Does your website represent your business as well as you do? Does it convey the same tone and message that has been so successful for you in your brick and mortar business? Does it accomplish its objective…are you even sure you know what its objective is? What is the best website design for your business? If the answer is “no” or “I’m not sure” then consider this.

A website is not a brochure. It’s not a billboard or a printed “leave behind.” A website is an opportunity to interact with the visitor in much the same way you do in person. But that interaction will never happen if your website design doesn’t grab the visitor’s eye (and brain) in 4 seconds or less. That’s how fast a visitor will make the decision to stay or leave. Your website design plays a major role in keeping or losing a visitor. If it quickly sets an appropriate tone, coveys an easy to understand message and implies that the answer to the visitor’s needs lie within then it’s doing its job. If it’s clunky, “old fashion looking” or amateurish it’s probably doing you more harm brand wise than not having a website at all. Successful websites have several design elements in common and you may want to compare what you have to what works.

• Header. The upper left corner is the hot spot on your website. That’s where the visitor’s eyes go first. If your header is a simple one color banner with your company name (the default on WordPress) then you’re losing an opportunity to quickly pique the interest of the visitor. For example you could have your logo on the far left followed by a tag line, the name of the site and if you’re offering a personal service a picture of your smiling face. Sliders are another option for headers and offer the additional benefits of providing great graphics, multiple tag lines and movement.
• H1 Tags. Having great bolded headlines starting off your content serves two purposes. They allow the visitor to easily scan and find the “good parts” that he or she was looking for, and they have an important role in on page optimization. Using h2 or subheader tags in your content also contributes to the ease of scanning and overall balanced appearance.
• Video. One of the best ways to increase your “time on page” stat and reduce the “bounce rate” is having a video player or an embedded video on the page. When a visitor sees that “play” arrow his brain is saying “I don’t have to read this content…somebody is going to tell me what I need to know.” Producing an effective quality video is relatively easy and a smart investment.
• Email Capture. The odds of a new visitor ever returning to your site again are 7 out of 100. Either they don’t find what they needed, or they didn’t need it right now or the doorbell rang and they left the computer. It doesn’t matter why they leave but it does matter that they will rarely return. Don’t waste that visit. Offer a newsletter, coupons, special report or some other relevant material in exchange for a name and an email address. An attractive email capture box can build an email list that you can market to time and time again. “The money is in the list” is an old direct marketing adage that is doubly true for digital marketing.

The trick here is to get an attractive website design that will organize these elements above the fold. The best website designs will not require a visitor to scroll down to view any of the critical features. So how does your website design stack up? If you want an outside opinion consider asking a vendor or your banker. Tell them you’re interested in honest constructive criticism. Odds are they’ve seen the websites of your competitors and can give you a comparative opinion. Or you can contact us. Creating websites that work is what we do. Give us a call or drop us a line and we’ll be happy to give you our opinion and recommendations.