A business without a website has become something akin to a business without a front-door sign — you cannot draw clients if they can’t find you. It has become a habit for the average consumer to turn to the internet for information on companies with which they do business. Therefore, a professional website can be the difference between being overlooked and reaching a potential client. Nonetheless, many businesses neglect this aspect of customer service. Businesses use free and cheap services online, thinking that they only need a page with a few bells and whistles. They do not realize that it takes quite specific skills to create a site that reaches its audience, delivers useful information and entices potential clients.
To understand what makes a good website, you also have to know what makes a bad site bad. You have to know what to avoid and what benefits a professional site offers.
Why is a professional web site good for any company?
A web site delivers several things that are otherwise impossible to get at an affordable price. Things like interactive advertising that can reach clients at any time of day, without sending a representative around the world. It tells people what the company offers, how professional it is, how to become a client, and much more. A great business website is the go-to for prospective clients, business partners, and even employees. If the site looks makeshift or shabby, that is the impression of the whole company it will create on every visitor coming across the site. It is like having a rude, poorly dressed person working at the reception of an office. A clean, professional site acts as a magnet rather than a repellent.
Soliciting site design the wrong way
A company can ask a slightly tech-savvy employee to build their site using sloppy online tools, but it is a mistake for obvious reasons. The company can also reach out to designers and ask them for designs proposals on a pay-if-we-like it basis. This is not how you get quality web design.
Designers who value their work are not going to design a web site in the hope that a company will buy it. Solicitation will not attract great designers. It also takes away the ability to fully customize the website. A professional designer works with companies throughout the project, so every aspect can be fully discussed.
It might sound like a good idea to reach out to a group of web designers and have them compete with their designs to clinch a payment. Such design contests produce a great deal of sloppy work. Who is going to put their best foot forward on the off chance that they will be paid? t
They also invite a lot of poor submissions, and a few good submissions without original design. Sure, the client saves money and time by not communicating with the designer, but that would be time well spent, much better spent than the time it will take to fix the sloppy work already paid for, when they realize the design is less than adequate.
Cheap web design and your potential clients:
- They will not be revisiting an utterly forgettable site.
- Pages without clear focus will leave them confused.
- They will miss pages because of poorly designed site navigation.
- They will perceive your company as cheap and unprofessional.
Professional web design and your potential clients:
- They will want to return to your page.
- Focused pages bringing your message across with finesse .
- They will perceive your site as interactive, easy to navigate, and useful on all fronts.
- They will perceive the company behind the page as worth considering.
What a professional designer does for you that nothing else can
Fully fleshed-out concepts: Professional designers find out what businesses need, what businesses want and what businesses should have on their websites, even things the businesses never even considered. They do this through meetings with their clients, and using their expertise to make every design different, useful and magnetic.
No fluff: Professional web design has no filler, no fluff. Every page contains items that are there for a reason, and are relevant to the site. It can mean no flash games on a funeral parlor site.
Up-to-date design: Pro designers are not designing the same web sites day in, day out. They stay on top of the changes in their industry, and always offer new ideas to their clients.
Teamwork: Companies looking for professional websites want to know what is going into their website, and what changes to the original concept are inevitably occurring along the way. Professional designers work hand in hand with their clients.
Options: Once the design is finished, a web designer will hand it over to the company for review. If there is something wrong or missing, the client has the option to fix it. It is not about “you bought it as is”.
Implementation: There is no guesswork in professional web design. The designer puts everything on the page for you. Every aspect of the site will be tested to make sure the design is compatible on all levels of Internet browsing. In other words, even an outdated browser will not ruin the look of the site. Everyone can see it.
More benefits of using professional web design
Search engine optimization: Even the best-looking website does not stand a chance if search engines can’t “find” it. This is where SEO comes in handy. Everything from code to wording on the page is searchable in a professional design. That is part of the price you pay for professional design — a guarantee that specific search terms will bring up the site.
The look: Everything on a professional web site is balanced, aesthetically pleasing and functional. This is what users look for in a site. Irrelevant links, overlapping boxes, clashing colors, pointless motion or flashing words have no place on a business website.
So, we know it is not cheap, but what is the price to pay?
Professional web design prices depend on a number of things. These include the designer, the company’s needs, the size of the site, etc. Businesses should seek designers who are willing to discuss the design, give a proposal and discuss estimated costs from there.
