strong branding effort tends to be self-fulfilling over time. The more you put into it, the bigger rewards you’re going to get out of the process later.

Need Help With Your Company’s Brand?

At Kinetik IT in Phoenix, we have helped hundreds of companies to establish themselves as leaders in the marketplace. From logos and visual identities to brand development and style sheets, we know what it takes to separate your business from the competition.

Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and see what we can do for you!

As a leading web design firm and IT provider, we always advise our clients to back up any sensitive data they need to run their companies. This applies especially strongly to websites, copies of which should be made regularly and stored on a secure and remote server.

Unfortunately, many business owners and executives don’t have someone reminding them to back up their websites. And even when they do, they don’t always follow this good piece of advice.

With that in mind, today we want to take a look at what can happen when you don’t back up your website regularly. Here are just a few of the possible consequences…

Your Content May Permanently Disappear

If your website isn’t being backed up, then it’s entirely possible that the only layout, content, and collected information might live on a hosting server somewhere. Although it doesn’t happen often, these servers can crash or suffer hardware failures. And, they can be targets for hackers.

Should any of these events come to occur, you could lose access to everything that has been written and designed for your company. That could set your marketing plan back years.

Sales and Leads Might Grind to a Halt

Once your website goes down without a backup copy ready to use, you won’t just be facing the pain and expense of rebuilding your web presence from the ground up. That’s because you’ll probably miss out on lots of sales and leads in the meantime.

Imagine what would happen to your bottom line if your most powerful source of new revenue suddenly dried up. Why risk that when it’s so easy to put backup copies of your website in place?

Your Credibility Takes a Big Hit

Obviously, a website that’s offline can’t generate online sales, leads, or walk-in visits for your business. However, it’s worth pointing out that a missing website sends a bad message to potential customers or colleagues. How likely would you be to contact the company if you visited them online and found nothing but an error message or a “coming soon” page?

Even worse, with no existing website in place it could take weeks to get back online. That means a lot of lost sales and some business opportunities you might not ever get back.

You Could Lose Access to Email

In some cases, a hosting plan might be tied in together with an email server. In other words, if one disappears, or has to be reinstalled, you could lose access to the other.

What this really means in the real world is that an issue with your website could lead to an unexpected email outage. For that reason, a good IT provider will ensure your email messages are being backed up along with any content on your business website.

You Start Your Next Web Design from Scratch

As we’ve already mentioned, losing your website without any backups can mean wiping out all the pages, blog posts, and updates you’ve worked to create over the years. That creates headaches because it means your next web designer has to start from nothing, while Google may ignore you because your website appears to be broken.

There’s never a good time to begin from nothing online, particularly when you've already devoted time and money to building up your online footprint. Don’t throw away the progress you’ve made simply because you don’t have backup copies of your website in place.

Want to learn more about protecting your website and data? Contact the Kinetik IT team in Phoenix today so we can help you find the first steps you’re looking for.

Web development is something of an interesting topic in business circles. To some owners and executives, it essentially amounts to website design. To others, and particularly those in the online marketing industry, development has more to do with functionality and user features than it does visuals and layouts.

These two areas of business website creation tend to overlap quite a bit, of course, but the point is that you probably want an online presence for your company that does more than show pictures of your team and products. In this day and age, you want pages and applications that give information, automate data collection, and perform lots of other features that help your bottom line.

The good news is that all of that is very possible. The bad news is that it won’t happen by accident. If you want a website that’s as versatile as a business tool as it is an online brochure, you’re going to have to plan ahead.

With that in mind, let’s look at a handful of key questions you should ask yourself when planning the perfect web development project…

What do You Want Your Website to do?

You can think of this question in a couple of ways. The first points at the specific features you’d like to have included on your site. Maybe you want to have real-time inventory and pricing data. Perhaps your customers can benefit from shipping information or currency calculators. It could be that a live customer chat feature would help you get more orders and decrease returns.

In a bigger picture sense, though, we would invite you to think about what it is you want your website to do for your business. How could it impact your bottom line by helping you to improve sales, increase your margins, or cut costs? Often, the goals you have for your company can help lead you to the right features to integrate on your pages.

Until you know what it is you want your website to actually accomplish, it’s difficult to create a plan that will meet your needs.

How Do You Want Your Website to Look?

This is the part of the process business owners and executives love. And, even though we are emphasizing the functionality and business power of a web presence, aesthetics are still important.

That’s because your website shouldn’t just “look good.” It should reflect your value and unique selling proposition by positioning you correctly against your colleagues and competitors. And, it should be designed in a way that grabs the attention of your most important prospects and customers. It should almost literally jump off the page and make them want to interact with your content.

Make no mistake: your website has to do a lot of things, but it also has to look like something buyers want to use. If it doesn’t, then all the features in the world aren’t going to help.

What Existing Apps Can Help You Meet Your Business Goals?

When it comes to web programming, not everything has to be built from the ground up. In fact, they’re so many apps and plug-ins out there that work alongside WordPress, Drupal, Magento, and every other major platform that you can often get by with little or no custom development.

It’s worth pointing out, however, that it’s easy to overload your website with extraneous plug-ins that add little to user experience while slowing down your website or adding security risks. Think of them like ornaments on a Christmas tree – you really stand out, but too many can tip the whole thing over on its side.

This is another area where a good development team can help you to not only find the right solutions, but to figure out what you really need on your website in the first place. They can help you find the fine line between giving visitors lots to use and keeping your website working quickly and cleanly.

Is Your Web Development Project Worth the Time and Expense?

Just like anything else in your business, there should be a cost and benefit analysis attached to website development. You might not want to pay for all the features you have in mind, and some ideas may turn out to be unprofitable in the long run.

In most cases, the biggest risk associated with spending money on web development is putting too little into a project. That might sound counter intuitive, but a truly innovative website sets you apart from your competitors. If you have functions and features they don’t, customers will come your way. But if you cut corners when having your site developed, it can come off as generic, glitchy, or hard to use. In that case, the money you’ve spent will have been wasted.

If you have a great idea for a web development project that can take your business to the next level, then commit the right resources to the job. Good programming costs less than you would imagine, and it almost always pays for itself in the long run.

What Plans Do You Have to Update Your Web Programming?

The golden rule of coming up with custom software – whether it’s going to be used on the web or locally through a computer or phone – is that you have to plan for future updates, patches, and new releases.

Obviously, doing a bit of planning with your project and hiring the right company is going to cut down on the revision work that is needed, and will stretch out the time between new versions. Eventually, though, your needs for your site will change. Or, web browsers and HTML standards will shift. Either way, you’ll have to release something new to keep up or watch your business fall behind.

The good news here is that updating a well-programmed website is hardly ever a big or expensive project, even if it contains custom code to run specific features. However, if you ignore this part of the process, you’ll have a hard time maintaining a positive ROI as your competitors catch up and then surpass you.

Web Development Made Easy

When most business owners and executives decide they “need a website,” they don’t have any of these issues on their minds. And even when they have thought about a website in terms of programming and functionality, it’s easy to lose track of important priorities when they are sorting through layouts, logos, and content.

That’s why it’s important to choose the right creative team if you want a website that has advanced features. The right firm will take the time to get to know your business, ask you about your needs, and even make suggestions that can help your company rather than creating a generic web presence for you as quickly and cheaply as possible.

If that sounds like the kind of service you want and expect, then maybe it’s time to talk to the experienced marketing and programming minds at Kinetik IT in Phoenix. Drawing on what we’ve learned building websites, software, and online marketing campaigns for dozens of organizations around Arizona, we can answer your questions and point you in the right direction.

Reach out today to schedule your free consultation!

We like to tell business owners and executives that the most important part of the web design process happens before we’ve ever drawn a single pixel or written the first line of code. That’s because information and insight are the foundations for a good website and online marketing campaign. It’s not enough to create a strong online presence – you have to customize it to a specific company, and then keep growing and adapting over time.

None of these great things can happen, however, unless a web designer and a client are on the same page. If there isn’t a good flow of information from one side to the other, a creative team can’t really narrow in on specific strengths and opportunities. In other words, they can’t give a business the website or marketing plan it really needs.

Knowing that, it’s up to you as an owner or executive to supply your web design team with the details they need to help you. To be sure you don’t forget to mention something important, today we want to examine nine different truths about your business that your web designer definitely needs to hear before they get to work on your project…

#1 Where Your Business Comes From

Often, the history of the company can tell you a lot about its strengths, it’s values, and its future. Additionally, it can be central to the sales and marketing approach that the business will follow.

You should be sure your web design team knows where your company or organization comes from for those reasons, and to provide context for any future discussions about design, philosophy, or marketing results. Whether you’ve been around for a few hours or a century, make sure your creative partner understands your story and how it influences your business today.

#2 Where Your Company is Headed

Even more important in your history, is your future. In a big-picture sense, you want your web design team to know where you’re headed. They should have an understanding of what your dreams for the company look like, as well as the challenges that are looming on the horizon.

This is, once again, important for context. However, it also matters because a business website is never really finished. Instead, it grows and evolves over time. If your web designer knows where you intend to steer your company in the future, they can help lay the groundwork for additional expansion, new features, or tools and plug-ins that could be required down the road.

#3 What Your Specific Business Goals Look Like

Once you get past big-picture aspirations, it’s time to dig into the details. Let your web design team know what your specific goals for the project look like. Do you want to increase online sales, generate walk-in traffic, or grow your business in some other way?

These kinds of targets help shape the design of your website, and let your creative partner know what sorts of campaigns are going to be needed to turn your ideas into reality. The more firm you are in knowing what you want to accomplish, the easier it will be for your web designer to put together a plan that leads you in the right direction.

#4 What Kind of People Make Up Your Target Market

Who are your best customers or prospects? Where do they live? What kinds of jobs do they have? What are they willing to spend, and how informed are they about your products or services?

These kinds of questions are only a starting point, but they can remind you of just how important it is to know who your buyers are. You can think in terms of demographics or personas, but this sort of insight is going to influence every design or marketing decision that comes later. Be sure your web designer knows who you’re selling to, or your bottom line is going to suffer.

#5 Who Your Biggest Competitors Are

Of course, it isn’t only enough to know your own business and your customers – you have to keep an eye on the competition, too. That has always been true, but it’s even more critical in the Internet age where “the other guy” is just a click away on Google.

Ideally, you want your web design team to know which businesses you are in direct competition with, which colleagues you admire, and how each of them stacks up (in terms of price, value, and maybe even location) to what you have to offer. Then, they can help you put your best marketing advantages forward.

#6 Why Buyers Come to You Instead of The Competition

Your competitive strengths should be highlighted on every page of your website. They should also be presented in a way that appeals to your best customers and differentiates you from the competition.

We have already alluded to this, but it’s so important that it’s worth mentioning again separately. There is some reason that a certain segment of your target market decides to work with you instead of your competitors. Maybe you offer lower prices, better service, or just a more convenient stop on their daily commute. Whatever it is, your web design team needs to know.

#7 Which Geographic Areas You Operate Within

More and more, customers are turning to the web for local businesses and providers. Google has essentially overtaken the Yellow Pages as a top source for any kind of vendor you’d find in the neighborhood, and geography has become a big factor in search engine visibility.

Considering all of that, it’s easy to understand why your web designer needs to know which cities, states, or neighborhoods you operate within. They have to know where your revenue comes from, and which areas you want to expand to. That way, they can help you to not only optimize your site for local search traffic, but to reach out to the customers who are literally minutes from your door.

#8 Which Customers You Don’t Want to Target

In most businesses, there isn’t just a segment of the market to target, but also a group that doesn’t need to be focused on. These could include buyers who can’t afford the products or services on sale, those who are loyal to other companies, or just people who live too far away to serve cost-effectively.

If there are customers you can do without, or want to actively discourage from soliciting your business, you should let your web designer know. That way, they can ask buyers to qualify themselves, and make sure none of your marketing dollars are being wasted on the wrong audience.

#9 What Your Marketing Strengths and Weaknesses Are

After your website goes live, you’re going to need ongoing updates like blog posts, email newsletters, and social activity. Some of these you might want to handle on your own. Others you might prefer to outsource to your creative team, or to ignore altogether.

If you let your web designer know about your strengths and weaknesses as a marketer, along with your budget and time constraints, they can help you to develop a plan that maximizes the return you’ll get from each. If you don’t share that information, though, you may end up with a strategy that isn’t workable or profitable in the long run.

Is Your Web Designer Asking the Right Questions?

As we mentioned in the opening to this article, a good web designer is never going to move forward until they have this kind of information from you. How could they help you reach your goals if they don’t understand the challenges and opportunities you’re facing?

If you haven’t been getting that level of service in the past, it might be time to make a change. Call Arizona’s best web design team at Kinetik IT in Phoenix today, so we can set up a free consultation and review your current marketing plan together.