With the new year approaching, we are talking today about the importance of the planning stages of new website design. Reaching your target audience is the goal of every website owner. You have a few precious seconds to capture the attention of those that find your website. It is important to make them feel they belong there. Company website development is a huge part of building your brand and becoming a thought leader. The company website goes a long way in presenting your vision to the world. Just as technology changes, so does your company. The growth of the company should be highlighted in the new re-design. This will announce to those visiting the site, that you stay current with new trends in the industry and offer top value for customers using your services or buying your product.
How often should a company re-design the website?
We suggest that you build a new site every three to four years. By creating a new re-design, you will encompass new business methods and perks available today which may not have been available when you first created your site. Since 80 percent of all users today are using mobile devices to search and to buy online, new sites are now being built on mobile platforms. This mobile-friendly method allows the company website to reach the majority of all end users.
First impressions and technical considerations:
Your success begins with the overall look and feel of the home page. We all want the target audience to feel at home as they reach the website. They are there to have questions answered, and to discover your unique qualities. They want to know what makes you different from others like you The content and images presented on the home page tells your story. Technical usability (download time) is important. Therefore, having a home page that loads quickly is a huge plus. Make sure all images and content is optimized to load quickly. Content should be brief and yet quickly and efficiently describe what services you offer. Bulleted lists are helpful and work best. Choosing images which compliment the site copy will say a lot about your expertise in your industry. Anything we can do to make the home page more user-friendly and load faster will work to your benefit.
What’s inside your site (subsequent pages):
The other pages of the site also deserve special consideration. The company page should display bios and head shots that are both professional and pleasing. Shorter bios are best and professional head shots bring more credibility to the website. Google and top search engines suggest using no more than 350 words on content rich pages (other than the home page). Keep it short but interesting.
Pages to include which make sense:
A FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page could bring more value to the site. This helps the viewer find answers to popular questions about the product or service quickly. A client feedback page (testimonials page) can go a long way to build trust with visitors. A documents or resources page could help visitors with downloadable forms and other links to provide more information. A contact form or individual page is always needed for quick response and the blog page offers trending news and views which can be archived and updated. This page is an interactive page and helps site rank. It goes without saying that the site navigational system should be complete and easy to use. User-friendly methods and calls to action buttons are always great to add to the new re-design.
Speak with a professional designer:
To make sure you cover all bases, call or contact one of our professional team members to discuss items to include in your new website re-design. Ask about our holiday savings package for site re-design. We wish you all a happy holiday season.
