Good Web Design Can Increase Your Business
If you have spent any amount of time chatting it up with business people about websites, and how they relate to, or affect their overall bottom line you most likely have come away with two basic story lines. One group will for the most part say that their site augments their business, but really hasn’t increased revenue, while the other group will say their site is definitely a money maker.
So then what is it that separates the two? Is it just the luck of the draw, or is there something in the design process that has one site basically a company decoration, while another site is a company worker that’s pulling in business? The simple answer to that question is yes, the secret is in the design process.
There is a little bit of luck involved too as it pertains to the design company you go with, but with just a little bit of knowledge under your belt you can shave your odds 99% in your favor.
So yes you need to go with a designer who is knowledgeable, but just as importantly, is willing to explain what your options are, and why you should in fact choose any.
SEO or search engine optimization comes in two basic categories and those are on-site, and off-site SEO, and on-site SEO techniques are what you need to concern yourself with as your site is being designed. You see, far too many people get distracted by other elements of the design process, and in turn put SEO on the back burner. Something to deal with after the site has been completed.
Don’t fall into that rut. The problem is that truly effective on site SEO for certain business genres can require some difficult, complex out of the box thinking, so some designers will tend to pass it off for you to deal with later. He or she may tell you things like “it’s just not relevant in the early stages of your site because age is what really matters in the first couple of years”.
Then there is the issue of user active features such as auto-responding emails, and free information product downloads, and if these are done right they really can deliver a lot of bodies to a business. Now the word to focus on here is “right” because of they are done wrong they can in fact drive potential business away.
Look for a designer who is willing to talk to you a little about how they work, and the various aspects of market research and human behaviorism that they use in creating, and implementing them. What you don’t need is someone waving them in front of you like a car salesman trying to sell you on one more goodie for your new vehicle.
You see there are web designers out there who take a keen interest in how the things that they do truly influence those who visit their finished work. They actually get a thrill out of manipulating people in the market place, and if you can find one consider yourself lucky. However; do bear in mind that effective designers will have the statistics or “conversion numbers” to back them up, so they do tend to charge a bit more.