photo credit: Jeffrey via photopin cc
The focus of a startup is the idea that sparked the company’s creation. It is the reason the company exists and it drives everything done in the business. Unfortunately, many companies fail to reflect that spark in their web design, even though it’s one of the best mediums to use to share that idea.
You had the imagination to believe your idea was worth something to others. Now’s your chance to help consumers and web users feel that same excitement. If your website is cluttered, loads slowly or doesn’t represent the ideas your company is based on, then visitors to your website will move along to the next one.
Below are a few reminders for designing your startup’s website to ensure you present that excitement to others.
Your website should load properly on any device.
As people become acclimated to and proficient on mobile devices and tablets, they access the Internet with these at an ever-increasing rate. Some consumers use only these devices on a daily basis. So, if you lack responsive web design — which renders your site capable of loading properly on any device — you risk losing web traffic.
It isn’t enough for your website to load on mobile devices only. The desktop version should translate to a modified mobile version that loads quickly and displays a simpler format for smaller screens.
Design communicates a lot about your business. If your site takes too long to load on mobile devices — and appears cluttered or difficult to use — consumers won’t want to spend the time learning more about what you have to offer.
Use only high-quality graphics, and use them sparingly.
Nothing turns away web users more quickly than clunky stock images covering your website.
The first impressions people make of your company are based on the images on your homepage. What do these images say about your company, both content and delivery? With low-resolution, generic images, visitors will believe that’s what they should expect from your business. Instead, your images should be unique and high quality, and you shouldn’t bombard your visitors with too many.
Remember the generic photograph of the water droplet? This image once accompanied nearly every PowerPoint presentation, and some companies even used it on their websites. But now there are other ways designers have morphed that generic image into ones that represent a business’s individuality.
It’s necessary to trust the expertise of professional web designers to help represent your company in a tailored way. Your website is your first impression. This isn’t the time to take the cheapest route.
Deliver quality content.
Images and formatting alone don’t represent a business. These, hopefully, will captivate your audience and prompt them to spend the time reading your content. web users are fickle; if the quality of your content doesn’t match the quality of your images, you risk losing traffic and trust.
Instead, users should always be within one click of captivating, important content. If you’ve hooked users, don’t disappoint by making content difficult to access or read.
Update content on schedule.
When you’ve generated web traffic, remember that frequent visitors want consistent content that provides fresh information about your business and industry. Update on a schedule so users know when to check back. If you regularly produce original, valuable content, people will continuously visit your site, giving you more opportunities for conversion.
Provide a clean, attractive website that’s useful to current and potential customers and you’ll see more attachment and loyalty to your brand. Building relationships with your customers is what creates a sustainable business. Don’t throw away valuable bonds by alienating users with bad web design.
