The look, feel, content, usability and conversion of your website is essential in maintaining consistent messaging (branding) to the world, along with converting browsers into customers.
When it comes to the look of your website there are some key considerations. Are the colours of your website the same as the colours of your logo and any other creative aspect of your brand? Does everything flow? Is the messaging a reflection of your brand's voice? Is the imagery used a resemblance to your brand? Are the fonts chosen consistent with your brand? It is imperative that whether you choose to use a canned website (Squarespace, Weebly, Wix) or hire a designer (me), that your website is an extended logo and business card, and reflects your brand to a "T".
What is the feeling that you want visitors to have when they enter your website? Is the feel of your website inline with your brand? If your business is in the realm of professional services, does your website give off that vibe? If your business is a fun, craft beer start-up, does your website match the trendy, hip image that your company has at the heart of its mission? Special effects such as a dynamic scroll bar, intuitive navigation, hover reveal, drop shadow, back to the top button, parallax scrolling, background fade, SVG animations, cinemagraphs and bold typography are all nice features that can reiterate your brand's images.
Content is paramount when enforcing your brand. Will you display all the information under the sun or will you keep it short and light? Will you share your company's logo/s and how to use it (a media kit) or will you keep it private? What you choose to share with the world is your choice. Unfortunately, when we as humans have too much choice, we get overwhelmed and buckle. From my experience, start with what your goals are for your website. Who you are targeting. What you want users to gain from viewing your website. Go from there. Add the content that will be beneficial for visitors and the content that you believe will reach the goals of your website's existence in the first place.
Usability is critical when it comes to user-experience. If users go to your website and it is difficult to navigate or they are unable to find what they need to right away, they will leave immediately. There is no messing around in this day and age when trying to find answers. Not to mention, the attitude that a consumer will have with your brand is dependent on the experience with your website. Is your website user-friendly? Does your website work across all platforms? There was a time where it was a "nice" touch to have your website mobile-friendly—but—nowadays, it's imperative, as the majority of people use their mobile devices to access web pages. If you have to choose (you should never have to) between a mobile-friendly website or a desktop-friendly website, you should choose mobile-friendly. When I design websites, I always begin with how I would like the mobile version to look and go from there as mobile is number one in this day and age.
Conversion should always be top-of mind when investing in your business's website. What is the point of your website if it isn't built with conversion in mind? You didn't pay money/put endless hours in to have a glorified business card. Conversion should be at the centre of your ideas when deciding what effects, features, images, font choice and colours are used. You want a website that has a call to action and directs visitors to a place or places on your website that will get them to either purchase something on your site (e-commerce) or contact you to inquire about a product or service. Tip: Although contact forms are a great idea and seem to be a staple to all websites these days, from my experience as a consumer and designer, it is a best practice to also have an email address and phone number on your website where a visitor can contact you if they decide to opt out of filling a contact form.
Now that you've considered the look, feel, content, usability and conversion that your website will possess, you can start focusing on having it found in searches (Search Engine Optimization). Stay tuned for the next post!