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When I speak to small business owners about web design I invariably hear about how they, or someone they know got burned by the web designer. They may have even formed the opinion that the web site was an expensive waste of money. Unfortunately this is all too common and the reason is generally, the web designer got it wrong!

Over the last five to ten years it has become easier and easier to build a web site. Simply visit your local computer store and pick up a software package and you can build a web site in no time. There are plenty of web sites around where you can download inexpensive templates and if you really want to get stuck in to it you could get a Dummies Guide from the local book shop to add some fancy tricks to make your site stand out

Creating a website is not simply about making it look professional. The fact is there are plenty of horrible looking sites out there that make lots of money. There are also a great number of good-looking web sites that make very little money. I’m not saying that the visual presentation of your site is unimportant just that it doesn’t end there.

Put simply the problem is that web designers are, designers! More often than not they are concerned only with how everything fits together visually, complementary colours and where to put their widget-of-the-week to give the site pizzazz! Very little thought goes into the business planning of the site. Priorities need to be set out before the site is built to use the resources effectively.

One of the most fundamentally important elements missing in most web designs is the Unique Selling Point. What makes your company, business or service different from all your competitors? Why should people buy from you? If your site visitor cannot quickly answer this question, they will leave and probably not come back.

Pay attention to your web site copy. Avoid the use of phrases like “We can…”, “We will…” The tone of your copy should be engaging and address their needs. It must provide a solution. They must feel that they have found the site that will solve their individual problem. Each page on your site should be focused on one central message. Look around and see how many website ignore these basic marketing principles and you’ll recognise how you can rise above your competition. Engage the services of a web designer who understands marketing and you’ll start heading in the right direction.

I have always placed a lot of emphasis on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) because it is very important in attracting visitor traffic to your site. Statistically, search engines account for more than 80% of all new visits to a site. However if the visits you are already getting are not being converted to sales then SEO, whilst still important, is a lower priority.

Another common mistake people make when they publish a web site is the lack of content. Surprising as it may sound, people do actually read web sites. Yes, they have a short attention span, which we’ll discuss in a minute, but they do want to read. When someone visits your site you need to reassure them that they have come to the right place.

This is not to say that graphics are not important but they should have a supportive role to the written words on the page. People use the Internet because they are seeking information either about your product or service or your particular area of expertise. Providing information in a way that can be quickly and easily accessed could mean the difference between securing a new customer and relinquishing them to a competitor. This also helps with SEO but that will be the focus of another article.

Getting back to the issue of short attention spans. We often refer to it as the 3-second rule. Web studies have suggested that if your visitors is not engaged by your content within 3 seconds of opening your page they will move on to another site. This is not because people cannot concentrate for more that a few seconds but more likely attributed to the fact that so many web sites are a complete waste of time. People are so accustomed to hitting a web site only to be disappointed that they take one brief glimpse and quickly decide to stay or go. If you can grab their attention quickly, with the message they are looking for they will stay.

Another important fact is that people do not make a purchase decision straight away. It takes several visits to convert a visitor to a customer. If your web site doesn’t engage your visitors and encourage them to return you won’t see positive results. The good news is that most of your competitors will go for the value-for-money website offered by web designers who don’t know about marketing. Ultimately they will be disappointed by the results they get. This doesn’t mean you need to the budget of a large corporation, you just need to be willing to invest some time and resources in planing your website content and on-line applications.

Showpage designs and builds websites for business owners and organisations to market themselves effectively and achieve business goals. In consultation with our clients we can carefully plan the websites graphic design, copywriting, and discuss marketing services that can be used to achieve their objectives and promote the business.