How often do you hear the phrase ‘Google it’ in a day, or how often do you turn to the internet to answer your questions, big and small? In the digital age, it is essential for businesses to have a digital presence, the most important part of this being a website. From attracting new customers to existing customers looking for information, every business needs a website to engage with their community and continue to grow their business.
Websites are more than just a platform for information, they are a promotional and persuasive tool to help position your brand in front of consumers. If you are looking to make a purchase or engage with a business, you are more likely to go with the more unique and aesthetic website than a simple landing page. This is where web design comes in.
Web design is the first step to creating a beautiful, engaging website that will have consumers choosing your business over a competitor. Building a custom website allows you to communicate the brand identity more clearly to consumers and spark their interest. Using a template is fine, but web design allows you to be creative, emotive and adventurous with your website.
So what exactly is involved in web design?
1. Define the business
The first step in web design is to define the business, explore the ins and outs of the business identity, their unique offerings and story. It is a collaborative project between the business and website designer to discover the business identity, the aesthetic direction, page requirements and content creation.
The web design will be a reflection of this definition. It is important to define this at the start of the process, as the same visuals will be used not only on the website but also on social media in order to create a cohesive brand.
2. UX design
The designer collects all this information and then designs a website that shines a light on the business, highlighting the very best elements and presenting them to consumers. This next step is known as user-experience and user-interface design, or UX/UI design. The designer considers not only what the website needs to do, but also how the user will interact with it. How will they navigate the site, what is the natural process, what will they expect to see and how can we improve on their expectations?
When creating the website design, they consider all these aspects of the user experience and how the website can keep them engaged and interacting on the site.
From colours to typography, shape and transitions, every aspect of the design is considered to create a reflection of the business, communicating with consumers visually and creating the best online experience possible.
3. Build the customers’ trust
First impressions are forever and good web design allows your business to create a strong, positive impression on customers. In the digital age, consumers are quick to form judgements and wary of websites that appear untrustworthy. If your website is not designed properly you risk sending the wrong message and losing clients. Web design can make or break a business’ online presence, placing you in front of competitors or driving them away. When designing a website, make sure it looks inviting and secure to the customer.
When you’re starting out and building your business, always remember to keep the customers in mind. Do you know what message your business is wanting to portray? Will the design of your website make customers want to stay and purchase your items? Is the design easy to use? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you to create a user-friendly website.
Need help with web design? Contact Patch Agency today.
