Designing Tips For Your Business Website – Part I

The business world is, by definition, competitive. But when you are dealing with ecommerce you have to expect an added level of intensity in that competition. The Internet has created a never ending resource by way of online business, and many have moved to take advantage of that. This means that web entrepreneurs have to go that extra mile in attracting and keeping a customer base. The first step to achieving this is through effective web design.

You would be shocked to see how often an online business uses shoddy design and a bad layout, and so loses the trust of potential buyers. This three-part series, updated weekly, will be dedicated to ensuring that you don’t make the same mistake. These tips should help you, the business owner, to design an effective website that put off the right kind of image, and attract the customers your company needs to thrive and expand.

Tip 1 – Keep Things Simple

This will always be your number one priority when building a website, but especially for a business. Keep in mind that you are not aiming for the most beautiful website award, you want to sell and you want to make the most out of your website. An overly cluttered website is difficult to navigate, which is the first problem that will be encountered with a complicated design. You may think you are appearing to be cutting edge, or offering enough features to satisfy everyone, but really you will just be creating frustration for the consumer. Some clients may decide to go somewhere else just to simplify their experience. Make sure you do this for them, before you lose their money.

Tip 2 – Stick With A Plan

Have you ever found yourself adding more and more onto a project as you go, because the ideas just keep flowing? This may seem like a stroke of genius at the time, but quite often it leads to disastrous results (I can’t tell you how often this happened to me in the past, just to many to count). When you are creating and designing a website, it is best to sit down and draft a concept first. Make a list of the features you think your customers may enjoy, the placement of links, the theme and color scheme, and anything else needed. Then, walk away and do something else.

Give yourself a few hours, or even a few days, before going back to your idea. Then sit down, and with a fresh view decide if there are any changes you would like to make. Set a deadline for when the final draft of your website must be completed, and stick with that deadline. Having a clear plan now will keep you from overdoing it, or making mistakes, later on.

That is it for this week. These tips may seem a bit oversimplified, but they are the cardinal rules of any design, and especially of website design. Following them may make the difference between an effective online store, and a struggling page that falls into obscurity. Take some time this week to look at websites that look attractive, versus ones that have a bad layout. Which ones instills more trust as a consumer? Check back next week for part two, where I will begin discussing tips for the look of your business website.