A 6-point checklist for impactful web design
So you’ve decided that having a website is a good investment in your business. Your website is the first digital impression you will probably have on most potential customers. You want to make sure it’s a great one! But how do you do that?
Some factors of a great website are universal, regardless of the industry or field you are in. Even if you have a brilliant business model, great products and services, and excellent customer service, a website that functions poorly won’t convert customers, which means you might miss out on significant sales.
First of all, let me get one thing out of the way. If you already have a website, that’s a HUGE step. You have established your business presence online and increased your credibility, can stay open to customers at all times, and grow your business.
(If you don’t have a website yet, check out these 3 big reasons it’s important to get a small business website as soon as possible.)
Now, to make the most of being online, you need an impactful website. An impactful website is aesthetically pleasing, functional, and helps customers find the information they want.
Imagine walking by a store with a display window. Having the window to show product is good, but what makes it impactful is having a beautiful display that attracts attention and gives you a better idea of what the store is, what their products are, and how they can improve your life.
You want a website that converts potential customers into buying customers. Here are 6 major factors to consider if you’re about to get a new website, or need to refresh an existing one.
1. Define your website’s objective.
Your first step is to identify the purpose of your website.
Do you want to build brand awareness, or is your goal to build your credibility as an industry expert? Do you want to generate more leads? Are you trying to sell a product or service directly through the site?
Once you identify your purpose, you can design your website around it so that it gets you the results you want. Identify a clear purpose, define your target audience, and include messaging with strong calls to action to get results.
2. Tie your branding into your website.
Consider your brand and implement cohesive branding throughout your website.
An on-brand website will strengthen your brand, build trust, and help increase sales. This means having a web address that reflects your business, consistent brand colours and fonts, and logo(s).
Your language and tone of voice should reflect who you are and speak directly to your target audience.
The design and layout of your website should also speak to your brand and visitors. Consider getting web design that is tailored to your brand and business to help define you and set you apart from your competitors.
3. Make your website fast, intuitive, and easy to use.
A user-friendly site experience can make the difference between a visitor buying in or simply leaving.
Make it easy for visitors to find their way around your website. Implement simple navigation and consistent layouts so that it makes sense to your audience.
Make sure your contact information is easily found. TIP: A simple way to make sure your contact info is present, no matter what page your visitor ends up on, is to add it to your footer.
Do you have to wait a long time for pages or images to load? Those are precious seconds in which you might lose potential customers.
Use a hosting provider that guarantees speed so that you don’t lose potential customers who get frustrated waiting for your page to load. (I personally love Flywheel for hosting, and SiteGround and WPEngine are also great!)
Load time needs to be shorter than you might expect – think 3 seconds or less! Check out the resources at the bottom of this page for a tool you can use to test your site speed and performance.
4. Get responsive web design.
Design your website with mobile devices in mind.
You’ve probably heard this a lot. More and more people browse the internet on their phones now, so your site should be optimized for viewing on those screens.
A responsive design is pretty much the same thing as a mobile-optimized or mobile-friendly site, but ensures your website looks good on any device, whether it’s a laptop, tablet, or phone, and in horizontal or vertical format.
5. Update your website regularly with great content.
The next point tends to come as a surprise to some: post fresh, quality content, regularly.
Think about the websites that keep you going back. What is it that makes you think: “I should bookmark this site!” or “Can I subscribe to this so I don’t miss anything new?”
A blog is one way to regularly add fresh content to your site. You can also use social media integrations on your website to keep regular updates coming in.
This keeps visitors coming back for more information, resources, and even inspiration. Bonus: it also helps keep you more relevant for search engine results!
6. Incorporate good design strategy in your website.
Finally, you need a website that’s well-designed. I won’t get into design elements here, but if you’re unsure, there are a few things you should keep in mind when designing your website.
- – Keep it simple and uncluttered. Visitors should be able to find what they are looking for without getting distracted.
- – Use legible fonts that are easy on the eyes. Great copy and important information won’t be helpful if they’re difficult to read.
- – Avoid fancy features if they don’t serve their purpose – visitors are rarely as impressed by them as the person building the website!
If you are seriously thinking about a website to help you grow and stay competitive, you don’t need a flashy, expensive site.
Instead, define what you want to achieve with your website, and ensure that how it looks and what it says guides your visitors towards that goal.
Keep your branding cohesive and consistent. Pretend you’re a visitor seeing your site for the first time, and see if you can easily get information and move around smoothly on the site – on both a computer AND a cellphone!
Share information that is relevant to your target audience to establish your expertise and keep them coming back.
Finally, reassess your website regularly to keep it fresh, functional, and effective.
Resources
- Test your website speed at Pingdom.
