Welcome back to your weekly website check up! This week we're discussing the importance of giving your website a hearty dose of good design.

In fact, a head turning website design is a fundamental part of scoring customers in the digital age.

Research indicates nearly 50% of people will base their first impression of your business from the appearance of your website. It seems superficial, but in this time poor era, it’s essential that your first impression is the right impression. This is what you need to consider:

  

It’s all in the layout

Good design is essentially the marrying of your (hopefully) already fantastic content and relevant, effective imagery. It enhances these elements with layout, colour, typography and space. Does your website do this? To find out, it’s worth asking yourself the following:

1. Is my website making the right impression about my business?
   For example, does it look professional and relevant to what I do?
   
   
2. How much scrolling and clicking do my potential customers have to perform to find out who I am and what they need to know?
   For example, can people actually tell straight away what it is you do? Can they easily find the information they want/need?
   
   
3. Am I using space effectively?
   Consider whether your page has too little or too much going on, for example, too many/too little images and content.
   
   
4. What colours am I using?
   For example, a black background with red writing may not be giving the impression you want or be easy to read.
   
   
5. What font am I using?
   Consider whether yours is too boring or too difficult to read.
   
   Note: Comic sans is terrible and should not ever, under any circumstances be used.

 

If you don’t feel you can answer these honestly, ask a sincere, trendy friend.

Even after answering all these questions it can be a tricky issue to rectify on our own. Most of us aren't skilled in the art of creating a good design, but nearly all of us know a badly put together layout when we see it. Fortunately, there are professionals that can help you make your website’s first impression an excellent one.

 

Google ogles

For obvious reasons, attractive websites will get more looks and more clicks than their dowdy competitors. On the one level, this means more business for you.

On another level… it means EVEN MORE business for you! Cha Ching! Yes that’s right, business breeds business thanks to Google webbots.

The reason for this is that traffic created by more clicks and longer views all contribute to a greater organic Google ranking. This means you’ll be even easier for future potential customers to locate. Yes, even Google webbots prefer a pretty website.

 

Keep up

As we mentioned weeks ago in Element 1, websites need regular checkups and reviews to check they haven’t become stagnate.

When it comes to your website design, its imperative that you remember trends, fashion and technology change fairly frequently. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to regularly review and update it if necessary, in order to make sure it’s staying fresh. Again, if you don’t feel you can do this properly, ask a stylish, truthful friend or a website design professional.

 

 

Overall, it’s important to remember that your website is your “voice”. You can have all the right content and images, but if its not put together in an eye catching and pleasing design, it’s essentially the equivalent of your website speaking in a monotone. And no one is interested in that!

Stick around for Element 4 next week!

In the meantime if you feel your website needs a touch up and don’t know where to start, contact our unbeatable team at By Ninja.