Web Design: Dress to Impress

Comparing pitching your business through a well-designed website to pitching yourself in person by appearing smart and respectable. A nicely designed and useable website doesn’t make you a better company – just as putting on a suit doesn’t mean you’re any better at the job you’re being asked to do – but it inspires confidence and shows you can take something seriously.

Browse the internet and it’s amazing how many different styled websites you’ll come across. Some companies use exciting imagery, videos and fancy Flash CMS features, whilst others opt for a more simplistic approach and let the copy do the talking.

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In this article, we’ll uncover the secrets of successful web design.

Dress to impress

With such a large amount of emphasis being placed on the internet in today’s business world, it’s important to make sure you have a well-designed website which engages your target audience and has the potential to stick in peoples’ minds hours after they’ve left the PC.

A nicely designed website inspires confidence, shows you can take something seriously and suggests you care about your customers. Poorly designed websites which are difficult to navigate look unappealing and don’t provide the appropriate information, can turn potential customers away.

If you aren’t tech savvy or a professional web designer, it’s difficult to know what features make a good website. On the internet, first impressions are everything – it’s no different to flicking through a glossy magazine and pausing at pages which catch your eye and interest you.

A badly designed website will deter users. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you need an all-singing all-dancing design full of fancy gadgets and gizmos. A good website should be well organised, have engaging content and a high quality, clear design.

It’s the little things that matter

It’s important to ensure your website has a clean-cut design. Alignment, bolding, contrast and colour can make or break the look, and an unorganised design will make your website and your company appear unprofessional.

• When inserting text and imagery, try to maintain accurate horizontal and vertical alignment as this will allow consistency in your design.
• When used correctly, contrast can be a very clever technique. You can make particular elements of your website stand out with a certain image, bright colour or bold segment of text. One of the best ways to create contrast is through colour. Once you have chosen a standard background and text colour, use a totally different style in areas where greater attention should be paid.
• To keep your design clear and focused, you should limit yourself to just a few fonts or font families. Size and colour can add variety and contrast without having the messy appearance of conflicting font styles.
• Just like your choice of fonts, a small colour palette selection can really benefit the design. Use the same colour shades throughout your site as even the slightest variances can appear jarring.
• Ensuring your website is user friendly and easy to navigate is crucial. Your business may be incredibly complex or have a humongous product range, but that doesn’t mean you need an overly large, clumsy website which does not give the user the information they’re looking for. A good website should let the user go wherever they like, quickly and easily.
• Copywriting should be clear and straight to the point. Put yourself in a potential customer’s position and imagine what they want to read. Content should be relevant and incorporate the right key phrases to ensure your site is found through the search engines.
• The key is to be consistent across you entire site to maintain a certain look and feel, and most importantly, portray the right message.

Stand out from the crowd

Getting your business noticed in today’s global online market is no easy task. These days, business owners simply don’t have the time or money to constantly ensure their website is up-to-date, functional and built to convert.

Specialist web design, branding and marketing companies, such as Open Water, have the knowledge and expertise to offer affordable solutions that are right for your business. Professional web designers will work with you, creating inspiring, effective solutions. A close, day-to-day relationship with your web designer will ensure you always get the exceptional results you’re looking for.

As well as designing a highly appealing, user friendly website, experienced marketers can help you build a successful brand through numerous tried and tested strategies. Online and offline techniques include logo design, brochures, newsletters, ad banners, campaigns, promotions and direct mail.
By leaving your website in the capable hands of the experts, you will be able to easily convert visitors into customers and ensure your design doesn’t get lost in the pack.