The main aim of building a website for your business is to improve customer perception and build brand identity. What is worse than not having a website is a having an unprofessional one.
It is very important that your website exudes credibility, reliability, quality and authority. There are enough and more tools available for an enthusiastic DIY effort, but the end product stands a very high chance of looking homemade and amateurish. And no business can afford to give such an impression about itself.
A website is a reflection of your business, products or services you sell, your commitment to quality and your success. A good first impression is very crucial as far as website designing is concerned.
Check whether your website abides by the 5 suggestions given below. If it does then you can rest assured your customers do find your website convincing.
- Keep It Clean and Clutter-Free
A well-made website will be free of clutter and will not be stuffed with too many functions. You will be tempted to include ads, banners, badges, icons, pop-ups and buttons, but remember that they will only contribute to increasing the noise and distraction.
A nice and simple website, with plenty of white space can be quite appealing. Ensure that you have important content spotlighted and keep the rest minimalistic.
Medium is a publishing platform that has a simple design with a serious emphasis on white space.
- Use Imagery
High-quality images lend websites with beauty, charm and allure. Images have always attracted and captivated audiences, and there are websites that have mastered the art.
An oft quoted example is that of Apple. iPhone enables you click the best pictures and the website proclaims that with pride.
Eye-catching imagery is also the hallmark of sites like Hide London.
Big, bold and breathtaking images stand out in Estee Lauder official website.
You may feel that your business does not have a need to be visually attractive, like if you are a personal accounting firm. But studies show that 40% online visitors respond better to visuals, and why not? Our brain processes visuals like images, infographics and videos 60,000 times faster than textual content.
So find out ways to include relevant high-quality images in your website content, or let the visuals themselves be the content as in the case of photographer Anoop Negi.
- Have Easy-to-Read Text
Proper font-size will make your website look professional and well-crafted. Also it is important that your text is easy-to-read and smooth flowing. Tiny fonts, jarringly-colored, and twining and curly fonts are no-no.
Ensure the colors of the background and font are complementary, and do not pull each other down. There are several rules and practices that you need to bear in mind, and will do well complying with.
There a number of web font hosting services including Typekit, WebINK and 1001Free Fonts which allow users subscription-based access to host a wide range of fonts on your website.
- Have a Nice Color Scheme
Apart from font and background colors, you also need to pay attention to the total color scheme of your websites.
Professionally designed websites have color schemes that are consistent throughout the website and fit in with the nature and goals of the business.
High-end cosmetic brand Urban Decay has a fine thread of royal velvet hue that is infused in all their web pages, and it gels beautifully with the pictures of products in a wide range of colors.
- Ensure the Website Is Responsive
Responsive Web Design (RWD) is unavoidable in the connected and multi-screen world we live in. No business worth its name can afford to have a website that is not capable of scaling down to lower resolutions while viewed on a smartphone.
RWD will ensure you do not miss out on a visitor just because he or she is on the subway, and Google loves RWD. That gives you all the more reason to make your website responsive.
RWD means one codeset of HTML and one URL. This in effect means easy maintenance and low costs. And more importantly, it means all your links will be directed to one domain, thus endowing it with authority and a boost in search rankings. Seriously, which business does not want that?
Conclusion
It is important that your business website looks convincing and reliable to your customer. Your website is the face you present to the world of customers out there who click on your name, so it better be the best you can afford.
February 10, 2015
