Many people think Web Design is about creating an attractive looking website. This may be true to an extent. However, effective Web Design is about creating a visually attractive site that is user friendly, search engine friendly, and designed to sell. There are a lot of factors that go into building a quality website that is pleasing to the eye, and designed to help you make money. But, what you don’t know about Web Design can possibly affect your ability to achieve your marketing objectives.
So, before you start designing or even redesign your site, this article explores a few factors that will help you make an informed decision of choosing a quality Web Design Company that can assist you with creating a beautiful profit producing website.
Is Your Template Site Hurting Your Web Design?
Many people jump on the chance to set up a WordPress blog, or some variation of a do-it-yourself Web Design template type of site. While templates are easy and affordable, they may be doing more harm than good. Of course, the primary benefits of a template site are simplicity and affordability; however the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages of a template Web Design. Some disadvantages include but are not limited to:
Generic
Once you find a template you like, you can guarantee that there are thousands of other people with the same exact template. Having the same exact template as everyone else is certainly not a good branding strategy. You want a Web Design that is unique and fits the culture and branding of your company. That’s why it’s imperative for you to have a custom Web Design that differentiates you from your competition.
Technical Challenges
When it comes to effective Web Design, there’s a lot of back end coding that takes place. The back end coding includes, HTML, CSS, SEO, JavaScript, Sitemaps, and more, which makes it easy to make changes and updates. However, when you use a template site, making changes can be difficult or just impossible. That’s why it’s important to find a good Web Design company to design your website in a way that is easy to manage and update.
No Customization
With many people using their cell phones to perform a search online, it makes it difficult to make a customized site for mobile users. When you have a Web Design company design your website, you can rest assured that they will be able to create two versions of your site; one for mobile users and one for PC and Mac users.
Is Your Web Design Mobile Friendly?
It’s no secret that the mobile marketing industry is growing at a rapid pace. According to Forrester Research, a world renowned research firm, The Mobile Marketing industry will sky rocket to a $2.5 billion dollar industry by the year 2014. But, more importantly, individuals are using their mobile phones to perform online searches. In fact, more than 91 million consumers will use the internet through their mobile device at least monthly. But, what does this mobile marketing frenzy have to do with Web Design? Well, if consumers are looking for information on their mobile device, wouldn’t it be wise to create a Web Design that is mobile friendly? There’s some controversy in the web industry, stating mobile Web Design is not needed. But, with statistics like 20 % of search traffic will come from a mobile device by the year 2012, a mobile Web Design strategy should not be ignored. Of course, it depends on your type of business, and your objectives to decide if a mobile Web Design strategy is for you. However, the numbers keep increasing on how many people will be using their mobile device to access the internet. By implementing a mobile Web Design strategy while mobile marketing is still in its infancy, you can be way ahead of your competition. It doesn’t matter if your website is designed for the mobile market, or if it’s a custom Web Design, no matter which route you choose, it’s crucial to implement a Search Engine Optimization Strategy for your website.
Does Your Web Design Company Know Search Engine Optimization?
For years, Web Design companies have been getting a bad reputation for being absolutely clueless about SEO. They’ve been ridiculed for making pretty and expensive sites that can’t be found in the search engines. And, that’s unfortunate, because not all Web Design firms are alike. There are many Web Design firms that are well-versed in SEO. But, what exactly is SEO?
Simply put, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of increasing visibility to a website. Many people think SEO is all about placing keywords in “special” locations on their websites. Well, placing keywords on your website is only one part of the puzzle, there’s more to SEO than what meets the eye. A good Web Design company will know basic to advanced fundamentals of creating a Search Engine friendly site. Some important aspects of SEO that should not be ignored included, but are not limited to:
SEO Tags
When it comes to SEO Tags, there are certain tags that help the Search Engines identify what a site is about. These tags include title tags, H1 & H2, Tags, and Meta tags. All these tags are important because they help search engines identify what a web page is about. A good Web Design firm will understand the importance of these tags and implement an effective strategy to integrate SEO with the entire Web Design Process.
JavaScript/Flash/CSS
There are many barriers that make it difficult for Search Engines to crawl your website effectively. A good Web Design company will know how to get around these barriers and create a full functioning and easy to navigate website for both search engines and human visitors.
Sitemap Creation
A good Web Design company will be able to create a sitemap that makes it easy for search engine spiders to crawl and index your website.
Internal Linking
A big part of SEO is about building links, but it’s also about having a great internal linking structure to make the site easy to navigate. A great navigation strategy not only helps the Search Engines find valuable content on your web site, but it also helps your web visitors use your site with ease.
Of course, there are many more factors about SEO and Web Design that will be too much to mention here. However, one important element of SEO that is worth mentioning is copywriting.
Does Your Web Design Company Know about Copywriting?
SEO plays a major role in creating an effective Web Design that sells. However, there are many different facets of SEO that help create an effective website. One of those facets is Copywriting. Copywriting is writing to sell a product or service. After all, a websites main purpose is to help you sell your goods and services.
It’s easy to get caught up in the aesthetics of a website. But, having a website without good copy is like having a store front without any inventory. Even though a Web Design company’s primary focus is to design a website, they should have a basic understanding of copywriting fundamentals. In fact, many Web Design firms partner with copywriters to help accentuate the entire Web Design process.
When it all comes down to it, you don’t need to know everything about Web Design, that’s what Web Designers are for. However, you need to know that an effective Web Design strategy should include certain elements that can help your website be a success. Some of the elements of an effective Web Design strategy include, but are not limited to:
- An Easy to Manage Web Site
- User Friendly
- Search Engine Friendly
- Designed to Increase Sales
Customized Web Design To Help With Branding
There are so many factors that go into a quality Web Design, you can’t take a one-size fits all approach. Therefore, it’s wise to contact a Web Design firm that can create a customized strategy based on your individual needs.
