Top Five Tips For Creating A Great Website

There are so many live websites nowadays and this number is only going to get larger as more and more businesses get online, and more and more ideas are created. So how do you ensure that your website competes and even exceeds your competitors’ when there are so many out there? Bigfork, a Norwich Web Design agency have put together this top 5 list of things to make sure you consider before you embark on any new website project, or even if you’re looking to refresh your existing one.

1. Set your strategy

Before you begin designing anything, writing anything or even speaking to a designer, think about the strategy of your website. How does your website fit into your marketing plan? Who will be managing your website? What resources including time and money, do you have to put into your website. Every web designer or developer has a different speciality and a different cost so by setting aside a budget and doing some research into what this budget will get you, you will make the process much easier.

2. Research Your Target Audience

Who are they? Want do they want to see? This is such an important factor when it comes to your website as if for example your website targets teenagers and young adults, then the language, design and whole feel of your website will need to change to reflect this.

Similarly, research your competitors. What do they have on their websites? What language do they use? Have they had any ideas that you might not have considered? Your website needs to reflect why a customer should choose you over a competitor at the end of the day so don’t create exactly the same website that your competitors already have.

If you have an existing website, take some time to use some analytics software such as Google Analytics to see which bits of your website are the most effective, and carry these over to the new site.

3. Measure Effectiveness

Next, think about what you want users to do on your website. Is it to buy online? Is it to get in touch? Or is it to leave a comment and participate actively on your website? Set up some conversion tracking using Google Analytics or other software so you have goals. This way, when your new website goes live, you will be able to monitor your return on investment.

4. User Journey

After a user has found your website’s homepage, what do you want them to do? Studies have shown that users need to be as close to their final destination as possible in terms of clicks. So if your website sells products online, it is better if they are only one click away rather than four.

Also consider the content of your website. What should the text convey? Will you have pictures? Where will your calls to action be? If you do not have a strong user journey then visitors will be more likely to leave your website.

5. Design Away

Finally, you get to the design stage. Once you have done all this planning, get some wire frames into place and start being creative. Remember to keep your branding consistent throughout and to always keep the user in mind. Because at the end of the day it is the user who will affect your website’s success or failure.