Most small businesses don’t have a website. Design issues, therefore, don’t mean much to them. But if you have a website, your website design should be your top priority in 2014. Why? Because 8 out of 10 consumers research purchases on the Web before contacting a vendor or provider. By the time a consumer has contacted you, they’re likely to have done research on what they want and how much it will cost. If you’re a service provider, chances are very good that a prospective customer contacted you because of your website.
Website design can help qualify customers and vendors alike
Website design takes on a whole new importance in terms of qualifying potential customers and allowing potential customers to qualify you. Having a coherent website design, maintaining your website content, and providing your potential customers with the information they’re looking for becomes a very strategic exercise.
With a good website design, you can attract customers and potential customers whom your business can serve easily and immediately. On the other hand, you can also use your website design to satisfy those who are “just looking” (not ready to buy) and identify customers whom your business model cannot serve.
This last point is important. By letting customers know upfront what you cannot (or do not) do, you save everyone’s time. That allows you and your website design to focus more exclusively on the customers you can serve, and those who are most likely to buy from you or develop business relationships with you. In other words, good website design can transform your website into a very efficient gatekeeper for your business.
Business websites aren’t “set-and-forget” tools. With good website design, your website can be a productive, “evergreen” source of new sales leads, a 24/7 customer service representative and a reliable source for product and service information that customers and potential customers will both appreciate and rely upon. Neglected, forgotten websites, on the other hand, cannot perform these functions for your business. They put your business at risk of being determined irrelevant by the search engines and customers alike.
If you would like more information about website design, contact our Creative Director, Dave Ramsell or give Dave a call at (330) 243-0651 to set up a consultation. Whether you’re looking to build a brand new website or refresh the site you have, Grantstreet Creative can help put your business website to work for you!
Photo Credit: Liz West, via StockXchng
