Web Design: 3 Guidelines for Meeting Business Objectives

Ready for your new website? Let’s see.

Domain name registration..Check.
Hosting plan.. Check.
Aesthetic cues..Check.
Objectives.. Wait, what objectives?

Out of 10 business owners we meet, 8 developed their corporate websites with no objectives in mind. And because these websites were designed with no objectives and goals to meet, they quickly fall into the category of non-performing websites.

Non-Performing Websites (a.k.a 2-Enquiries-Per-Year Websites)

These poorly-designed websites usually offer little or no value to business owners. Often, the objectives behind such sites is simply to have a web presence, since every other business has one. What business owners do not realize is that a website and how its contents are presented often reflect directly on the business. If the last time you updated your website was 2 years ago, any visitor who happens to pop by your site will, within seconds, bounce off to another site, very likely never to return again. How could you blame them if you are not sincere and committed to providing potential customers with up-to-date information? Remember that maintaining a website requires time and commitment, so be prepared to put in the hours (or finances) before going into development.

Web Design Guidelines

Now that you’re mentally prepared for what’s coming your way (oh, it won’t be THAT bad), we’ll share the 3 primary guidelines for your web design.

Guideline 1: Your Website Must Meet Your Business Objectives

What is the purpose of setting up your website? It may be that you want:

• To generate leads and enquiries
• A platform to sell a product or service(ecommerce)
• A platform to capture and manage your visitor data

Once you have identified the main objective of your website, keep it in mind and base all your web development decisions around it.

Guideline 2: V is for..

Something happened in 2004. “Coolness” was no longer the determining factor of websites. Business started to see that there was something else that made visitors return to their website frequently and eventually convert to customers. Visitors wanted the first thing that we’re taught in business school;Value. Your exists business in this financial turmoil for many reasons. Sound financial planning, strong management team, and of course your business is good at what it does. Make sure your website is able to convey this message of strength and expertise to your visitors.

Guideline 3: It Doesn’t End With the Launch of Your Website

People don’t build boats for the sake of building boats (ok, maybe some do, but they shouldn’t!). They build boats to sail. With the completion and launch of your website, you now have an effective tool in which to market your products and services. Think about what marketing initiatives you are planning to embark on and make sure that your website is designed to support these initiatives. Will you be able to use your website as a tool to track your online marketing effort? Will you then be able to use these data to fine tune your offerings and increase the return on marketing? Now, you see what we mean by good web design!

The basics of marketing on the internet differ little from traditional marketing. Business owners are conscious about maintaining their image, providing prompt and good service and going the extra mile;so as to increase brand recall and profits. Sometimes, all businesses need to do is to duplicate this effort using the internetas a medium and they may find that as with all good marketing, they get to enjoy the fruits of their labour.