If you bring up the subject of web design with small business people, it wouldn’t take you too long to find someone who has been burned by a web designer. Sadly, some have even come to the conclusion that a web site is not worth the expense, the time or the hassle. I sat down recently and took a look at how and why that happens and hopefully outline some success principles that will help you when you need web design services. Since so many web designers get it wrong, the web design principles that actually work may surprise you.
First Off, It’s Not Your Fault!
There is a serious flaw in the web design industry, and small business owners are especially prone to fall victim to it. The problem is that usually, very little business planning goes into a web site design. Too many web designers are more concerned with selling web design with cool movies and effects, than taking the time to build an effective web site that
This deficiency stems from the fact that very few web designers are marketing people. They’ve never operated in a sales and marketing environment and easily become preoccupied with the technical aspects of websites, rather than thinking about what your problems are and what your customers need. They believe that the selling part is down to you, they’re just here to write the design of the site.
But small business people do not have big advertising budgets, nor do they have the time to try and understand the world of website design and it’s jargon. So they are easily attracted to the unfeasably low rates and off the shelf template solutions of average web designers.
So if your past experience of website design companies has been a confusing and dissappointing one, it’s not your fault….
To SEO or not to SEO
There is a lot of emphasis placed on search engine optimization (SEO), and there should be, because this is very important if you want to have your web site found by people using the search engines. For most web sites, search engines account for 80% to 95% of all visitors. However, as important as SEO is, if you have a web site that is not creating sales with the visitors you are already getting, SEO needs to wait.
Instead, create website content that your visitors will want.
This next principle is the one you will probably find the most surprising. People actually read web sites! OK, so they do have a short attention span, and we will look at that point in a moment, but they do read. There have been many studies done by people in white coats with lots of pens in their pockets to document the way people use web pages. Even though so much attention is given to graphics, the studies show that well over 75% of the time, web page users actually read the text before they notice graphics. While this does not please the photographer in me, it is a fact.
This does not mean that graphics are unimportant. Visual elements are one of the many advantages a web site can provide. If you consider that most people use the Internet to seek information, then does it not make sense that they will read your web site’s content? Providing the right information can mean the difference between winning a customer, or surrendering them to your competition. Next we’ll look at what we can do to get people’s attention
Please Stay a While
Earlier, the short attention span of website visitors was mentioned. It’s called the 3 second rule by the men with white coats and lots of pens. According to web studies, if you cannot capture the attention of your visitor in approximately 3 seconds, that’s how fast they usually leave your web site. However, I’ve not been able to see a study that actually tells you why. My opinion is because so many web sites are such a horrible waste of time and that search engine returns often have no resemblance to what you asked for, that people’s patience has been worn down.
The solution is to have a fast loading page that quickly says:
“This is what you’ve been looking for. Wait a moment, we can solve your problem”.
If they can “skim” in a few seconds, and you grab their attention, you have successfully drawn them in so they will stay a while.
Another white-coat-man statistic is that it takes 7 visits before you make a sale. If your web site is not done correctly, you will have dismal results because you can’t get them to come back seven times. That is why so many web site owners are disappointed with their success. That is why some web designers provide what seems to be a bargain, while other web designers have to charge more to give you a better value. It takes more time to plan and create a good web site design and there’s no “one size fits all”.
The good news is that most of your competitors will go for the bargain
They will suffer the same fate as everyone else who does not realize the value of an effective web site design. Very few of them will invest the resources needed for success. If you do, you can win. This does not mean you need the big budget of a major corporation, or that it has to be a major chunk of your marketing budget. It just means you need to be willing to do better than average and accept that you’re in it for the long term. The rewards are much greater when you stretch beyond the norm.
If you’ve read this far, I hope you’ve begun to understand what makes a good website. My next post will discuss stuff like the great ‘Social Media’ phenomenon and how you can get started with Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and all the other great stuff that’s out there to help you reach more customers.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
According to me a good designed website is the proper combination of the great web design and informative content. Content is the most important part in the website. Without it your website will a body without skeleton. But the good news is that people are now using web design to speak to their visitors. Designing conceptual graphics makes this possible.
Thanks
I consider web person should have marketing logic to optimize the site for client’s marketing, business, and branding strategy. As a matter of fact, many web designers tend to construct the site with just their interests on technologies or gimmick as they have been grown up and become as a “Web Designer” without learning conceptual logic of “Design” and “Marketing” THey need to know “Design without concept” is just a “Decoration” In other words, the definition of “Web Designer” is often vague, and skill and knowledge of “Web Designer” is different depending on designers or design studios. Sometimes, they are just user interface designers, programmers, Flashers. On the other hand, we can find an excellent “Web Designer” who has its own online marketing logic which could leverage client’s business, revenue, or conversion rate. I, personally, now we are getting into pretty exciting period we can create various online marketing mix using conventional web technologies, new technologies and media. “Web Designer” should learn it could be more exciting to work not only on “Design” “Effect” or “Gimmick” but also on true online “Marketing” that makes them grow as a “Web Director” or “Web Producer.”