Starting a business isn’t just about having a great product or service. It is also about promoting your brand so you can grab the market’s attention. One of the most popular marketing strategies nowadays is by having a strong online presence. This is where working with professional web design firms becomes a sound investment for your start up business.
What Web Design is All About
Getting favorable results from your site is all about having a good web design to support the product or service that you offer. But what is web design? With so many misconceptions about designing a website it is so easy to fall prey to costly but ineffective strategies.
According to About.com, an online information resource, web design is the process of creating and planning how your site works. It includes what the website looks like and how efficient it is.
With over 2 billion internet users, you want to make sure that your site is visually appealing as well as easy to use and understand. For example, if you have a shoe business, you can get customers interested in your products by posting pictures from different angles. You can also make it a more pleasant online experience by ensuring that customers can specify which products they only want to look at.
The pictures, background color, font sizes and other similar features make up the visual aspect of web design. But appearances can only go so far. A good web design means your site visitors can easily find what they need. That includes making sure the content is relevant and the web pages are easy to navigate.
Designing a website properly requires a lot of skills. While most people believe that creating and designing are the same thing, designers focus mostly on the lay-out and content rather than the actual technical aspect. However, top professional web design firms understand the importance of combining the technical and marketing elements to make your site a success. The necessary skills include but are not limited t the following,
- Web Language Proficiency – According to SitePoint, an online web design resource, one would need to be familiar with the language used such as CSS, Java Script and HTML. Designers don’t necessarily have to be experts on the programming part, as they can work with developers who can provide the necessary coding. However, having a basic understanding of the web language is a huge help.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Knowledge – The importance of SEO in boosting your start-up’s online presence cannot be stressed enough. The information on your site becomes useless if it doesn’t have sufficient traffic. In order to get the visitors to your site, you will need to rank high on search engine results page or SERP.
- Information Architecture – With the user’s navigating experience playing a key role in the success of the site, knowing the right way to lay out the information in a web page design is crucial. In order to create a design that is logically structured and easy to use, designers need to be skilled in information architecture.
There are different types of website design used depending on the needs of your business.
- Fixed Design – This type of design is exactly what its name says. The width of the site remains static regardless of the browser or equipment used to browse it. It is ideal if the site is only meant to be viewed on desktops or laptops. However, viewing it with a tablet or a smartphone will be more challenging. Since the width is fixed, it does not adapt to the screen size of mobile devices.
- Fluid or Liquid Design – This type is a bit more flexible as the layout adjusts when the browser is resized. The columns of the grid design works on percentages so the display adjusts to the browser size. When the window is enlarged, you’ll see the text and images adjust to be able to fill the additional space.
- Responsive Design – This type is ideal for sites that are designed to be viewed in different platforms. The width and the lay out adjusts for the equipment being used. Businesses then would not need to have different sites designed for mobile and desktop users.
What are the Advantages of Web Design?
A quality web design for business brings a host of benefits and advantages for your start up. Below are some of the advantages you can enjoy by ensuring your company’s site is optimized properly.
- Maximize Traffic – Getting traffic or more visitors to your site will certainly help create more awareness about your brand. However, traffic alone will not generate the revenue you need to become profitable. What you want is for these visitors to stay long enough on your site to be encouraged to do business with you. A website design can increase the chances of converting your traffic to customers.
- Improved User Experience – If the site is designed right, then it enhances the experience of the users viewing the site. For example, if your target market is young professionals on the go, then you would need to make sure that your site is built for mobile users. When your prospects find your site easy to navigate regardless of whether they’re on the laptops or tablets, then you increase the chances of converting them to customers.
- Reinforces Brand – Making a good impression goes a long way in business. This is why millions are spent on marketing and advertising campaigns in practically any industry. Presenting a site that is poorly designed gives the company a bad reputation. To avoid creating a negative impression of your brand, you need to make sure that visitors to your site see one that looks appealing and delivers what they need.
Professional web design firm reviews show that these are the reasons most companies choose to work with experts. But how exactly can these benefits impact your start-up?
Web Design Investment for Start-Ups
Web design is all about making your site a strong and effective marketing tool. And for a start-up that can be a deal breaker. The advantages mentioned earlier certainly sound like something that you would want your business to enjoy. Below are the benefits those advantages can bring to your start-up.
- Get’s you a foot in the door – Getting customers is probably one of the toughest challenges your start up will be going through. Your website if designed properly will reinforce your marketing campaigns and help generate customers. With SEO factored in, you get traffic to you site. And when you have visitors, it basically means an opportunity to close a sale.
For example, if you’re running a local bakeshop that specializes in wedding cakes, anyone searching online for cakes on their special day will be able to find your business. This is the benefit of local SEO that is an element of a well designed site. Once prospects go to your website, you already have a chance of winning their business.
Professional web designers can make sure that your site has the information they need from prices to pictures of other wedding cakes that you’ve made. And because they were able to easily navigate through the web pages, they stay on your site to learn more. This may eventually lead to them getting in touch with you to discuss ordering their wedding cake.
- Stronger Branding – One of the main roadblocks your start-up will be experiencing is competing with more established businesses. Consumers tend to do business with a brand they are familiar with. Your goal is to make sure you have a stronger online presence. While a website doesn’t deliver this over night, maintaining a professionally designed site is a good start.
This is the same as when you try out a restaurant for the first time. Once you step in, you check out the different elements to find reasons to come back to that place. Some of the factors that you consider are the food, the service and the overall ambience of the new restaurant. If the décor is too bright or he chairs extremely uncomfortable, you are less likely to eat there again.
Visitors to your site unconsciously do the same thing. If there are broken links or blurred images, they create a not so favorable impression of your business. They may not feel confident enough to buy your product or hire your services. But when they see a site that impresses them, you have a big chance of winning their business as well as getting their vote of confidence.
Your brand becomes stronger as more and more people do business with you and recommend you to their friends and family.
Hiring a professional firm for your web design needs may seem like a cost. But with the considerable benefits that a well designed site delivers, working with experts is a sound business investment. Check out the list of web design firms on CrowdReviews.com so you can get your start-up’s website enhanced today.
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