There are thousands upon thousands of articles all over the
web telling you that, as a business owner, you need a spectacular website for
your company or practice. What most of them don’t tell you, though, is what it
takes to actually get a web presence that makes your business stand out online
and attracting sales or revenue.
Maybe that’s because most web designers want you to contact
them before they give up the goods, or might be because a lot of the firms
vying for your web design business don’t have spectacular track records to show
off. Whatever the reason might be, we find that a lot of new clients come to us
with a clear idea of the results they are looking for, but few definite notions
about how to achieve them.
To help you get your web design project started off on the
right foot, we’re going to share our advanced guide to web design. In just
eight questions, it will lead you to the answers you need to build the online
marketing powerhouse you’ve been envisioning for your company…
Question #1: What
Will Your Website Be For?
Surprising numbers of business owners want a website
“because they need one.” That’s true, in the sense that even food trucks have
to be online these days. However, it really only scratches at the surface when
it comes to the reasons to build a new site in the first place.
The purpose of your website could be to generate online
sales, to help you attract leads, or to simply promote your company to local
buyers. You may just want to impress referrals, or to automate customer service
tasks (like frequently asked questions). The purpose of your website might be
to support email and social media campaigns. It could be all of these things.
Whatever you're setting out to do, make sure you and your
creative team know what the goal is before you begin.
Question #2: What Do
You Like or Dislike About Your Current Website?
If you have an existing website, ask yourself what you like
about it. Also, figure out what definitely needs to be changed.
The answers could involve different creative elements,
pieces of functionality, or even bottom-line results. Maybe you like the look
of your website, but you feel like it isn't doing enough to further the sales
potential of your business. Or, you may think you have good images, but your
written content isn’t strong enough. Finding these preferences will help you
zero in on what you need for your next website, and keep you from duplicating
mistakes.
If you don’t already have a website, think in these terms
about other sites you’ve seen in your industry. You can learn a lot from your
own past mistakes, and the missteps of others.
Question #3: Who Will
Design Your Next Website?
There are more web design companies, and online
template-based services, than ever before. That’s great for convenience, but
not necessarily for business owners who need to get a good deal on web design.
That’s because even though web design prices might be coming
down, quality and customization standards are decreasing, too. Because you
don’t want your website to simply exist, you can’t settle for pages that don’t
do anything. In other words, if you want to generate leads and sales, you have
to have streamlined coding, a unique look, and a marketing plan that brings customers
to you online or to your physical location.
It’s unfortunate, but getting a great website sometimes
means paying a little more in time and money. However, those investments will
come back to you again and again if you make a good decision.
Question #4: Do You
Have the Ingredients for a Great Website?
Having a strong web presence is about so much more than the
right design. Aesthetics are important, but what goes beneath them matters a
lot, too.
In particular, we are talking about the need for a domain
name that’s easy to understand and remember. You could add to that fast and
secure hosting that speeds your pages up and keeps customer data safe from
hackers and thieves. Additionally, you can’t build a great website with sloppy
content, old or blurry photos, and outdated logo images.
If you aren’t sure you have all the ingredients for a great
website in place, either start gathering them or talk to your web design team about
what you might need. Everything that comes later in the process is going to be
easier when you begin with a solid foundation for your company’s web presence.
Question #5: How Do
You Want Your Website to Look?
Most business owners have a certain look they want for their
new website. You should think about the colors, fonts, and layouts you prefer.
These days, you can do almost anything online. That’s great
from the standpoint of creativity, but it can also present an overwhelming
number of choices. You’ll notice that most established and successful
businesses have a somewhat standard
look to their websites. Paragraphs are short, links are easy to find, and menus
are presented in a certain way. This all helps make a site more usable for
visitors. Even people who haven’t been on your pages before should understand
how they work and be able to find the information they need quickly.
Think carefully about the aesthetics you want on your
website, and consider ways you might be able to emphasize usability. That will
make your web presence more valuable (both to you and your customers) in the
long run.
Question #6: What
Functionality do You Need on Your New Website?
We have noticed over the years that business owners tend to
pay a lot of attention to the way their new websites should look, but not as
much to what features and functions need to be integrated. That’s unfortunate,
because websites can help you save a lot of time and money through automation,
not to mention boost profits with e-commerce and targeted marketing.
When you know what you want your website to actually do for
your business, it gets easier to create a profitable platform that can help
with every aspect of your bottom line. Also, you can translate those wishes to
your creative team, who can plan ahead and give you more accurate quotes and
timelines.
In many ways, the biggest difference between websites that
simply exist and those that actually help the companies they were built for has
to do with programming and functionality. So, think carefully about what it is
you want your site to actually add to your business so those features can be
the focus instead of an afterthought.
Question #7: How Will
You Promote Your Website?
No website, no matter how beautiful or functional, has much
value if customers aren’t regularly finding it and visiting its pages. That’s
why web design and internet marketing now go hand-in-hand; one doesn’t have
much purpose without the other.
When it comes to actually promoting your new website and
drawing in customers, there are a handful of tactics you will almost certainly
want to pay attention to. These include search engine optimization, social
media marketing, email promotion, and pay-per- click advertising. It’s crucial
that you not only plan to make these a big part of your approach from the
beginning, but also choose a creative partner who can help you to develop
profitable and sustainable campaigns.
It’s difficult for most business owners to plan and follow
through with online marketing on their own, so choose a team with a history of
success in this area to help you.
Question #8: How Will
Your Website Be Maintained?
Even the best website is going to need updates, additional
plugins, and fresh content from time to time. Additionally, regular website
audits are important for locating technical issues like out-of-date links or
slow page performance.
Expect to maintain your website periodically in the same way
you would a car or truck. It’s a lot easier to make small updates and additions
here and there than it is to replace your website altogether sooner than you
would otherwise have to – or worse yet, ignore your site and fail to win the
leads and sales you were expecting.
Work with your creative team to develop a reasonable
schedule that allows you to maintain your site over time, thereby preserving
its useful life, accelerating your online marketing results, and giving you a
much better return on your investment.
The Real Question: Do
You Want a Website, or Sales and Marketing Results?
Getting a website is easy – there are literally thousands of
companies out there who can offer to build you one. However, if you want a real
web presence, complete with ongoing sales and marketing results, you need to
work with an experienced team who will take the time to understand your
business and the challenges you are facing.
Why set yourself up for frustration by selecting a partner
that doesn’t have a track record of success? At Kinetik IT, we have earned our
reputation as Arizona’s top web design and online marketing team. We’ve helped
dozens of companies like yours to establish themselves online and turn their
websites into bottom-line results that hold up year after year.
Contact us today to set up a free consultation and see what
our team of experts can do for your business!