Designing a Website That Makes You Stand Out!
Why you need a website
Picture this: You just started up a business, you’ve gotten some great buzz from just your family and friends sharing your information on their personal social media. You’re just starting to make some money, so it’s time to take the next step! It is time to deep dive and commit to your business… it’s time to make a website.
Now maybe you’ve never made a website before at all or you’ve only made personal blogs from your time in college, but not to worry. Recognizing the need for a website is the first step! With a website, you are starting your business off on the right foot, providing your audience with a hub to house any information about your business, update new products, and even rope in potential customers from all over the world! And the best part? A website makes you look hella professional.
With the expectations of today’s digital society, having a website is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity. We are past the days of thrown-together PDFs attached to a domain and into the world of full-functioning, accessible to all, masterpieces in a digital format. It is time to step up your game and get the website of your dreams, and just like Cinderella’s fairy godmother, we’re here to help with that!
What you need to start a website
We will be the first to say, DIY websites are never as successful as working with a professional. Here at One Stone Design, we work with you to craft your perfect website in order to avoid the common missteps that come with doing your website yourself. Whether working with us or doing it yourself, we’ve developed a list of website necessities that make starting the website process simple and make you feel more prepared!
Start with a Name and a Goal!
Before you even pull out your computer, you need to work through the creative process of choosing the perfect name for your website – and potentially your company! If you already have an established business with a name that you like, this step is done for you, but if you are starting from scratch, you will be choosing a name for all aspects of your future brand! Your name is key because it influences the domain name that will house your site. Our best tips? Go for simplicity! The easier to remember the better!
In addition to a great name, you need an achievable goal! In this case, make your goal what kind of website you want to be building, for example, Kristen Hicks from HostGator explains that “If you’re starting a service-based business, the website should accurately communicate what you offer and why people should hire you. If you’re starting a product-based business, your goal is to get people to add those items to their shopping cart and check out. If you’re starting a blog to share your deep abiding love of spaghetti westerns, the goal could be as simple as finding a few like minds who enjoy reading your posts.”
A fantastic design!
Every website needs a unique look to show your customers who you are and what your brand is all about! But developing a great design can be troublesome and lead to potential mishaps. To avoid these potential flaws in your site, we highly recommend working with professional website designers. And while it just so happens that we are professional website designers, we aren’t saying this as a ploy to gain your business! We truly believe when it comes to websites, a professional’s touch is absolutely essential!
Content, content, content!
In order to have a successful website, you need to feature interesting content! Whether photos, videos, or blog posts, you should be providing your consumers with material that they can sink their teeth into. Not only does this help your customers gain access to material that is relevant to them, but it helps keep their attention on your site! If you aren’t well versed in creating content yourself, this might be another place to reach out to a professional! Hicks conveys that, “Professional website copywriters know how to develop positioning for businesses and figure out the language most likely to drive visitors to action. And if writing’s not your forte, you’ll probably spend lots of time and mental energy on worse results than if you hired someone who really knows what they’re doing.”
How the design of your website affects visitors
Accessibility is a must when it comes to developing a user-friendly site. This year is all about inclusivity, so we need to be making sure that our websites are accessible to all! Kristin Krishan expresses that, “A common misconception is that accessibility requires a focus on users that have some kind of disability — but that isn’t the case. Accessibility design is inclusive of everyone. Maximizing ease of use to reach all ability levels leads to products that anyone can use and enjoy, whatever the context.”
If you’re unsure about the accessibility of your site or you want to do some updates to be even more inclusive to your customers, reach out! Here at One Stone, we are happy to help update your site to be the best experience for all of your customers.
Why you’re (your business/brand) worth the investment
In the digital age of today, having a fantastic website is essential to have a profitable business. We can’t begin to tell you how many businesses have lost clients and had their brand suffer strictly from a poor website design. With most people opting to look at a company’s online presence before making any kind of commitment with them, you need to be making sure you are putting your best virtual foot forward! Don’t believe us? Believe the stats! Samantha Gordanier from Beam Local explains, “Check this out… 81% of people research a business or service on the internet prior to making a purchase decision. That’s 25.92 million people searching for businesses online. Yet, 46% of business owners listed “Business currently doesn’t need one” as their #1 reason for not having a website.” Potential customers respond to a great online presence that they connect with! Appearances influence first impressions, so just like wearing a great suit to a business meeting, your website needs to be dressed to impress!
Now that you’ve learned everything you could possibly need to know about the value of a great website, it’s time for you to get started with yours. But you shouldn’t have to do it alone and that’s why One Stone Design is here! We will build out your website totally custom to you and your business needs.
Still not totally sold on the value of building your website with One Stone? Let some of our happy clients explain why working with us is totally worth it!
