The difference between the successes of the old stores that our parents or neighbors had, and the successes of today’s small businesses it’s basically the use of technology. Business owners who have no knowledge or misuse of this, are doomed to the certain death of their virtual business. For this reason, we cannot miss any detail of our business, big or small, to communicate our brand to a potential customer on the web. As important as the mobile revolution (about 1 in 8 Internet pages are from mobile phones) the rise of social networks have redefined the way we do business and communicate. Yet these are only small elements of an overall business plan that must be kept in mind on a company website.
Today, small businesses live or die for the quality of your site. While not everyone can be a “virtuoso” of web design, it is still vital to design a site within a business vision and optimized for modern Internet consumers.
Here are some of the principles that any small business owner can adhere to, to help raise their website and not to sink it.
Resign to Flash
Many of those who are creating a business website for the first time are tempted by the elegant offerings of Flash animations and ask web designers to use this application. While it is a very natural inclination to believe that moving images and polished graphics will bring more web traffic, the fact is that using Flash often gives more problems than solutions.
Build a Minimalistic Site
Many small business owners want many visitors to their site with as much media and content as humanly possible, thinking that somehow they will catch the eye. Most designers are delighted to do so, since it does not take much skill to fill a page with superfluous content. Those who believe that this is an appropriate way to do so should look at Apple, which shines in the modern industry of the United States. They are a good example of how to work and improve the use of unnecessary space.
Keep in mind that when Apple launches a new product on their website, it is always a minimalist design: white background, black text and perhaps an image or two at most. This doesn’t only put all the attention on the product in question, it also gives the viewer something more to focus on it.
Focus on the basics
Just as it is important to focus on minimalism in a general site design, it is also important to start with the basics of the page and focus on them. For example, those working on your new site should focus on creating a simple web page, with only the necessary pages and a contact. Having many pages can complicate usability for both customers and the actual owner of the business.
Use color when needed
Minimalist does not have to mean bland. In fact, color can play a crucial role in an effective website and even help the development of the brand. Many business coaches talk about the importance of correct use of color when it comes to logos and web design, this is due to the information that the colors provide. Leslie Harrison of the Color Association says that the first sensory stimulus between the consumer and the brand is color. It is also known that a person can better process words within a page when there is a color, keeping that color even more in awareness than words.
So how do small business owners apply this principle in their web design? The basics are fairly simple and should start with the background.
- White = typical consumer
- Black = professional business mentality
- Colors = lifestyles
Focus on the buttons
As small and seemingly insignificant as the call-to-action button seems, it’s the most important aspect of any website. Therefore, the owner and designer must work together to ensure they have the most visually appealing calls to action with buttons on the web. This is where color can also play a fundamental role, since many therapists recommend the use of orange buttons, as it is a strong color that emanates urgency.
Consider the Scroll Down
Compressing the content of the page is a good way to reduce the size of the scroll bar or scrolling, and a good way to not discourage site visitors. Few people, if any, like to get to a place only to be bombarded with endless content that takes hours to travel. All the design professionals unanimously look for the alternative of using links that connect to the content of other pages or categories that contain vital information. Ideally, the page has all the relevant information in advance with minimal or no scrolling.
Have a blog
There are few better ways of attracting traffic to a website in these times than by providing useful and informative content to the masses. The best way to deliver this content is through blog posts, offering advice and insights regarding the industry in question. Also, having a blog is important for search engine optimization, the use of keywords and communication with the community. Writing attractive content and some promotion should be enough to attract traffic.
The logo is of utmost importance
The design of the site, as well as its appearance and functionality are of vital importance. But above all, what our customers will remember is the logo. The owner of a business should not skimp on expenses in creating this logo, and this must consider every detail until it is perfect. Because an effective logo embodies all the afore mentioned principles, from an appropriate use of color for design to a minimalist presentation.
Of course, in the wide world of web design, these are just a few points to keep in mind. A business owner should not only focus on how your website looks, but the success of a site depends on more factors, however, it is true that design plays an important role in the business architecture to carry the brand to the maximum number of customers. In this way, the owner of a company can mix his business cunning along with the creativity to design a site worthy of his organization.
