IS THE WOW IN YOUR WEBSITE?

Your website was created to be your company’s best and most useful digital asset. When it was born, you made a fuss over it. You trained it to generate leads, promote your brand, and act as your virtual storefront. Now that it’s gotten older, though, it may be looking and acting tired, slacking off instead of keeping up with current trends.

The truth is, as your business and technology continue to evolve, your website might start to look dated. And, just as you invest in your company’s human assets, the time and attention you devote to nurturing your site can mean the difference between a website that works and one that wows.

Just 25 years ago, you could grow a business with positive word-of-mouth, great customer service, and referrals from loyal customers. The jury was still out on the internet, your customers didn’t shop online (remember when Jeff Bezos was mocked for trying to sell books online?), and social media didn’t even exist yet.

It’s a different world now; like it or not, digital has taken over. Cultivating a solid online presence and engaging strongly with current and prospective customers is key to building and maintaining a successful business in the digital world.

Your business website is the hub for everything you have to offer. An all-in-one center for your biography, your portfolio or services, your insights…pretty much all your bragging rights. You know what content is available, where to find it and where to go if you can’t. Here’s the catch – can your customers? How your website works is just as, if not more important, than how it looks.

We find ourselves in an age of digital technology and information. People are no longer popping into stores to see what’s available, instead they are searching online. Think of your website as the first impression your company gives.  When a customer clicks on that URL they want to be greeted in a warm, friendly manner. Imagine if you clicked on a webpage and were directed to this:

Many articles out there focus on how to build the best website for businesses using web design best practices. These practices will help you create a website that drives traffic, generates leads, and closes customers. The truth is, with technological advances and changes in consumer buying behaviors, designing an effective website isn’t as simple as it once was. Here are five common myths about website design:

Myth #1: Call-to-action buttons should be kept above the fold. Placing a CTA above the fold is the most common placement on web pages. In a case study done by Content Verve, a landing page with the call-to-action below the fold performed better than a page with the CTA above the fold by an incredible 304 percent. Now, that’s not saying placing a CTA above the fold is a bad idea. If the visitors are interested, it will receive clicks. Click through rates are highly dependent on the page content and the CTA itself. If you’re wondering where to place your call-to-action, run an A/B test. Keep both versions away from busy areas, but don’t be afraid to place one below the fold.

If you’re ready to develop or redesign your business website, you might be wondering, how much does it cost to make a website? The cost of a website can range from free to millions of dollars depending on how large the site needs to be. The cost depends on many factors, including:

• Features/functionality
• Design
• Development
• Integrations

Remember the “good old days?” It might have been growing up in a small suburb, where you could walk to the ice cream store and see multiple friends along the way. Or maybe it was when you could disco the night away? Perhaps it was when you biked through your neighborhood while you listened to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” on your Sony Walkman. Or, maybe when you listened to boy bands after school, or played video games until it was time for bed.

Starting in 2018, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will require website compliance from a variety of organizations. If you’re planning on updating or building a new site, you should plan on incorporating the Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) that have been set up. Click here to download the entire WCAG 2.0 Checklist for ADA Compliance.

There’s no denying it; consumers judge a brand by its advertising, a book by its cover, and a website by its design. A Consumer Web Watch study concluded that consumers “judge on aesthetics” when it comes to websites. It’s why web designers focus their efforts on making sure the sites they design are pleasing to the eye and make the right first impression.