Web Design: Keep it Simple, Easy on the Eyes and Fresh

Web Design: Keep it Simple, Easy on the Eyes and Fresh

In order to compete in business these days, you need to keep a web presence. Is yours more appealing than your competition's? Does it sell you and your message? Here are three simple ways to increase your web appeal.

Keep it Simple.
Put yourself in your customers' shoes. When they reach your website, you want them to be able to purchase a product or find the information they need - quickly. They don't want to sift through irrelevant information to find what they need. Customers in a hurry won't waste time clicking from page to page to navigate your site. Make their visit pleasurable, and give them a reason to come back again and again.

Keep it Easy on the Eyes.
Most businesses should avoid dark and busy backgrounds that distract from content and make the text difficult to read. A dark or black background for a photography site makes for a dramatic effect - but it is easier to view and read dark text against a lighter background. Font choice has been fairly limited for website design, and that may not necessarily be a bad thing. Arial and Verdana fonts are two of the most popular and easy to read.

Keep it Fresh.
If you have a website and rarely update it or look at it, you might as well have no website at all. Many small businesses may be able to get away with updating on a quarterly or monthly basis. But if you are trying to make your site a "must visit," or your company provides weekly or daily communications, you must make updates a priority. To keep your customers coming back, you can post promotions on line, create a carefully worded professional blog, or feature an accessible, downloadable quarterly or monthly newsletter in PDF format.

The bottom line is, always put yourself in your customers' shoes. Once you've got a clean, effective site, keep it updated by adding new content or updates and moving - or removing - older material. To drive customers to your site, promote your website in every piece of printed material you hand out!

To discuss, contact me at SolidOakConsulting.com or 708-524-0886.