Creating a website just for the sake of it won’t haul in any customers or help you earn a profit. On the contrary, a poorly-designed website can become the reason why your business will have a negative image in the market.
Fortunately, there are many ways on how you can prevent this from happening – creating an effective small business website design is just one of them.
Creating a website with an effective design is necessary, which is why several businesses such as Hook Agency – Small Business Website Design offers to effectively design your website.
But regardless if you’re planning to revamp your website on your own or hire professionals, it’s best if you know the following website design tips:
8 Tips for Effective Small Business Website Design
1. Always Keep the Visual Design in Mind
A website is a powerful tool that can be used to advertise your products and services, engage with your target market, and stand out from the competition.
As a business owner, you have the privilege of doing all of these things through your website – but you should never forget about visual design.
Human beings are naturally visual creatures, which means that pictures can influence their buying decision. For your website to achieve great visual design, keep in mind the following:
- All of the images used on your website should show the goal of the product. If you want the online community to know that your business is selling smartphones, use a picture of a smartphone to directly convey this message.
- If your business has a logo, make sure that it’s visible on the homepage. Make it easy for them to remember your brand.
- Only use high-quality images. How can your target market trust you if your business can’t afford to use high-quality images?
2. Create a Mobile-Friendly Website
Your target market will not only use their laptops and desktop computers to access your website. Usually, they’re using handheld devices such as a tablet and smartphone to browse the internet.
If you want your website to be accessible regardless of the device used, use a website design appropriate for any screen type. Make sure that all of your content is readable and your website is responsive, no matter how big or small the screen is.
The features enjoyed by individuals who are using a laptop or desktop computer should be the same as the people who are on their smartphones.
3. Adopt a Clear Navigation Design
As mentioned, a website can be used in a lot of ways. You can use this platform to acquire information from your target audience, or function as an online brochure.
Regardless of the intent you have with your customers, make sure that your website has a clear navigation design. Make it easy for them to submit their information or buy products from you. If possible, provide on-screen instructions so they’ll be guided on what to do when they’re on your website.
4. Have a Clutter-Free Website
The maxim, “The more, the merrier” isn’t always applicable to designing a website. Sure, it can be very tempting to bombard your website with different images, videos, and texts. However, this will actually do more harm than good.
Opening a website that has too many things going on at the same time can be stressful. Instead of trying to put different multimedia on one webpage, work on having a clutter-free website.
If you’re using your website as an online brochure, categorize all products and make it easy for online users to find their options. When it comes to website design, less is more.
5. Contact Details Should Be Visible
One of the main reasons why a website is an essential tool for a business’s success is because it serves as a platform for entrepreneurs to communicate with their potential customers.
Make sure that your contact details are visible on the website. Dedicate a single webpage that shows your business’s email address, physical address, and contact numbers.
Online users might have additional queries about your business, so allow them to reach you through whichever medium is convenient for them.
6. Maintain Professional Branding.
How your website looks can leave an impression on the public. If your website looks and feels mediocre – with texts all over the place and images filling the screen – don’t expect that you’ll gain a positive brand image. Steer away from this direction by maintaining a professional brand on your website. You can do this by:
- Using colors or themes that are prominent in your brand logo.
- If you’re hiring professionals to design your website for you, consider their advice on how your website should look.
- Use one or two fonts throughout your website.
- All images and videos published on the website should be consistent with the website’s overall design.
7. Prioritize Quick Site Load Time
All of your efforts to put up an informative website will be useless if it takes minutes for online users to view a single webpage. Remember, they’re using the internet to acquire fast results from a particular query, not waste their time.
Make their online browsing experience worthwhile by making sure that your website loads fast. Pick up good web hosts and avoid using elements that can slow down your website.
8. Use Simple Words, Never Jargons
You might have spent years studying how a certain business niche works but don’t expect that all of your online users will have the interest and time to do the same.
Keep in mind that online users will not have the same knowledge as yours. Thus, always use simple words in your website.
If you’re planning to publish articles or blogs on your website, make sure it’s free from any jargons. Don’t try to impress online users with highfalutin words.
Set Limits
You have the liberty to do anything with your website, but this doesn’t mean you should. If you want to increase your traffic and conversion rates, you should never go overboard with your website design.
To ensure that your small business will only enjoy the benefits from your website, master all the tips presented in this article.
Let these tips become your guide to finally create a website that is appealing to your target market!
