Make Your Website Standout by Choosing the Right Elements

W

ebsite has undoubtedly become most important Arsenal for the businesses. Be it getting customers, providing information, brand building, customer service or sales. Website has evolved as a single window for all business purposes.

Let’s compare it with legacy infrastructure. The location, the construct and the way the business functions defines the business entity.

Website is a virtual place of business where location, the way it’s built and the customer experience defines the business.

Therefore, website is no longer an option, but a must have tool for business. There are elements that make a website bad, good or great.

Let’s look at such key elements. They hold true for every website irrespective of the type of business is it meant for.

The first and most important element is the domain name which is going to be the primary internet identity. Getting the domain name of your choice is not easy. You need to research it and check the availability. The following should be followed while choosing a domain.

• •  It should be easy to type and pronunciation should not create confusion in spelling

• • Use Key Words

• • Keep it short, ideally it should not be more than 6 to 8 letters

• • Do not use numbers or hyphens

• • It should be easily memorable

• • It should relate to your business and brand

• • Choose a domain name extension that fits

Navigation

The website should allow easy Navigation and the Menu items should be easily accessible from any page. During the entire browsing journey, the users should know where they are with the easy access to where they want to be. A site map is a great tool that helps the users very much. The Menu should be interactive but not annoying.

Visual Structure

Given the human construct, Visuals are most effective way to get the attention and pass the key messages. It stays better and longer in the human mind against the plain text. Your website has a very short time to impress the visitor or a potential customer. One good Visual is worth thousand a words. But do not go overboard with Visuals, Animations or Videos.  Do not try to present the entire story, build minimum Visuals that have points of maximum impact. 

Text Content

As you would have heard- “Content is the King”.  This is the backbone of your website. Content is the reason for which people are visiting your website- yes, its plays major role in the search engine placements also. The content should be informative, easy to read and concise. A well drafted content will make your website engaging, effective and popular.

Web Friendliness

Here the role of your web designer comes into picture. Your Designer must make sure that your site works on all major browsers and they utilize meta tags, alt tags that are fully versed in Search Engine Optimization. A seasoned designer knows his work and will keep all factors in mind that effect SEO placement and Visual appearance of your site.

Engagement

An effective web site prompts the user to build immediate interaction and continues to hold engagement.  The “Call to Action” button with “Sub Call to Action” buttons should be easily accessible from all the pages. Let’s say selling of your goods is the ultimate goal of your website, the user should see Buy Now option on every page where it’s prominently visible, however, in case user does not want to make an instant purchase decision, the “Sub Call to Action” buttons like Ask for a Demo, Chat with Us, Download our Brochure or call us should be easily accessible option for the user. But remember, there is a fine line between “Interaction and Annoyance”.

Accessibility to Information 

The Visitors come to your website with a specific goals. They do not have time and patience to go through the entire website.  They may visit for varied reasons like getting the contact information or some specific information. Place the most accessed information in prominent area of the website in a plain and simple way. If the visitors do not get the information easily, they will be frustrated. Such a visitor is less likely to return to your web site and do business with you.

Brand Identity

The website should replicate your brand and business identity. All elements should be in harmony with other platforms (Online Social Platforms) and physical medium (Printed Brochure, Company Profile and Collaterals). Here the colours, font types and size standardization for Titles, Subtitles and Text Matter, Logo, Taglines – all should be in harmony everywhere. This approach of cohesiveness all across the platforms and access points will help build the band identity and help create a good image of the business.

Intuitiveness

A great website has intuitiveness about what visitor is seeking – It anticipates what user is thinking. The elements and steps should be sequenced in such a way that life of user becomes easy. For example, if a user is browsing the product information, the pricing information button or link should be made visible during his entire session as that is the next likely information the user will seek. There should be direct landing pages with detailed information instead of having user to browse through the whole stuff. There should be a straight connect to the information.

Develop and Design your Website with an artistic insight

A Fully Ready Website

Do not publish the website unless it is fully completed. Place it on e-floors during reviews and updates. The agencies usually take longer than the anticipated time for web site completion. Do not hurry it up. It’s good not to have a website than being live with a poor website.           

Responsiveness

The website should be responsive to all type of devices- Laptops, Mobile Phones, Tablets and Desktops. The User experience should be uniform irrespective of the device from the website is accessed. In today’s world, most of the visitors use smart phones to browse, therefore the mobile template should be given highest importance.

Ease of Transactions

Particularly for the products and services where the purchase decisions are made instantly, the website should offer all payment methods. The transactions should be safe and involve minimum clicks. The post purchase engagement with the customer should automated by use of Omni Channels.

Speed

Make sure that you use a reputed hosting platform that offers good speed. Users find it highly frustrating when the site or information being sought takes a long to open. The speed of website response is the first and most important user experience.

Credibility

The website should win the trust of the user. Display your office picture in contact information, use Customer Testimonials, Customer List and write about the notable achievements of the business. Incorporate a detailed page about the key management highlighting academia, profiles and track records of each leader.

Conventionality

In order to be unique, do not play with the general rules and practices. For example, the users are used to see the logo and taglines on the top bottom left. Do not try to experiment with any such conventional aspects.

Analytics

The website should capture all the vital user analytics and be easily accessible. Such data provides direct business insights that helps the business to improve.

At the end, we should understand that there is not perfect website. And it takes time for the website to evolve. There is a need of continual assessment and improvements on periodic basis based on data and feedbacks.  Recency is seen as agility by the users and builds a positive image of the business. Make sure that the site is always updated is aligned with latest technologies and trends.