Small business website design tips
When you’re shopping around for a small business website design, do you know what to look for and what to avoid? Do you know which design elements will make your site more appealing and which elements will turn visitors away?
If you’ve spent much time surfing around the web, then you’ve probably noticed that some websites have design elements that are distracting, annoying, or just plain ugly. We’ve all bumped into a few websites that make us want to scream. Luckily, escape is just a click away.
But if you’re a small business owner, you definitely don’t want visitors clicking away from your website, especially if they’re seeking escape because the design is unappealing or irritating.
9 Small Business Website Design Elements to Avoid
Here’s a list of design elements that people frequently complain about. Most of these recommendations have been on web designers’ things-to-avoid lists for years, but these frustrating features just keep showing up all over the internet. Be smart and avoid these small business website design faux pas:
- Automatic-playing Music: This is number one on the list for good reason. Nothing startles a website visitor more than loud audio suddenly protruding from the speakers. Maybe the visitor is already listening to background music. Maybe they’re trying to focus on your content (and if your content is not centered around music, the sound is just a distraction). Maybe there’s a baby sleeping nearby. Be considerate and make audio optional.
- Flashing, Blinking, or Scrolling Text: If it’s subtle, you might get away with it. But like audio, moving text is nothing more than a distraction. Sure, you might be using it to get the visitor’s attention, but once you do and they start seriously perusing your site, it’s just going to become an annoyance.
- Animations: Some animations work well with a design. If you’re an illustrator or an animation cartoonist, go for it. But if you’ve got a website that’s centered around some product or service that doesn’t include art or animation, then keep your content static.
- Pop-up Windows: No. Just no. I don’t care if your windows pop up in front, in back, or right on the page. Don’t do it. Some websites are still using pop-ups or have returned to pop-ups. They will never be sustainable because they’ll ultimately annoy people, especially your repeat visitors who have to face the dreaded pop-up every time they are kind enough to visit your site.
- Image Backgrounds: This one almost didn’t make the list because there are a lot of image backgrounds that work well, especially textures. So this is not so much a design element you need to avoid as one that you need to use judiciously. As long as the images are small and fast-loading, you should be okay. But if a solid color will work just as well, then get rid of your image backgrounds. And do note that most major (and hugely successful) websites don’t use them (Google, Amazon, etc.).
- Frames: These days, with CSS and other design technologies so readily available, frames are just an unnecessary and outdated technique for organizing the content on a site. The problem with frames is that they are not compatible with all browsers and may render differently on different computers. So opt for a content management system (like WordPress) instead.
- Excessively Wide or Long Pages: This should go without saying, but I still run into these types of websites on occasion. I always wonder if the designer is using an enormous monitor and has forgotten that most people use 15- to 17-inch screens. And try to remember that visitors don’t like to scroll endlessly down (or across) the page. Except on archived sections of your site, keep scrolling to the length of two or three pages.
- Indistinguishable Links: Have you ever hovered your mouse over a web page and it caused a window to open or carried you off to some other page? That’s just plain weird. Links are meant to be clicked so make sure they’re clickable and make sure that visitors can distinguish a link from regular text.
- Opening a Link in a New Window: There are some instances in which I don’t mind links opening in a new window, but usually I prefer to make the decision myself. All I have to do is command-click (Windows users can right-click and choose “open link in new tab/window”). When web designers use this functionality, website visitors end up with dozens of open windows, and there’s a good chance the window with your site on it will get lost in the fray. Let people use the back button. That’s what it’s there for.
Exceptions to These Website Design Tips
These design elements should be avoided, but not always. Whenever you’re reading a list of tips, it’s important to remember that there are always exceptions. In the list above, I’ve pointed out some obvious exceptions, but you should remember to use your best judgment and keep in mind that sometimes breaking the rules or defying convention is a good thing.
If you’re not sure about whether a particular small business website design idea would have a negative impact on your site, ask your website designer or consult with an online marketing specialist. Also, ask friends, family, customers, and professionals in your network. Nothing beats user feedback!
Seven tips for your small business website design
Your website is your number one marketing tool, and your website is a premium opportunity to communicate your company’s offerings.
When visitors come to your website, they’ll sum it up in a flash based on what they see. Content is important, but aesthetics are a close second.
Whether you’re designing your own website or hiring someone to design one for you, you should have a solid idea of how you want to portray your business. If you have already started establishing your identity with a logo and marketing plan, then you’ve got the foundation you need for your small business website design.
However, there are still many considerations to keep in mind, and throughout the process of designing a new website (or redesigning an existing one), you will need to make choices about how your site will look and feel so that it represents your business appropriately.
Here are seven small business website design tips that cover the core components every website needs in order to succeed. These tips will help you make smart design choices so that your site captures visitors’ attention while maintaining the integrity of your company’s identity.
Small Business Website Design Tips
1. Build Your Brand with a Logo
Your small business website design is an excellent tool for brand building. If you have a logo, it should be prominently displayed on your home page and all subsequent pages as well. If you don’t have a logo, you should get one immediately. If you’re an independent entrepreneur using your name to do business, consider developing a signature-style logo, using a particular font and possibly your photo or some other simple visual emblem. Logos help to build familiarity, association, and reputation, and they are essential in developing your business’s identity.
2. Make Thoughtful Color Choices
Often the color choices you’ve made for your logo will drive the design of your website. However, simple logos, or brand designs that are flexible enough to adapt to a broader color scheme may lend themselves to a wider variety of choices. You should already know the objective of your site, so choose colors accordingly. If you want visitors to feel calm and relaxed, go with cool colors (blues and lavenders). If you want them to feel energized or passionate, go for warm colors (reds and oranges).
There are an unlimited number of color combinations available; a good way to determine what direction you want to take is to spend some time surfing around the web looking at sites that target the same audience you are going after, and make note of designs that strike your fancy. Keep in mind that selecting two or three different colors in varying shades will generate a better design.
3. Font and Text
There are so many exciting fonts out there, but don’t be tempted! You can use fancy fonts for your title, logo, and headings, but use a very simple, easy-to-read font for the bulk of your content, and remember that fonts are stored on visitors’ computers locally, so if you’re using a font that’s not web-friendly, turn it into an image. For your content, make sure that you use dark text on a light background for better readability. Too many people get overly excited about all the font and color choices and go to great lengths to make their small business website design look extraordinary with typography, but if you make the text difficult to read, visitors will click off to some other site that puts less stress on their eyesight. Lastly, make sure your font size is not too small… or too big.
4. Clickable Header
The header is located at the top of a web page, and it’s usually the area where you’ll find the title or site name. This is where your logo should appear. It should be prominent, clear, and easy to read. And it should be clickable. Clickable headers have become standard and modern web users expect that when they click on the header, they’ll return to the home page. The header should also provide clear indication as to what your site is all about. You can always use a tagline in the header to broadcast your site’s purpose.
5. Images
The more images you have on any web page, the longer it takes to load. Generally, web surfers will wait just a few short seconds for a page to load before they go off in search of speedier delivery. Make sure your images are optimized for the web and don’t clutter your page with them. Keep in mind that videos and slideshows take even longer to load than regular images. However, you should have at least a few images on each page. Images break up long strings of text and create spatial interest, which is attractive to the eye. Of course sites geared toward art, photography, film, etc. are exceptions to this rule!
6. Layout & Content Planning
Before you design your small business website, you should have a good idea of what its content will be. This is achieved through thoughtful web content planning and development. Once you have a plan, you or your designer can start to establish a formidable layout and small business website design that is built to hold your content. There’s nothing worse than putting a site together only to discover there’s not enough room in your navigation menu for all the content you want to include.
7. Navigation
Your main menu or navigation bar will act as your site’s table of contents. It is here that you want to display simple links to key pages within your site. There are a few pillar pages that almost every website should have, which include home, about, and contact. Most business sites will also include products or services pages. Take a look at other sites within your niche to determine which other key pages warrant a link on the navigation menu. This menu should be clearly labeled, easy to find, and should appear in the same spot on all pages across the site. This makes your website more user friendly.
Moving Forward
Small business website design projects can be stressful but can also be a lot of fun. It’s exciting to see the whole thing come together, especially for the first time. Redesigns will breathe new life into a business and will often ramp up sales, even in a down economy.
A few final small business website design tips:
- Keep your design flexible enough so that you can add and change content later.
- Include a plan for website maintenance and regular updates. If your budget allows, consider hiring a website manager.
- Make sure the site is thoroughly tested on various operating systems and browsers to ensure full functionality.
Scribizzy offers small business website design services. All projects are tailored to your business needs and specifications.
Steps to success: small business website design
Every small business needs a website, but how does a small business owner go about planning a website or hiring a professional designer?
As you travel around the web, you’ll see that not all websites are created equally. Some are stunning in their aesthetic appeal. Others are impressive with the quality of their content. Many more miss the mark because of stale, poorly planned designs or weak content.
Many small business owners run out and get a website without any foresight or planning. I get requests for quotes almost every day from business owners who know they need a website but haven’t really given it much thought.
Your small business website design will be instrumental in marketing your business. It’s not something you need to spend years on, but it’s also not something you just toss together like a salad. With careful, strategic planning, your business website will come together nicely and then do an excellent job bringing customers to your business.
Here are five simple steps every small business owner can take toward getting an effective website built from the ground up.
Step One: Know Your Audience
The first rule of effective website design is to know your audience. That means you need to identify your target customers and then build a website that will resonate with them. Once you have defined the audience for your site, every future online marketing project from your website design to your Facebook page can be created with a clear, consistent purpose. And best of all, sites built for a targeted audience have a higher success rate. If you want your small business website design to attract customers, then make sure you build it for those customers, not for your designer, your industry, or even yourself.
Step Two: Content Development
Most web professionals agree that a site’s content should drive the design and not the other way around. Before you get started with your new small business website design, develop a comprehensive content plan. Here are some questions to consider during the content development phase:
- Do you already have a logo? If not, you might want to get one before you start on your website design.
- What will be on your home page? Will it be image-driven or text-driven? The most effective home pages serve as an introduction to a site’s content.
- How many pages will the site have? Try to include the basics: home, about, contact, FAQ, and at least one page that describes your products or services.
- Will the site include a blog? Articles? Videos?
- How often will the site be updated or changed? Keep in mind that if you don’t make your own updates, you’ll have to pay someone every time a small change is made. Also, remember that the more frequently you update your site, the better your search engine rank will be.
When you’re getting ready to launch or redesign your website, develop the content first, and then choose a design that complements it. Or, plan a flexible design that can hold various amounts and types of content.
Step Three: Image and Branding
Your site should reflect your company image. Are you sleek and professional? Warm and friendly? Cutting edge? Your image is an essential part of your brand, and it should be reflected in everything that relates to your website and your company – from press releases to advertisements.
One of the most essential branding components is your logo. If you don’t have one, your website designer may be able to create one for you as part of your design package. Your logo should appear on your business card, website, in ads, and all other materials that you share, publish, or distribute.
If you start with a logo and company image or tone, you’ll already have the foundation in place for your small business website. Design solutions come quickly and easily and work best when a well-planned brand is already in place.
Step Four: Products and Services
There is nothing more frustrating than a website with an unclear purpose. When customers come to your site, they should easily be able to determine what, exactly, you offer. But many sites fail in this area. They stuff the site full of industry jargon that a customer can’t possibly relate to and fail to include any information about how transactions work. Customers who are confused are not likely to buy. Use laymen’s terms to describe your offer (not industry language), and be clear about how customers can place orders.
Step Five: Finally, Bring in the Designer
If you’re not comfortable with the first four steps, you can always skip to this one and look for a designer who can walk you through the planning process and lend expert advice on how to build a site that appeals to your customers.
Here are a few tips for finding a website designer:
- Find a designer whose style you like. Be sure to check their portfolio to see the work they’ve done.
- Let the designer know up front what kind of budget you’re working with. There’s no sense wasting time with a designer who is out of your price range (website design rates run the gamut from a couple hundred to several thousand dollars).
- Also, let the designer know up front if your site will require any special features or functionality like e-commerce checkouts.
- Understand the designer’s job. A designer is not a copywriter, website manager, or graphic artist. If you need these other services, let the designer know so he or she understands how many people will be involved in the project. Or, look for a design firm that offers all of these services.
- Find a designer you like to work with. There’s a good chance you and your website designer will have a long-term business relationship.
- Get some ideas together before you approach a designer. Find a few websites with designs you like and show these to your designer so he or she understands your style preference.
In these times, a well-built small business website is critical to success. Whether you’re starting a brand new design or revamping an existing one, don’t rush. Take the time to plan carefully so you save time and money and get it done right the first time.
Getting started with small business website design.
If you’re running a small business, you’re probably pretty busy. You’re managing a team of employees, generating leads, balancing books, or simply doing whatever it is that you do best.
Maybe you’re a plumber. Or a personal trainer. Maybe you run a boutique or a roller skating rink. Whatever it is that you do, you know your field of expertise, and website design is not it.
How can you make smart decisions about your small business website if you’re not an expert in websites or design?
Small Business Website Design
These days, a website is essential. But launching a website can be a huge challenge for small business owners who don’t have experience or expertise in online marketing or website design. These tips will help you make informed decisions about your own small business website design and all of your online marketing strategies.
1. Define Your Business
When you started your business, did you write a business plan? If so, it will come in handy when you’re planning your website. If not, then here are a few points you should clarify before getting a website:
- Company Mission – What is your primary purpose?
- Business Philosophy – How do you approach business?
- History – What are your credentials and how did you get started in this business?
- Products and Services – What are you selling?
- Features and Benefits – How do your offerings improve customers’ lives?
- Customers – Who are your customers?
- Image and Branding – What image do you want to project and what tone do you want to convey?
A website designer will use all of this information to create a site that accurately represents your business and appeals to your customers.
2. Build Your Brand
A website is really an extension of your brand. Your brand is your image, the tone and flavor of your business. It has a distinct attitude and a message. It should be memorable. Think about the GE light bulb and the slogan “We bring good things to life” or the Apple brand, which communicates a tone of elegant but functional simplicity and minimalism. If your business has personality, then your website will be more effective.
3. Develop an Online Marketing Strategy
Once you finish building your website, what are you going to do with it? You’d be surprised how many abandoned websites are collecting dust all over the Internet. People keep paying their annual domain registration and hosting fees, but their websites have zero visitors on any given day. Why even bother? The goal of your website is to attract traffic and then convert that traffic into paying customers. How are you going to get people to come to your site?
4. Create a Content Development Plan
Let’s face it — getting your first website is cool. It’s super cool. Even your second and third websites are exciting. Each redesign is an opportunity to make your business stand out. I myself have been seduced by the awesomeness that is slick website design. But a website design without content is like a TV without a picture; it’s just an empty shell.
The written content and the design must work together toward a common purpose: to market your business. All the fancy schmancy designing in the world is meaningless if it can’t hold the message that you want to share.
That’s why clear, compelling copywriting should be a top priority as you develop your website.
5. Establish Your Budget
You can spend a few dollars on a website or you can spend thousands of dollars. And everything in between. Set a realistic budget. Don’t be so cheap that you end up with an amateurish website, but don’t get too extravagant either. If you’re a small business just starting out or trying to grow into your next phase, know that you can find excellent website designers who offer affordable rates and turnkey solutions. You might not be able to get all the bells and whistles, but you should be able to get a solid, functional, and aesthetic design. And remember, you can always rehire your website designer later to make changes.
6. Find the Right Website Designer
If you’re going to hire a website designer, make sure you look at their portfolio before you sign the quote or issue your deposit. Design can be highly stylistic, and if your designer’s style doesn’t align with the style you want for your business, then the project is doomed.
As the project progresses, you may find yourself coming up with ideas, comparing your site to your competitors, and questioning every decision you’ve made. When in doubt, consult with your website designer, and trust their professional opinion since that’s exactly why you hired them in the first place.
7. Promote and Market Your Site
Once your site is done, you’re ready to start promoting it. Make sure you add your website URL to your business cards and other stationary. Add a signature to the bottom of your email with a link to your site. Put links in your social media profiles. Start publishing a newsletter or a blog. Purchase ad space on relevant sites. And launch a strategic online marketing campaign to drive targeted traffic to your website.
8. Designate a Website Manager
A website is like a car. It needs regular maintenance. Content management systems and peripheral applications need to be updated from time to time to keep your site functional and secure. Browser developers release new versions, providing added functionality and occasionally rendering old designs obsolete. And your website should be reviewed regularly to make sure the content and design is still valid and current. You should also be assessing your traffic statistics on a regular basis to determine how your website is performing and whether your online marketing efforts are paying off.
A website manager or online marketing specialist can help with some or all of these tasks. You may decide to learn how to manage your site and marketing efforts yourself or you may assign this work to an employee. You can also hire a professional. But you do need someone who is responsible for overseeing your online marketing projects and their effectiveness.
Getting Your Small Business Online
Your website will be your number one marketing tool. Its purpose is clear: to sell your products and services to more customers. With proper planning and strategic implementation, your website will be a smart investment that promotes and grows your business.
In any small business website design project, the planning phase is the most critical. If you’re working with a website designer, it’s essential that you communicate your vision clearly so that the designer can make your vision a reality. And the designer must communicate her vision too, providing clear examples, ideas, and images that will help you understand what the site will look like once it’s completed.
There are three basic components to any design: the design itself (look and feel of the site), content (text and images that will appear on the site), and functionality (how it works).
As you work with your designer, you need to keep all of these components in mind. Additionally, there will be a learning curve for both of you as your designer studies the nature of your business in order to reflect it appropriately in your design and as you learn about the many options available to you in terms of how your business will be presented to an online audience.
Throughout the planning process, clear communication is key to building a good relationship with your designer and to your designer building a great site for you.
I thought I’d share some basic small business website design tips that will help you work with a designer to hammer out the details of your design plan. By working as a team with a shared goal and by focusing on communications and smart planning strategies, you and your website designer can build a stellar website together.
Website Design Tips to Help You Get Through the Planning Process
1. You Don’t Need a Vision — Most designers are thrilled when a client gives them complete creative control over a design project. If you’re not sure which direction to take in terms of design, consider giving the designer some leeway. Tip: Ask for samples to make sure you like the designer’s work, and pay special attention to the designer’s own sites since they’ll offer a good example of her style.
2. Use Examples — Nothing is clearer than a visual example. Spend some time surfing the web and find different website designs that appeal to you. Be sure to scroll through the pages and note what you do and don’t like. Collect a few URLs (links) and then send them to the designer with your thoughts about each one. Tip: Start with your competitors, but branch out into other fields too.
3. Don’t Overdo It — If you send your designer 100 examples, there’s going to be a lot of confusion. Shoot for sending your designer three to five examples of designs that you like with notes highlighting what appeals to you and why.
4. State What You Want — Be specific about what you like and what you want. If you send your designer three links to sites you like that are all extremely different from one another, she’s not going to be able to figure out which elements you like best unless you communicate your preferences to her. Offer comments about each site’s design. Do you like the colors? The layout? Does the site boast features that you’d like to see on your site? Is the content similar to yours?
5. Mention Your Dislikes — If there’s a design element you’ve seen but don’t like, make sure you let your designer know about it lest she use it on your site!
Avoiding Feature Creep
Try not to engage in feature creep. What’s that?, you ask (I’m so glad you asked). Feature creep is when you see the final design for the first time and suddenly come up with a bunch of new ideas that were not included in your original project scope and expect the designer to add these features to your project at no additional charge.
Examples of feature creep are as follows: Actually, I think I would like a form on the contact page after all. I know I said I didn’t want a blog on my site, but now I do. Those colors just aren’t working for me. Oh, by the way, while you were working on the site, I had a new logo made. Most feature creep requests are followed by a statement like, That’ll only take a minute or two, right?
It’s that last statement that qualifies a request as feature creep. Most designers do expect a project to expand a little as it unfolds and will build that into the price, but any big, time-consuming add-on (as well as a bunch of little add-ons) will incur additional fees. If you do want to make some serious changes, you should be upfront with your designer, because trust me, your designer wants you to be a very happy and satisfied customer. Just be aware that some post-design adjustments may show up on your final invoice.
Teamwork
Like any true professional, a website designer wants you to be pleased with the final product. But since it’s your website, you have an important role in explaining what you want your site to look like. As long as you communicate clearly and openly with your designer (and encourage her to do the same), the design process will flow smoothly and your website will come out looking exactly the way you want.
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