Web Design Homepage - April 2009

Web design Sunshine Coast

At 12website.com.au - web design sunshine coast, we are seeing more and more companies who now have time to look at their websites objectively. Simply put, web design is about return on your investment. On the Sunshine Coast, if your web site is not performing, look at your homepage.

Clear your temporary internet files and see how long it takes for your homepage to load. See if individual web design elements load in a sequence or do you wait for the website to load "all at once". Waiting is not ideal when your future customer has 20 or 50 competitors they may deal with. One of our first articles from December 2003 was on Website Homepage.

Does your web design reach out to your potential customer base and convert traffic into sales? Look at your web site with these points in mind.

What does your web design say?

Your homepage message should be a targeted, benefit-oriented statement that outlines what you can do for the potential customer.

In order to properly draft an intriguing homepage message, you will need to identify the inherent benefit to your potential customer base.

No one wants to hear that you are “the best”; customers want to hear why your product or service is different and what it means to them. Put more simply, customers are asking, “What can you do for me?” Answer them.

Keep your web design clear.

These days, with so many people searching online for products and services, your homepage should clearly identify

Use graphics and pictures to help illustrate what service or product you provide, and how these benefit the customer. However, the homepage should be a “no-fluff” zone. A good rule of thumb for the homepage is “less is more.”

Make it easy for the user to understand what you do. Too much verbiage, images, and graphics will only confuse the user.

Use web design to direct your customers.

After you have presented your homepage message, you may need to educate or direct your customers.

This includes any additional messages that will be used to help clarify and drive home the points made in the primary message.

This direction should incite the user to take certain steps: that is, it should be a call to action. These calls to action could direct the user to e-mail the company for additional information, phone the sales rep, download a white paper, read a recent success story, etc. The direction will change from company to company.

A good marketer will know how to choose penetrating directions. More on web design for customers.

Web design uses images cleverly to brand your business.

Images are important parts of your homepage. To help illustrate your company’s core competitive benefits, both strategies help customers visualise how you can meet their needs and requirements. Most people are visually oriented, so your imagery will quickly convey and emphasise your message. Be consistent with what you are telling your potential prospects.

Align your messaging with your visual strategies. Images are also great ways to eliminate clutter; by adding a visual component to your website, you are alleviating the need for additional reference text. Web design graphics from March 2009 covers these elements in detail.

Use web design to motivate your customers.

You have already heard a little bit about calls to action, but it is such an important strategy that we have also dedicated a specific section to it. Failure to convert online potential customers into sales leads is mostly attributable to homepages that lack primary and secondary calls to action. A call to action can be as simple as a link that states, “Contact us for more information” or “Tell us more about your needs and we will schedule a conference call.” Statistics have proven that effective web design can guide web users along your sales process and you will convert more of them into customers.

Know Your Audience

Most people can clearly state whether they are an introvert or an extrovert; your website should cater to these and other personality types. Develop your website not only for an audience that requires what you can provide, but also for disparate personalities within that audience. Some people prefer to pick up the phone to find out more information about your products or services. Some may prefer to e-mail you instead. Others may want to schedule a meeting. Your website should cater to as many of these personality types as possible, or else you will lose conversions. Make it easy for the web user to contact you . . . using whatever method they choose. More info in our web design tips from August 2005.

Smart web design ensures your homepage makes it easy to find what you need.

You must lay out your website with easy-to-navigate options and buttons. If you are a service-based company, then put an “Company . . . Services” tab on the top navigation bar. If you sell more than one service, then enable a pull-down menu showing options for your customers. Allow them to select the page that they want to research—without having to click first to find out more. Another strategy is to use sidebars to help users navigate as they read your content. You will also need to ensure that your homepage uses an interlinking strategy, so that if web users hit the wrong button, they can easily get back on track and find the information they seek.

Make it easy for a prospect to find out more about your products and/or services. Create a homepage that takes the guesswork out of it by guiding web users through the process, from understanding the message to taking action. Statistics have shown that the more clicks it takes for potential customers to find what they seek, the higher the rate at which they will abandon the website.

Contact us to find out more - Sunshine Coast 0407 589 420.

Disclaimer

12website.com has prepared the supplied information as a voluntary service to the online community. The information is necessarily web design and small business in nature and is not intended to be relied upon other than as general background material. This should not be used as specific advice, recommendations or guidance, and specialist assistance should be sought by anyone in need of such help. 12website.com accepts no liability under any circumstances for any loss, expense, damages or costs whether direct or indirect (including loss of profits / damage to business) which may be incurred by any person as a result of relying on or using in whole or in part any of the supplied information.