Great web design is born more
from great discussion than great
design; websites should evolve
through discussion, not simply be
produced.
Your Web Matters
What started many years ago as something fancy, to make an organisation look good, has now become an essential business tool. If well produced it can bring about much in terms of both sales and economies; yet nearly 50% of sites are considered to not be fit for purpose. So powerful is the web that EBay estimate three million people now derive around half their household income as a result of online trading. With ever increasing usage and accessibility it would be fool-hardy for any business to underestimate how important the internet is (or could be) in getting your product to market. Without doubt, a website is the shop window of the new millennium!
Odd then isn’t it how many businesses treat this most important marketing tool with casual contempt? As a marketing communications company it is very frustrating to constantly hear from companies that their website is being sorted out by a relative’s son or a friend’s daughter who are “very good with computers and [possibly] studying design at college”. Were the same offspring doing a BTEC Finance course would you get rid of your finance director and hand that job over too? – Didn’t think so. So why hand what is probably your most important marketing tool over to a novice?
A lot of hard work should go into any website; otherwise whatever is done won’t deliver results. Website design is a marketing job and starts with plenty of thought; essentially you need to start off by knowing who your web customers are (those who you intend will be visiting/using the site) and what you want the site to deliver. Is it there to sell or just give information? Are you looking to attract more customers or more business from existing customers? How can your site reinforce your brand and corporate objectives?
Any marketing and design company worth its salt will want to sit down and talk through ideas before anything gets moving, this should be a two way conversation – if all they do is take your brief and start designing, well… that nephew may have been a cheaper bet!
There are two main elements to design, the visual content and what is written. Pictures and graphics must be clear and professional, though with advances in digital camera technology it is possible for amateur photographers to get fantastic results (particularly if you get someone to touch the images up); professionals should however manage staggering ones – though at a price. One further piece of advice is give thought to your logo, this is probably the most important visual image of all, it will be the first thing visitors see and research shows it is the reason they do or don’t delve further into your website, it must also support your brand. People conducting ‘Google type’ searches move very quickly through the many sites they are offered and generally base their decision to progress or not on the logo they see. Many sites, with second rate home pages, are viewed for less than a second.
In terms of the written word, people often write far too much and it is rarely read. Any agency should be working with you on the written content. A website is a marketing tool and should be written by marketing people, preferably ones with business experience. Without meaning to insult any of our own staff… designers design, Mick & Maria do it very well indeed, but they aren’t authors. With experience writing press releases, Jonathan, who is also trained in precision writing, will happily help with editing suggestions. Your website is a marketing tool first and foremost and, whilst it should look good, it shouldn’t be confused with a work of art!
One final point, we all want to be at the top of the Google search list but that just isn’t possible. Type in ‘television’ and the BBC only comes third – ITV doesn’t even make the first page! So whilst we do know how to ensure you’re not 3 millionth out 26 million, we can’t promise miracles. We will however work hard to ensure your website’s magic! – See our ‘Getting on Top’ article for more details.
To find out more about Search Engine Optimisation and Pay Per Click read our ‘Getting on Top’ article
For a rough idea of Website development costs look at our ‘Website Cost Guidelines for SME’s’ information
Is your website working as well as it can? – if you think not get in touch!
We can offer website health checks, reworkings, or start from scratch – Your web matters!