When you are running a business, there are endless items on your agenda that get constantly pushed back. They simply are not important enough to get your full attention when other matters seem much more urgent. The design of your website may well be one such item that is left for later. After all, you just need something simple to do the job, right?
Unfortunately, that kind of thinking leads to significant mistakes being made in the creation of your website. Web design seriously impacts your business and how it is seen by others. It can also affect the way visitors are able to order your products or services. Take a look at some web design inspiration if you are out of ideas or don’t consider yourself creative enough to build a website. Here are the reasons why a website is so important:
Your business’s image
Whether consciously or unconsciously, many potential customers decide about whether or not to trust your company based on the image presented by your website. If it is a simple affair with little inspiration and usability, they assume that your business has failed to modernize. If it is messy and hard to navigate, they assume that your business itself is as chaotic.
In a post-COVID world, there is no longer space for businesses that do not have a significant online presence. Even those who would have once relied on word of mouth or posters and signage now Google a business before they visit. It simply makes it much easier to choose the right place to get what they want and, if nothing else, provides your business’s physical location.
Communications
There’s an increasingly common idea that we only call our smartphones “phones” because that is how they started. The presumption is that their functionality has gone so far beyond phone calls that the moniker no longer really applies. However, the reality is that the majority of functions on our phones actually are connected to communications.
When a potential client visits your website, they are doing what they once would have done over their phone. They are finding information about you, getting their questions answered, and maybe even contacting you through email or a contact form. Your website has therefore become a primary way of communicating with your clients.
A website with a bad or chaotic design is almost equivalent to a phone call with static or noise in the background. The information can easily be misconstrued, but more importantly, the client feels uncertain and unheard. They may choose another provider simply because they do not want to deal with the noise.
Functionality
One of the most important reasons to have good web design for your business website is that this may well become your primary means of doing business. As offices and brick-and-mortar stores are becoming more and more obsolete, websites are replacing them. A well-designed website doesn’t just look great, but it also provides far more functionality.
Functionality is going to be crucial and, while some functionality is down to processing issues, the scene is set with your website design. Well-designed ecommerce websites have displays that make it easy for customers to choose what they want and to move forward with their purchase. A well-designed site for a doctor’s rooms makes it easy to find availability on the doctor’s calendar. A well designed restaurant website makes it easy to view the menu, search prices, and book seats.
It helps to have a design expert help with these things, but your own experience is valid even if you know nothing about design. You can look at your website as if you are a potential client and see what issues you run into, using your common sense to identify why the problem exists.
Company pride
Finally, it is important to recognize how a beautiful website can impact the pride your staff feel towards the company. Staff should feel good about referring people to the website, knowing that it represents the business they work for in a favorable light.
Your own pride in your company is also crucial. Focusing on the design aesthetic of your website is a commitment to yourself that what you do matters. You remind yourself that you care about your business enough to spend hours on making sure every aspect of it comes across as professional.
Your website design might seem like a low priority issue, especially if it is already basically functional. But a badly designed website can drive potential customers to websites that are much cleaner and more attractive. The design also impacts functionality and gives customers more ease in their communication with you.
Don’t let your website design fall by the wayside. Your business is going to survive in the coming years by increasingly going online. Get a head-start by focusing on getting the website up to standard as soon as possible.
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