What makes an effective Website?
Web design in current times is almost the new Store-front. Whilst businesses could previously survive as either an Internet or High street business, these days the boundaries are much narrower. Brand recognition now plays a huge part in on-line success. With the Internet awash with fly-by-night companies, people are turning to companies with both a strong Internet and local presence.
The problem with most companies finally taking the plunge and having websites built, is that they focus their attention on how nice and professional and glitzy they want the site to look. In reality, there should be a strong link between what makes their particular type of business successful in the real world and how that's reflected on-line.
Some types of businesses actually benefit from a less artistic approach as customers use the look of the website to make assumptions about the company. Much as you do when you browse the high streets (especially in a new town). Local traders, for instance, can sometimes portray the wrong image. Whilst trying to look 'professional' they may broach the style of a big company, with people assuming they're going to be expensive. If a company is a small family-run affair and that's what makes them successful, they should be reflected in a similar way on-line because their customers are the same people looking at them from a different medium.
I'm not trying to advocate 'home made' sites or bad design, what I'm getting at is that what appears appealing in style can be inappropriate in execution.
So what are the important factors in Web Site Design?
Logos, colours and general company themes should be reflected throughout the online and local presence. The menus of a site should be easy to navigate and make sense. People don't like to have to hunt for what they want once they've reached your site. If they arrive at your site via a web search then you could be one of thousands of search results which they're investigating. Any important pages or info should be one click away from the main page if not on the main page.
Clever moving menus and interactive flash content has a place but can't be all things to all people. Great care should be taken to assess whether your potential customers will be put off by too much going on or indeed whether you're distracting them from the messages you're trying to get accross.
Web designers are by nature artistic and like nothing better than to produce an eye-catching design which will impress other designers. The problem is that websites are designed to be viewed by potential customers and there can sometimes be misrepresentations.
So what's the answer?
Bespoke consulted designs are the way forward for the future of web site design. As a customer, you need to make sure that the designer or design firm understands what your market demands and what's good or bad about your company within the given market. This may sound quite obvious but many companies put their on-line presence solely in the hands of designers without any idea that they themselves could be the most important link in the chain.
So don't have a 'let them get on with it' attitude to your new website, but make sure that you voice your ideas and concerns as a good design team can work WITH you not solely FOR you.
About the Author
Bill is the technical consultant for 'A Star Universal web design'
http://www.astar-universal.co.uk/web_design.html
A Star Universal offer Bespoke web design with free initial consultation.
Contact Bill at enquiries@astar-universal.co.uk
