SEO London, Edinburgh Internet Marketing Breeze Media

 If you are a business website owner and you are too attached to the design then it may be losing you vital sales and visitors.

When a company comes to us concerned that their website under achieves and fails to attract new customers then we almost always give the same answer - the website design  is too personal, too gimmicky and doesn’t cater for its customers. This is difficult for such companies to accept because they have become so emotionally attached to the web design that they are reluctant to accept change. 

Take a retail clothes shop for example. Imagine if you walked through the door and all you saw was information about the company or someone at every counter trying to tell you how great a company they are? Would you go any further and buy? Unlikely, and the chances are you would go to the next shop in the street. So why are so many websites built exactly like this? Too many companies believe that an all singing - all dancing website will attract customers and business will flow, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Successful website owners, just like successful retails shops realise that its the customer that buys and not the owner of the website or the shop.

Too many companies see their website design as something that “they” like rather than what their customers want. Companies need to detach themselves from such personal preferences and focus on their customers needs, otherwise the website will fail.

Useful tips to focus your website’s design on your customers…

1. Dont use Flash Intros! These are merely obstacles to prevent visitors getting to your products. Would you walk through the door of a shop that insisted you watch a 5 minute presentation?

2. Don’t use frustrating long winded boastful copy! If your website reads like “Welcome to blah blah blah” and follows with five pages of your history, about us, employees and been online since 1996″ then your visitors are likely to click on to the next website. You may think your company is the best in the world but if you walked into a retail shop would you expect to read the same blurb before you bought something?

Focus on your visitors first and foremost! On the first page, define their needs, solve their problems and give them solutions to their problems.

3. Use clear navigation! Your website should allow your visitors to get to the pages or product they want within no more than 2 clicks. If it takes more than 2 clicks then you’re website is failing to meet your customers needs. This only serves to frustrate them and in many cases they will go elsewhere. (Imagine if you walked into a shop and the store guide instructed you to go to department a via dept d via dept c etc! You’d soon be very frustrated).

One of the best ways to achieve good navigation into the design structure of your website is to ask friends and colleagues to navigate and give you feedback – the more people the better. Take any criticism as constructive and apply what you learn.

Remember – your website is a virtual mirror of your company. Design your website to be as customer friendly as your physical presence and it will pay dividends.