We can all become a little apathetic from looking at our websites too much. But there are all too many website designs out there that do not adhere to what I think are really important principles of design and do not answer simple questions that I always ask when laying out a site. Here are my top 5 principles.
Simple Website Design Works Best
I spend an unhealthy amount of time on the internet looking at websites and my design approach is simple. Simple well structured layout works best. This is a school of thought that not all designers buy into but it is mine. Fast loading, grid based layouts are my favorites and it is my design principle. I believe in classic typography and well chosen fonts. I have designed complex sites using these principles. In fact I would even call it design more along the lines of layout. People appreciate simplicity. I say think twice before that complex menu structure and flash video.
Can People Find My Contact Details Quickly?
People go around the internet aggressively these days they are less and less patient and hit tht back button faster than you can imagine. Having a contact page is not enough. People may not want to click they just want a number and an email address.
You want people to find the information that they are looking for quickly and make contact with you. Sometimes this may only be a phone number that they can call you on. If I were to pick 10 websites at random today and went to them I bet you that it would take you 20-30 seconds to find their contact details. This is too long. Don’t hide them in that lower level page called Contact. It drives me bonkers when I see that this click is needed and if you look at your page stats you will see people probably don’t go there too often.
There is a web term called bounce rate which defines how long people spend on your web page after actually landing on it. High bounce rate means that they pretty quickly hit the back button. This may mean they have found what they are looking for but it more often mean they they could not find what they were looking for and just went on to the next site. Place an e-mail and contact number prominently. Keep the contact page but have it for more detailed contact information.
What do you want your customers to do?
You may not want to take multiple phone calls so often a simple e-mail contact form or a link to an e-mail will help. If this is not the proffered call to action then make sure that they can find this quickly. It may be Buy Now, Watch This Video, or Follow Me.
No matter what you need some call to action. If you are having a sale of product or a special offer make sure it stands out and that it makes the person who lands on the page want to act whether it be purchase an item or read more and again contact you?
Tell Them What You Do
Take time to sit down and write a simple outline of what your business does. Do not write in marketing speak. Just write it simply and in plain english. If you wish add photographs of you and your company members. A simple test of the quality of this is if you can say this to someone without tripping over your words. Here is what I would put for this website design site.
I develop websites that you will be really happy with and when customers arrive they will understand what your product or service is. I explain what is both possible and impossible within your budget. Most things are possible if both the budget and the initiative from you are available. I deliver to plan and nearly all my customers are 100% satisfied with the first result the rest were satisfied with the end result!
Don’t write marketing speak. It sounds like marketing speak and scares people away.
Add A Map to your Website
It is so simple to have a map to your business. Do you get a lot of calls asking where your business is? You can point people to a Google Map that is on your site to help them find you. Write the step by step directions on the same page and people will appreciate it. Put a picture of your business in as well or some landmarks along the way so people can print them and understand the location.
Last 5 Questions
Think of the last 5 Questions that people asked you about your product and business and put that information on your site. I know what the most frequent questions for my business are an I have put this information on my blog.
- What features do I get for a basic website
- How much will this cost me
- How do I get my website on the first page of Google
- Can you make me a website like www.example.com
- Can you make some updates to my existing website and how much will it cost?
Do You Know Your Most Popular Pages?
If you don’t know what the most popular pages are on your website then you should be taken outside and shot. These are the pages that customers are interested in. You may have written a fascinating biographical article on how you climbed Mount Everest without Oxygen and then started the mountain climbing supplies store, but I bet that people are most probably clicking on the products page. Sorry send me the link to the article I will definitely read it.
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