Your website is your online store front! Just as a retial store needs to change it’s window displays regularly, and keep it modern and appealing, so too does your website. As you set up your business, you get a website designed and hopefully, you are busy running the business. But, do you regularly look at your website to ensure it’s current? Johannah is a website designer in Melbourne and understands technology and marketing trends are changing rapidly. To keep your website and business up to date, you must ask yourself “does my website design need a make over?” To answer this question, we have put together 10 commonly asked questions.
1. Is your the website design mobile-friendly?
A mobile responsive web design is a website that renders just as well on your phone as your laptop. Does your website respond on phones and tablets? As the team at Confetti have designed hundreds of websites over the years, we know the easiest way to test this is to use your phone and visit your site. Sounds simple but many small business owners assume the website will display the same as on desktop. You want to ensure it is easy to read the text and most importantly, the website navigation works? Can the whole website be seen in the mobile device? If you are not getting the same website experience, it’s not what is referred to as responsive. With over 60% of website visitors using a handheld device, it it is a critical website design element to get right.
2. Is your website homepage eye catching and appealing?
The homepage is often the first and typically the most visited page on your website. The homepage design should be captivating and accurately represent your unique business, brand and voice. The first visit to the website has on average 6 minutes to communicate what you offer, how and who you help. This is communicated through the layout, branding, colours, typography, visuals and words of your website design. Ask yourself “Who are you trying to attract?” and does your website design appeal to them in its current form?
3. Is the website information prioritised on the homepage?
To prioritise the website information means that the headlines and sub-headlines are clear, communicates what your business offers and how you can help prospective visitors. Are the features listed of your offering and the benefits of working with you clear and easy to find? The eye is drawn to the most prominent element on your pages, make it the headings that communicate to the prospective customer. The first step as website designers our team undertakes is our “Clarity Process” to better detail the information you are wanting to convey. This is a proven process we have developed over more than 10 years of building websites with proven results.
4. Is your website navigation logical, easy to find?
You would be surprised how many websites are designed with poor navigation, leaving visitors to ‘hunt’ for information and can result in visitors leaving their website. Use easy-to-understand language used as a navigation titles and not using obscure or quirky titles. It might seem fun, but your customer will get irritated, confused and can click away. If you have many pages on your website, try to group them logically and give them a ‘banner name’ to fall under and use that as the title on the navigation bar. Less is more. The navigation forms part of your sitemap. You should always submit a sitemap to Google Search Console.
5. A prominent call-to-action (CTA) that is visible on each page?
A prominent ‘call-to-action’ is what you want a website visitor to act on. This can include actions such as contacting you, signing up to a newsletter, a request for a consultation or quote. If your website design doesn’t include a call-to-action, you are missing out on business. The majority of people need to be prompted to perform an action, or they will do nothing. We use and enquiry form that makes it simple for visitors to add their details. You have to find the right mix of enough information for an informed conversation.
6. Design an enticing Opt-in offer?
An opt-in is a box that pops up while you are on a website. You want your website design to includes something like a free offer to entice the visitor to hand over their email address. The goal is to increase your ‘list’ for future marketing opportunities. The visitor gets useful information – the Win-Win. The opt-in on your website is part of your sales funnel, your captured audience to sell your services to. Whether it is now or later, try and build your email list with an opt-in offer a visitor cant refuse.
7. Use a video on your homepage to communicate your offerings?
With recent changes to the Google algorithms means that videos are the new ‘blog post’ in terms of helping your site rank better. Make sure they are well-thought out, and you look fresh and professional. A great website video includes a background and what the viewer will see. Make it tidy, interesting but not too busy and if relatable to your product or service offering. Some people use a backdrop of their branding colours, other their home lounge (organising or interior services).
8. Testimonials are prominently displayed and easy to find?
Testimonials present a great opportunity to evidence your great product or service. They help prospective customers get a better insight into what you are like to work with, what kind of businesses you have worked with and which will influence their purchasing decisions. Confetti Design has a system of asking customers to provide testimonials and something to be considered a must-have for any small business It is ok to ask for a testimonial, we do and now have more than 100 Google 5 star reviews. This is because we are great website designers in Melbourne, but also, not afraid to ask for a testimonial!
Check out my article on tips for getting great testimonials here.
9. Are your social media icons visible and easy to find?
Social media is a useful feed as part of your sales funnel. You can put your blog posts on social media and share to your hearts content. Make sure it’s relevant to your customer and drives them back to your website. As a practice, have your social media icons on every piece of website content so visitors can share it. The more people are talking about you, your content and your site the better.
10. Has your website got an SEO plugin for keywords?
Good SEO practice includes using the keywords people are searching for. Keywords need to be relevant to your business and Google provides a great keyword planner. These keywords need to be included and mentioned multiple times throughout your website? Each page must have a keyword that is relevant to that website page so that search engines can register it when people search. If you don’t, search engines will ‘skip’ past your website and you will never get found. An easy way to manage keywords on your website is to use the Yoast plugin. It’s free and will help you to help the search engines find your website. All getting complicated, Confetti Design can support your small business with SEO services.
Confetti Design are Website Designers in Melbourne
If you have answered yes to all of the 10 website design questions we have asked then congrats, you are doing well! If you said no to 4 or less, then you need an updated website design and some marketing help as well.
With hundreds of website designs under our belt, we can guide you with expert website design and website development knowledge.
