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Friday, November 20, 2009
Good Web Design for Entrepreneurs
For the most part good web design is a matter of keeping your content clear, targeted and well organized. You want your site to look clean and professional. You want your site to reflect the purpose of your business not your own agenda as an entrepreneur.
My advice is to start small and build your site up as you discover a need for more content. I would build a simple web page "template" that you use for the entire site so people know what to expect when they move from page to page.
Here are the top issues you need to address when you are designing your site.
Site Navigation
Site navigation is how visitors move from one page to another to find the information they are looking for within your site. It is essential that your site navigation is as simple as possible. The last thing you want to do is make it hard for your site visitors to find the information they are looking for. One advantage entrepreneurs have is that their websites generally are smaller that that for larger more established organizations. This is a good thing because it makes it easier for you to design a site navigation system that works well.
You want your site navigation to be clear and consistent from page to page. You want to avoid anything that makes it more difficult to find the information or pages people are looking for. You should:
Writing for the web is totally different than writing for print media. People generally scan websites instead of reading them. So you need to write in shorter sentences for easier reading. Use bulletted lists, headings and links to highlight the things that are important.
Use a Professional (if you can afford one)
Your website signals visitors how credible your business is. If your site looks like it was designed by an amateur customers are more likely to look elsewhere for someone to do business with. You can get a professional to create the overall design for your site but make sure you know how to add and update content (site maintenance is key).
Calls to Action
One of the most common mistakes we see on websites is a failure to incorporate a clear call to action. A call to action can be "Buy Now", "Click here for more information", "Sign up for our Newsletter", "Request a Quote." Decide what your Calls to Action are and make it very very very easy for people to execute them. If your site has been designed properly, your visitors will get a clear idea of how you can help them, so may wish to sign up for your newsletters or fill in a simple inquiry form. Calls to action are how you turn browsers into customers so don't forget them.
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References:
http://www.inplymouth.com/businessnewsindetail.asp?category=Internet&serialnumber=109
My advice is to start small and build your site up as you discover a need for more content. I would build a simple web page "template" that you use for the entire site so people know what to expect when they move from page to page.
Here are the top issues you need to address when you are designing your site.
Site Navigation
Site navigation is how visitors move from one page to another to find the information they are looking for within your site. It is essential that your site navigation is as simple as possible. The last thing you want to do is make it hard for your site visitors to find the information they are looking for. One advantage entrepreneurs have is that their websites generally are smaller that that for larger more established organizations. This is a good thing because it makes it easier for you to design a site navigation system that works well.
You want your site navigation to be clear and consistent from page to page. You want to avoid anything that makes it more difficult to find the information or pages people are looking for. You should:
- Avoid multiple navigation systems. It is common to see sites with a navigation bar along the top as well as down the side. This can be confusing and is usually unnecessary.
- Avoid using 'mystery meat' navigation. These are strange icons do not explain themselves to visitors on menus. There's nothing wrong with using words on a navigation menu.
Great Design
Great design is not so much about how your site looks - it is about knowing what your customers are interested in providing that on your website. Before building your website you need to knwo what needs it is designed to address. Your website may be about attracting publicity; it may be a tool to increase sales; it may a way to communicate with customers or investors. It can, in fact be almost anything. Your website be designed to do its job efficiently without unnecessary decoration that can get in the way.
Writing for the web
Great design is not so much about how your site looks - it is about knowing what your customers are interested in providing that on your website. Before building your website you need to knwo what needs it is designed to address. Your website may be about attracting publicity; it may be a tool to increase sales; it may a way to communicate with customers or investors. It can, in fact be almost anything. Your website be designed to do its job efficiently without unnecessary decoration that can get in the way.
Writing for the web
Writing for the web is totally different than writing for print media. People generally scan websites instead of reading them. So you need to write in shorter sentences for easier reading. Use bulletted lists, headings and links to highlight the things that are important.
Your website signals visitors how credible your business is. If your site looks like it was designed by an amateur customers are more likely to look elsewhere for someone to do business with. You can get a professional to create the overall design for your site but make sure you know how to add and update content (site maintenance is key).
Calls to Action
One of the most common mistakes we see on websites is a failure to incorporate a clear call to action. A call to action can be "Buy Now", "Click here for more information", "Sign up for our Newsletter", "Request a Quote." Decide what your Calls to Action are and make it very very very easy for people to execute them. If your site has been designed properly, your visitors will get a clear idea of how you can help them, so may wish to sign up for your newsletters or fill in a simple inquiry form. Calls to action are how you turn browsers into customers so don't forget them.
---------------------------
References:
http://www.inplymouth.com/businessnewsindetail.asp?category=Internet&serialnumber=109
Labels: design, website tips
