Since thousands of new start-up businesses are popping up every day, owning a professional website is no longer an option, it’s a must! Customers are becoming more and more fussy since they have countless options as to where they shop and who they deal with. A business that presents itself unprofessionally online will not be taken seriously.
Ordering a professional website is not difficult and you can find a web design company offering quality websites very affordably online. Simply search for terms such as ‘Low Cost Web Design’ and you will be well on your way.
Whilst it can be an easy option for businesses to invest a small amount into a professionally set up website, some make the mistake of attempting to build there own. I am yet to come across any business that I know which has built their own website (other than people already equipped with high levels of design and coding skills) that has managed to build a successful website for their own company.
Ordering a website is no different to hiring an electrician, you wouldn’t hire an electrician that isn’t certified and you shouldn’t attempt web design unless you have the skills to do it properly.
Many ask how to market their businesses effectively online since this is the most essential element required for online success. The answer to this question is that there is no hard and fast answer. There are many components that businesses need to try and test in order to find the perfect blend of online marketing.
Key areas include; your website design, website content, how often you update your website, search engine optimisation, pay per click advertising, re-target marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, online PR, blogging, video marketing and much more. As you can see there are many elements required for an effective online marketing strategy. This is why most businesses turn to internet marketing agencies to manage their online marketing campaigns.
Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS)
By keeping your website design simple, you will be able to present your business professionally online without incurring astronomical fees.
Uncomplicated website designs are much easier for web designers to produce. This makes it cheaper and easier for you to gain an online presence. Simple websites tend to be easier for people to users to use and for search engines to understand. An added bonus of KISS is that more simple website designs tend to work well on modern devices such as mobile phones and tablets.
Most business owners make the mistake of trying to cram their website full of their services, images, information about the business, catchy phrases, testimonials, contact information and everything else they can stuff in. As a first time website owner, there is no doubt that you’re probably excited with the idea of getting a website, and you should be, however, always speak with your web designer for advice. As they should be able to point you in the right direction and explain that it would be far more professional to have dedicated pages for each section of your business.
It’s important to retain consistency throughout your website and you should focus on producing clean, quality pages throughout. A two column layout is typically the most popular layout. This is where the content takes up most of the page and a side bar is located on the right or left hand side. A single column layout can also look very smart.
Once the structure of your website is nicely laid out, you can then decide on whether you want to be contemporary or vibrant with your colour pallet. Using a simple design, you can opt to use bright colours without jeopardising the quality of the site. Too much colour is often an issue for websites overloaded with information.
If you are struggling to decide on a colour scheme you can always look at other successful websites. It’s also worth looking at your competitors since you will want to stand out from them whilst keeping within the boundaries prohibited from your industry associates.
If you can’t afford a web designer from day dot, it may be worthwhile either bringing them in as a partner of the business or agreeing to a structured payment plan of 6-12 months spread payments.
Future Proof Design
It’s important that all your outgoings are spent wisely, especially in the early days. This is why you shouldn’t hesitate to invest that little bit extra for a quality website rather than scrimping on £100 in the early days to only find that you need to invest a further £1 000 on a new website at a later date.
If you stick to producing a contemporary website design, then you should weather all fashionable changes. Other factors that you could consider before you order a website is making it ‘responsive’ so the website works effectively on both mobile and tablet devices.
Summary
In the end, solid web design for a start up is about three things: focus, talent and planning. If you know what you want to put your attention on, have someone there who can make it look good and then plan for the future, it is fairly straightforward to craft a solid, professional design that will be both memorable and lasting.
As you can see from these points stated above. To compete with all other competitors online, you do not need a super fancy and extremely expensive website with features that people have never seen. This is far from today’s conclusion.
What you should take out of today’s article is that all businesses have the opportunity to compete professionally online. You just need to focus on what’s actually important about your website and what it’s supposed to do. Remember that your website is designed to entice customers, give them useful information that they can easily access, your website is also supposed to build trust and confidence with your customer since businesses without a website must be doing something wrong, they are either not making enough money, or they are just a one man band not looking for new business.
The most challenging aspect for small start up businesses is to provide the investment to get started and businesses must find a way to finance their website since you will be on a back foot without one.
