Your website is most likely the first impression a customer has of your business. It's important to make sure that your website looks professional and polished, and reflects the brand you are trying to create. Many small businesses try to save money by DIYing their website, and I get it, startup costs add up quick. However, a web designer will help you build a website that not only looks great and functions well, but more importantly brings you customers and sales. Let’s look at a few reasons hiring a designer or agency to help you grow is a great move.
Design “Responsively.” Almost 70% of website visits come from mobile devices. Responsive design means that your website will look great and function properly whether you’re viewing the site on a desktop computer, tablet or phone. Many DIY platforms offer a responsive design experience and claim to automatically adjust your site to the size of the device it's being viewed on. While that may work in some cases, designing different layouts for screen sizes is something a designer will specialize in. Almost all of these platforms require you to build your website on a desktop, despite the fact that so many websites are often viewed solely on a mobile device.
Layout is key. A website's layout is possibly the most important piece of design. Sure, the word design will make you think about color and beauty, but don’t forget that it also has lots to do with structure, hierarchy and function. A web designer will know how to create a layout that is both effective and visually appealing, and ultimately help you achieve your business goals. You need to consider placement of elements like the navigation bar, call-to-action buttons, images and important links. Additionally, a web designer will be able to recommend the best fonts and colors to use on your website in order to evoke the right emotions and achieve brand consistency.
Be Consistent. You need people to know what your brand represents, and the best way to do that is by being consistent with it. This means that everything from your website to your social media profiles should look and feel the same. This will help create a strong connection with your audience and make them more likely to do business with you.
Be Unique. There’s no way to get around it, being unique will help you stand out from the competition. Splashy videos and animation are nice, as long as they coexist with the functionality of your website. A web designer’s first step in the process is to learn about your brand, how it looks and how it feels. From there the design starts to come together based solely on what is important to you and your business - not what’s available in a select set of tools or templates.
Communicate. Keeping all of these notes in mind, if you do anything at all, make sure the information you need your potential customers and clients to see is visible right away. Take for example Angi.com. Their homepage greets you with a welcoming image, but you are quickly drawn to the search box that reads “How can we help?” Clicking in the box provides you with the option to scroll through some popular services or type in exactly what you’re looking for. Aesthetics should never outshine information, they should work hand in hand to bring your visitors the best experience possible.
Statistics taken from WebsiteBuilder.org
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