Using digital space as an invaluable touch point to the mass internet-using public is more critical than ever, with surveys showing nearly two thirds of small businesses relying on websites to connect with their customers.
With a vast number of do-it-yourself development platforms (the discussion of which is a whole different topic) the options for getting a website off the ground are numerous and more accessible than ever before, but the risks of using template designs and quick builds without proper consideration can be huge.
Where a great website can create and maintain a strong brand awareness and lead generation, a bad one can do huge amounts of harm to your business. Bad design aesthetics can undermine your corporate branding, poor coding and bad navigation can create frustrating user experiences, inconsistencies in your formatting can confuse and dilute your message and calls to action and neglecting your sites accessibility can deny potential visitors from even viewing your content.
So how do you navigate your own website development without paying for professionals or investing huge time and money into coding it yourself from the ground up?
Here’s three basic criteria to help you check your site’s professionalism and impact:
Aesthetics
A simple concept consistently overlooked. If something is displeasing to the eye, then we probably aren’t going to look at it for long no matter how great the content is. Eye tracking strategies such as tiered font sizes will help your audience digest information while keeping your design elements clean and consistent, and repeatable will support continuity across your site. Sticking to simple color schemes and fonts will enable you to easily replicate your theme across your website.
Navigation
For me this is one of the most important aspects of any website. If users struggle to find their way around, they will leave. Menus need to be clear and communicate exactly what each section contains, with a tight selection of pages to choose from. While not recommended for general use, if you have a lot of subcategories drop-down menus can be a great way of streamlining your user experience.
Content
This one can be difficult for business owners; creating content for your website that is engaging and concise but also detailed enough to sell your mission statement can be a tough balance to strike. Having a clear content strategy that lines up with your business objectives will help you decide what will work for your business; are you selling through an online store? Is your website a landing page for a physically based service or store? Are you a not-for-profit organization using your website as an information platform? Keep your content relevant to your mission to make the most of your site’s potential.
Further Reading
1. Delgardo M. Small Business Websites in 2018 [Internet]. Clutch. 2018 [cited 2019 Jul 3]. Available from: https://clutch.co/website-builders/resources/small-business-websites-2018
2. Kloefkorn S. Lead generation best practices for 2018 [Internet]. Phoenix Business Journal. 2018 [cited 2019 Jul 3]. Available from: https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2018/03/29/lead-generation-best-practices-for-2018.html
3. Bowen D. You Can Judge A Company By Its Bad Website [Internet]. Forbes. 2010 [cited 2019 Jul 3]. Available from: https://www.forbes.com/2010/05/14/bad-corporate-websites-leadership-managing-apple.html#682d87926dd3
4. Chaffey D, Smith PR. Digital Marketing Excellence : Planning, Optimizing and Integrating Online Marketing [Internet]. Florence, UNITED KINGDOM: Routledge; 2017. Available from: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/think/detail.action?docID=4834186
5. Interaction Design Foundation. The Basics of User Experience Design. The Basics of User Experience Design. 2018.