Never under estimate the power of a great website. You may not think you know the difference, but you do.
You experience great websites every time you go on the Internet, type something into Google, and find a site that has ALL of the information you need. When you stay on a website for more than 5 seconds, you know it’s a good one. And chances are, you’ll probably return to the site at a later date knowing that it offers what you need.
That is the kind of experience you want people to have when visiting your website.
Your organization’s online presence matters. It’s where your potential customers do their research on the products or services you provide. And these days, the majority of business owners realize the importance of their Web presence, which means the stakes are high. Your site must be better than your competitors.
What does it take for your website to be better? More than an average website design. There are too many DIY website building tools and templates available online, so it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. Avoid becoming another “me too” site by actively seeking out custom web design.
Make your company look more professional and increase your reputation.
Custom web design could be the differentiating factor that visitors notice. A well-designed online presence indicates a certain level of professionalism in the company that owns it.
Today, many consumers recognize that real companies take the time to fully develop their Web presence because they “get it.” And when companies don't make the commitment improve their design, it raises the question: What else are they skimping on?
Avoid templates and basic clip art that aren’t helping you.
There is an abundance of poorly built websites from templates that use readily basic clipart.
The templates aren't necessarily bad as they stand, but even customers without any knowledge of the Web can tell when something looks cheesy.
Using a standard template or images like clipart can indicate a subtle (or not so subtle) lack of sophistication and professionalism in your design. What can follow is the instilment of doubt about the credibility of your company as a whole.
The way your brand is presented visually affects your credibility.
The true value of a custom design is that it revolves around your brand. It enables you to have more than a simple web presence by giving your customer's the chance to focus their attention on who you are as a company, which builds your brand in your marketplace.
It’s not about flashy graphics or making sure all of the bells and whistles are present—in fact, in custom web design, simplicity trumps flash.
A really good design isn't actually about the design at all. Instead, it provides the viewer a distraction free, clear place to get information about your company and its products or services.
Allow your customers to get comfortable and stay for awhile.
A great thing about custom web design is that it moves visitors through the site naturally, which makes it easy to navigate without any thought. A landing page with a clean design should be easy to access and simple to digest information from. Taking it even further, a well-defined call-to-action keeps visitors engaged on your site longer and hopefully converts them into leads by telling them exactly what the next step is.
Typically, conversion rates fall between 2-10% with visitors only staying on a page for about 15 seconds. Custom web design has the power to increase your credibility, which can strongly affect both of those metrics, so it’s worth the extra time and effort.
Prime the DNA of your site to be optimized for the search engines.
It may seem like the bottom of the priority list to incorporate search engine optimization (SEO) into your design, but it will enhance your credibility. For most visitors searching online, higher search engine rankings have become a sign of credibility in and of themselves. In the minds of many visitors, your site is ranked higher than others because your content is more relevant and credible than others in the results, and thereby your company is more relevant and credible.
It’s important to make sure that your online presence is being built around your brand and serving your business needs, not the other way around. A mediocre website design can be just as harmful as a poor website content.
If you want your website to truly impact the credibility of your company, it’s important to consider investing in a custom web design that makes your website a high-performing marketing and sales tool.
