Considering a new or revamped web site for your organization? Large or small, your web site can make a huge difference in the success of your business, and there’s a lot that goes into the really effective ones — more than you might realize.
Your site is the main window through which the world sees, and evaluates, your company, so don’t overlook the importance of a well-designed and refreshingly easy-to-use online presence. In this area of marketing, your lack of attention could be your competition’s opportunity.
What do you need to consider when planning your web presence? There are many ingredients that go into a great web site, so we’ll lay out the most important ones here.
- Branding: Is your brand indistinct or confusing in any way? Are you unclear on what your brand promise is? If so, this is an area of focus that should come before anything else. Evaluate the visual elements of your brand (logo, graphic elements, color palette, etc.) as well as the intangible elements like your market position and unique selling proposition.
- Platform: In our humble opinion, your site should be on a well-supported, easy-to-use platform that allows you the ability to manage and maintain it on your own. We use the WordPress platform for all these reasons. Read more about WordPress here.
- Site architecture: Your site should be intuitive to navigate, with content easily found in common-sense areas. We help our clients develop the right structure for the best possible online experience.
- Design: Web design has evolved rapidly in the last few years. A modern-looking page design tells the world that your company is relevant and sophisticated. Consumers are savvy, so meet them where they are with the professional, fresh design they expect.
- Messaging: Your message should never be confusing, dull, or slow to get to the point. Web visitors now have attention spans that rival those of goldfish (I’m not making this up!), so you need to engage visitors quickly and effectively. More and more sites are employing messaging strategies and online copywriting tactics to do just that.
- Imagery: Do you have engaging, high-quality images for your site? If not, consider investing in professional photography or artwork. Don’t rely too heavily on stock photos — they can make you look generic or disingenuous if used to much.
- Added features: Animations, video, and custom programming aren’t always necessary, but they definitely enhance the user experience and could make the difference between you and your toughest competitor. Perhaps you need specific, high-tech functionality that’s critical to your success — if so, zero in on that and budget appropriately.
- Searchability: If your site isn’t found easily, then what’s the point? Make sure you have a solid plan for search engine optimization to rank as highly as you can. You can bet your best competition does.
As always, let us know if you need help getting your project underway. A great website can be a big investment, but when done right, it makes all the difference.
