You aren’t the one who needs to be impressed by your web site. You’re trying to sell your products to people you don’t even know. When working on your web site, put the customer first. Here’s six rules to follow.
Rule #1: Fast sites make money. Your customers spend a lot of money on broadband internet speeds, so make sure your site takes advantage of that! A simple site that pops up immediately on a screen will help keep your customers from going elsewhere with their business.
Rule #2: Avoid things that require additional downloads. ActiveX offers some really neat interactions, but not all of your online shoppers are going to be gamers who know what ActiveX is. They may think it’s a virus, decline to download, then they can’t see anything.
Rule #3: Be classy. This means no annoying MIDI music, no animated GIFs, and definitely no blinking text. If you want customers to see you as a trustworthy source, you need to exemplify class in your web site. Nothing turns people off more than tackiness.
Rule #4: Don’t “Do-it-yourself” on a business page. If you are building a personal page and learning to create your own HTML code, then that’s OK, but if you want professional results then go for professional custom web design. Like it or not, businesses are judged by their storefronts, and if your electronic storefront looks junky, you are going to turn off potential customers.
Rule #5: Know your audience. If you’re selling tools, fluffy bunnies are probably not going to attract the consumers you’re looking for. Understand the market segments and demographic groups that are going to be your target audience, and design your site around them.
Rule #6: Hire the most talented webmaster you can. Talented does not mean the person knows the most, but it does mean the person is a good fit. Make sure that your webmaster can fix everything on your page, because whether you want to think about it or not, your website will go down at some point.
Custom web design comes down to, once and for all, good design principles. Play by the rules, and you’ll have an inexpensive but customizable site within your budget and appealing to your core audience. Plan ahead, and you’ll have great results.
Tags: web site development, Computers, website design, business
