A critical component of any website is the “look and feel.” Too many sites fail to put enough focus on the design of their website.

Why All the Fuss

You may be asking yourself, why should so much focus be placed on the design of my site? This is a valid question – one that needs to be understood if you want your site to be competitive.

Think about the design of your site as you would think about the design of your storefront. Would you want your store to look like it was designed in a weekend? Mismatching furnishings, streaking paint, poor lighting and flooring that is uneven causing your visitors to trip and fall? Probably not. The design of your store (your showroom) is a reflection business, your products and most importantly your brand. Your website is your 24 hour, always open, always ready to impress showroom.

The look of your website should be consistent with the overall look of your brand, your storefront and other marketing and collateral materials

Tell Me a Story

Challenge yourself or your designer to create a story for your site. Visually communicate the story of your company, your services, or the products you sell. Visual stories will set you apart from your competition by wrapping the information your users are seeking in an engaging user experience. Stories are a core component in communication, tapping into this can give you an advantage.

An important consideration when designing your site is the use of color, photos and typography. When designing your site, realize that everything you put onto the page has an effect on the users’ perception of your company.

The biggest challenge when designing a website is to create a story while at the same time creating a simple and easy to use site. A clean and simple site will enable users to find their information quickly and make understanding information easier.

Rely on the foundation that you have already in established to help create an easy means of navigation.

An important point to remember is that you may have the most beautifully designed site that weaves a brilliant story but if a user cannot find what it is they are looking for they will leave your and find the information elsewhere.

Conclusion

Your website is one of the best investments your business can make. For the success of your site it will need to have a solid design that is capable of telling your story, a look consistent with your overall brand strategy and most importantly an easy means of navigation.

If you are not confident in your ability to carry out these tasks yourself it would be in your best interest to hire a web site designer to create the look and feel of your site.

You owe it to your business to create a professional looking website.