Internet has hit the world like a storm and has revolutionized the way everything works now. An average person spends a major chunk of his day surfing through the web, and the Internet is believed to have answers for all the plausible questions one can think of. Given the present scenario, where the popularity and fame is measured by the number of likes or visits a particular page gets and the Internet is believed to discover some instant stars it is almost inevitable to overlook the importance of the web world. And the same applies for the business as well.
A business may have numerous services to offer, mesmerizing product range, enticing terms and policies but what good is it when hardly anyone knows about it? It is no longer enough to just create a product or a service but it is the need of the time to market it effectively so that everyone is aware of the master pieces you posses. And thus the Internet offers the biggest platform one can dream of to promote their product. Also the commercial aspects involved in getting a successful website can’t be ignored. It not only promotes and advertises the products but also helps in increasing the net revenue.
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However starting a business web site could be an overwhelming experience for different individuals. It’s like diving deep into a sea or an ocean without knowing what one is looking for. It could be vaguely frustrating and confusing for someone who is just starting up pondering over the idea of getting a website for his business. Don’t despair because here we intend to cater to exactly the same purpose by providing below a handy and pragmatic guideline to business web design and custom web design.
Attain a sense of purpose
Before starting with the web design, it is of paramount importance for a person to get the idea of the purpose. What is the main motivation behind starting up a new website? What is it going to offer to the audience? Is it just to inform about the company profile and products? Would it also have provisions for online shopping? And etc. It is required to run through all the necessary questions regarding the very purpose of the business website and come up with as many specific answers as possible. A good idea after that were to create an elevator pitch. Elevator pitch is the starting paragraph on the web page that aims at specifically describing the purpose of the business. It could vary from 1 to 3 lines in the beginning, but it should be crisp and to the point.
Decide the target audience
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It is impossible to please one, and all, and likewise, it is impossible for a business entity to target each and every audience. Be specific as to which audience you intend to cater to. Ponder and figure out who all could be the beneficiaries of your products and services. Spend time mulling over it as it will determine the future look and appeal of the website. You may begin with selecting a particular age group, people belonging to a particular region or in certain specific demographics like age, ethnicity, etc. Instead exhausting yourself perseveringly trying to please all, choose a specific audience group and be best at offering to their needs and hence develop an expertise.
Consider the content of the website
The next stage is to decide the content for the website. The analysis of the target audience would help identify the tone and style of the content, eg. crisp and formal for business entities, contemporary and cool and a bit random for the youth or teenager which may also include the famous slangs, etc. The purpose is to convey the message in a way which would be well received and perceived and would grasp the audience’s unparallel attention. Content must be informative and shouldn’t beet around the bush. It must not be overly repetitive else the audience will lose their confidence in the company. Try and make it unique and fresh and appealing to the target audience and the same time brief and informative.
Advertise your previous work
Display the work you have done so far, solicit references and provide substantial testimonials of your client to influence the mindset of your audience.
Business web design
Design is the backbone of the entire website. Until and unless it is catchy and appealing, it will not hold the audience’s attention. However, don’t be swayed by the enthusiasm and try to keep it simple. It should be tailor-made for the target audience, something with which they can relate to and not something bizarre and absurd. Creativity shouldn’t cost you the basic understanding.
Also, give due attention to the theme and styling and fonts used. They should be in accordance with the nature of business you are offering. Keep it subtle if it’s the formal and official services, with a dash of professionalism, however, go overboard and flirt with different styles if you are a gaming organization, etc. Do also consider the color combination, the content should be easily readable and understandable. Again, creativity shouldn’t hamper with the basic understanding and shouldn’t strain the readers. Stand out by leaving a dash of your own personality or that of your business.
Reduce the loading time
You are most likely to lose the audience’s attention if your website takes too much time to load. Pay proper attention to loading time and keep it as quick as possible. Loading time is based upon the size of the website. if your website has a lot many pictures, try doing away with the unnecessary ones. Furthermore, compress the size of the images by different freely available software. A website code also has a direct impact on the loading time. If there is a lot of HTML/CSS coding going on, review it and shun the unsolicited codes, the unnecessary JavaScript, etc.
Provide easy navigation and contact details
The users should find it easy to navigate through the site and the best way to ensure it is by keeping the design simple. Chalk out a navigation scheme for the website and help users identify what they are looking for. It holds their attention and easily promotes the purpose. Also do not forget to clearly mention the contact details or put a “request a call back” action button on the website.
Play with attention
Users have limited attention span and thus do not take any risks with that. Distinctly mention any important detail. Play with the presentation semantics, use the bold or italic’s character wherever required but do not let the content become boring and unattractive. Also, put ample call to action buttons. Call to action buttons are those elements in a web page that calls for a specific action from the user. These are the clickable buttons that when clicked, perform an action e.g. “Buy this now!” etc.
Consider SEO guidelines
There are different websites vying for the attention of audience thus having a concrete place in the search engines is vital for any website. What is the use of having a website and yet no one visits it? SEO or search engine optimization is the process for improving the visibility of a website on the search engine. The earlier a website appears on the search page, the more chances it has to be viewed and considered. SEO is basically an Internet marketing strategy that considers how search engines work, what people search for, what they write and which search engines they prefer. An Effective SEO may require some changes in the HTML source code as well so it must be incorporated from the design stage itself.
Getting a website could be a really overwhelming experience but with such effective guidelines in hand, we wish you to feel closer than before to get a website for your business and giving your business a new life.