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4 Simple Web Design Techniques for Better Lead Generation

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Roses are FF1919, violets are 1C86EE, Futura is a controversial font choice but Comic Sans is just wrong.

But seriously, why is great web design still such a big deal and how does it translate into better sales results?

Great Design Knows the Visitor Already

Even if you’re a new business you will have some sense of your ideal customer. So make sure you do your research and form an accurate, detailed picture of the customer by answering questions like:

  • What do they do on a typical day?
  • What are their biggest challenges/pain points?
  • What information do they use to make a purchasing decision and how is the decision made?

Knowing your visitor means knowing what to put on the page. If your customer can’t approve the purchase themselves, for example, then you need cater for their information needs and those of the boss.

Great Design Knows a Mix of Content is Best

 

A website needs a compelling proposition, a good story. This very rarely (read almost never) happens via large blocks of text. A website must cater to readers and scanners, but prioritise scanners because they are the large majority of site visitors.

Scanners will pause on page where there is a break in text, this happens with:

●     Links

●     Images

●     Videos

●     Infographic/Stats

●     Downloads

 

  

 

 

confusing floor tiles

 

So if you want them to take away one or two key points, use something other than text to convey that point. Think about what gets people’s attention and weave that into your compelling (product) story.

Great Design Knows That People Do Business with People

 

Seems sensible right? So many websites forget this by:

 

●     Using 100% obvious stock imagery

●     Not having a clear way to contact a real person

  

tree in front of garage door

Everyone on the web has a mobile phone, and all phones have a camera function. Take photos of your team, your work environment, your city, take photos of real things that will connect your customers to you.

There are some amazing news tool out there for automating Q&A, service issues and lead generation but you must still provide an opportunity to talk with a real person.

Prioritise other contact methods on your website if you need to, but make sure they can talk to a real person when they need to. Even just having the option makes converting a visitor into lead more likely.

Great Design Keeps Asking, “So What?”

So now that we’re clear that on your website you need to:

  • Know your ideal customer
  • Use a mix of interactive content to reach them
  • Emphasise connection on a human level

You must still give them a clear reason and a method to take the next step.

 

The all important call to action needs your consideration. They’ve read down the page, maybe they’ve even clicked on a link or two, but they have not moved into the lead category.  

drawer design fail

Compelling (product) stories should lead to good business opportunity and a well-designed website should help you do that.

Right when they are about to ask, “so what?” give them something good in return. Insight they can’t get elsewhere, a stat they’ve never seen before, a report they didn’t have to do themselves.

Avoid Design Fail

Avoiding #designfail with these 4 important techniques is really about applying common sense when designing your website, because lost business is no laughing matter.

Top 3 Marketing Resolutions for 2016

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Why do we resolve to do things differently at the start of each year? Maybe your best, longest running resolutions have come at a time when no one was asking, or looking.

For 2016 we think the best way to resolve to do something better is to at least look at what other reputable sources recommend so you can decide for yourself.

Because we focus on getting the best online sales and marketing results for our clients we recommend these top three ideas from the great list built by Hubspot.

1. Get a mobile strategy

We are still amazed at the number of websites out there that are not built in mobile friendly way. In part of the western world more Google searches are being done on mobile than on desktop. That means the fresh young eyes and those young at heart that need big font are all looking for you on their phone!

PC and laptop design will always be important but if a site is not built to look good and be searchable on a mobile then Google/people will eventually switch off your business. This article here explains the mobile strategy basics.

2. Write something every day

Sounds airy fairy but writing something every day means you have a source of unique content to pull from regularly.

Why do you need content?

  • To show Google your website content is refreshed regularly
  • To get a chance at being an influencer on LinkedIn, allowing you to build your network
  • To keep your products and services fresh

Ok we aren’t perfect either and are always striving for better but we do think this one will lead to good things professionally and its all within your power. Find your ideal writing time to achieve writing every day.

3. Prioritise sleep!

We probably should have made this number one but so crazy important. If you need to break through and achieve your next level goals a consistent good night of sleep is key.

What we have learned is that a good night of sleep is individual so its worth figuring out what works for you – check out this article here on how to make your own personal sleep plan

Call them resolutions or just call them good ideas to start with in 2016, we think these are some of the best. We also think its best to keep a concise set of goals that you can focus on from week to week.

Good luck this year and we hope we cross paths with you!

Diamonds, Puppies and Taxes are Forever…but technology changes and so should you

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We love Smart Company, they produce articles relevant to businesses of all sizes and they always answer the question, “So what, why should I care?” And we love their work so much that we wanted to reiterate the significance of their article on why a website isn’t forever.

We recently blogged about why you should care about mobile responsive design, and maybe all you heard was blah, blah, blah. Fair enough if you feel like people are holding it over your head but Smart Company has again summarised why your website has to change over time – see here!

We share your pain and having to update websites, technology and software to help our businesses run better, those unexpected costs are always frustrating. But the reality is consumer and business habits change and that means you have to also.

It doesn’t mean to have to change everything all the time but if you have a good technology and software advisor to your business then they can help sort out the wheat from the chaff to know what deserves your money and attention and what can stay as is.

Check out our Free Guide to Website Design, a Free Download from this page (click on the orange button) to get an idea of what you need to consider in 2015 for your website.

3 Ridiculously Practical Reasons why Mobile Responsive Design Matters

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You don’t need a new website, do you? So maybe your site is a little out of date, but its got your phone number on it and its pretty easy to see what you offer your customers. Why should you spend money to get a new website?

Typically it comes down to one factor alone – how it looks on a mobile. While we won’t dispute that some industries have a low viewership of websites on mobile devices its entirely possible that number might be low for the exact reason that people can’t see anything on your website on a mobile so they don’t even bother in the first place.

What is mobile-responsive design? Essentially it means taking the desktop version of your website and adjusting the content and sizing of things so that on every other device it looks normal, easy to read and no pinching and zooming are required.

Here are some ridiculously practical reasons why mobile responsive design is critical:

1. Commutes are Longer – People in cars/trains/buses/trams don’t talk to their seat mate anymore – they check out their phone on that hour long trip to work in the city and this includes all generations of people, not just gen-y. Why bust out your laptop when you can use your mobile with one hand?

2. WiFi is Everywhere and Free Most Places – the Shopping Centre, the bus, the coffee shop, the airport – and of course this is for all devices but unless you are editing a document in Word on your laptop, why wouldn’t you just use your mobile?

3. Because You Want People to Call Your Business – On a well-developed site the link to your phone number is always accessible but even better, when you click on it something magical happens – the phone you are on will ask you if you want to call that number immediately. These people that call are leads, that will buy things from you

So of course our awesome designers and developers can help you build the mobile responsive website of your dreams but from the broader web community we would like to formally announce that people use their phones, a lot, and if your website sucks on mobile then it will impact your business.

Three Steps to Feeling Less Intimidated by Website Design

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We all need a little care and contemplation every once in a while to get the best out of ourselves and website design is no different. In a website build or revamp project it really is the most important part of the process and most people feel intimidated from the start. Never fear – these 3 easy steps will help you feel a whole lot more in control and confident in what you can achieve.

Step One – What You Want to Feature?

There are those normal things like About Us, Products and/Services Lists and Contact Forms that all sites generally have and they are important too. But when your customers (current and future) load your website what are the couple of things that you really want to impress upon them? What is your unique sales proposition, what makes you stand out? Is it your extensive product range or maybe your expert skill in your particular area. Whatever it is, it matters when it comes to the site design.

Step Two – What Do You Want People to Do?

If we use the storefront comparison, if customers have physically entered your store and are showing signs of interest, what would you want them to do? This is easy to track when you are looking at someone face to face, and its easy to track online too with Google Analytics by figuring out how long people are spending on your website and what pages they are looking at, but I digress.

What do you want them to do? Buy straight away, call you to discuss how you can help, send an email to request an appointment or reservation? What you can encourage your customers to do on your website is virtually unlimited, but keep it simple and know what you want to them to do so that the site design encourages that.

Step Three – Find Existing Websites That Do These Things Well

Ultimately you can’t go wrong by putting yourself in your customer’s shoes, so find the sites they like, and the ones you do too and then share all of this information with your designer. And be specific about those things because no site is going to do everything exactly like you would so don’t be afraid to mention likes and dislikes about those examples.

The Internet is framed around being able to gain information and engage in transactions quickly, therefore following the above three steps with this principle in mind means you will be in the driver’s seat of your website build. Empowered and dare we say it, feeling a little excited too!

Interested in sharing your design dreams with us? Give us a call or click here for more information.