Your website could be your hardest-working employee
Often people think a well-designed website is a pricey nice to have. In reality, a website is an investment., and failing to invest is leaving money on the table.
Tell me you want an employee who works twenty for hours a day, seven days a week, iterates often to meet customer needs, can convert endless customers at a time, and communicate to a worldwide audience.
Sounds impossible?
Your website has the potential to do this. The problem is, people often put very little thought into their website. Your website has the potential to be your most powerful marketing tool.
The importance of investing in well designed website
Let’s look at a hypothetical situation where you have purchased a restaurant. You take ownership, and it is readily apparent customers are less than impressed. The place is a mess, the lighting is awful, you have a lousy chef, and your front of house staff are completely ignoring patrons needs.
Would you invest in advertising to try and get people through the door, or would you hire an excellent chef, modernize the menu, spruce up the place, and create a better customer experience?
I would guess that you would pick the latter. You know there is a time and place for advertising, but first, you want to nail your core competencies, and that is delivering excellent food and service.
From there, you are ready to start advertising and acquiring as many new customers as possible.
What I’m getting at here is that your website is your restaurant. It can provide excellent service, meet expectations, and do it all while looking great and staying on brand.
3 things your website must do to win customers
1) Communicate clearly
First and foremost, your website should be clear and concise. Remove any confusion by making it very clear what you offer. Clear communication helps to increase conversion. It removes the mental labor of having to figure out what exactly you do and if you are a good fit. For a how to guide on communicating your value clearly and concisely visit this how-to guide.
Secondly, it is courteous. So many companies are obsessed with providing excellent customer service but fail to carry this philosophy through to their website.
2) Make it easy to navigate
Much like the point above, your website must serve up the necessary information people are trying to find. In 2020 we know websites must be mobile-friendly. However, that isn’t where things end.
Easy navigation means carefully considering how potential customers will find content. For example, you must consider the specific goals for a website page and think about the inward paths a potential might take to get there. Easy navigation also means delivering content in a way that is accessible and easily digestible. You should carefully consider your website headings, word count, visuals, and so on.
“89% of consumers shop with a competitor after a poor user experience”
3) Make it look good
Your website is your opportunity to make a great first impression. You have about 8 seconds before a website visitor decides if they are interested in learning more. A well-designed website is a signal to a potential customer that you are a credible source. The truth of the matter is you can have all the right content and nail your value propositions, but if it doesn’t look great, people will probably move on. If you want to rise above your competition, you need a modern and thoughtfully designed website. Today, there are so many amazing no code tools to choose from. Squarespace has recently launched Fluid Engine, a drag and drop editor with a lot of flexibility, making it a great option to create beautiful and dynamic designs.
4) Tell your unique story through your design aesthetic
A lot of websites look beautiful but fail to convey an organizations unique perspective or communicate their mission and values. Your website is an opportunity to differentiate yourself from competitors.
Ultimately you don’t want to make it ALL about you, but a little personality goes a long way. Your website should convey your tone and values through your design aesthetic.
See the latest design trends and predictions here.
“73% of companies invest in design to help their brand stand out from competitors”
— Adobe
Bringing it all together. Balancing substance & style
Substance & style. Today there are amazing options for access to trending illustrations and fonts. The talent available on several photography sites is beyond impressive and talented designers sharing their work daily. It’s pretty inspiring.
All of that said, your website is a business tool. A website must look good. But design goes beyond trending graphics and colour palettes. It is also about the less glamorous work of finding the intersection between user needs and business goals. It requires the tedious work of slashing content and saying less with more.
A truly powerful website communicates your benefits clearly, provides a frictionless and intuitive experience and does it all while looking good.
