Tech Lizard's Guide to Creating a Great Site
Having a great website isn't something that happens by accident. A considerable amount of thought and planning is required by the site owner and the site designer. This guide is intended to help you through the process.
Know your intended audience. When you think about the world wide web it's easy to become overwhelmed when identifying your audience. "On the Net, isn't my audience the entire world?". Not usually. Most websites are developed with the hope of attracting new customers as well as providing a web presence for existing customers. The same can be said of organizational websites aimed at attracting members. When used as a service and/or advertising tool, a websites' target audience are those the site owner hopes to develop or maintain a business relationship with.
Determine what your target audience will "expect". When a visitor comes to your website they will have certain expectations of the site before it even loads. As hard as it may be to predict, we want to give them what they want. This will eventually become your "content". Start with answering these questions:
- What do you do?
- How, when, where and why do you do it?
- What makes you different from anyone else who may be doing the same thing?
- What will the site provide?
Get specific! Sometimes visiting the websites of your competitors and others in the same field can give you an idea. The important thing to think about when considering competitive sites is how we're going to make yours BETTER!
Then, shock them with something that they weren't expecting! I like to call it the sweet surprise. It's something that makes the site memorable. It's something that helps your customers and potential customers decide to do business with you. There's no formula, the sweet surprise is different for each site, but good examples are product videos, video testimonials, helpful guides (ahem!) and in some cases even music!
Now for the fun part, what will it look like? Designing a sites' style can be a bit tricky but it can really lead to some great opportunities to shine up your business image! A well designed site will give new visitors a great first impression as well as provide a certain level of familiarity for your existing customers. Things like logos, color schemes already in use on other items that identify your business, even photos of people your customers know can provide familiarity. A clever web design will provide the first impression for new visitors.
You're ready, now take the leap! Find a skilled professional to design and maintain your site. Be sure the designer truly understands your business, your desired image and your requirements. Communicate upfront your level of flexibility on design, content, and other creative freedoms. Confirm that they possess the skills needed to develop your site thoroughly and efficiently, and at a fair price that is within your budget.
Tech Lizard Web Design and IT is ready and willing to help you get started today!
- This article was written by Michele Gilhouse of Tech Lizard Web Design and IT.