Competition between businesses on the street is as fierce as ever, but it looks like child’s play compared to the level of competition most company owners experience in the online arena. Having a well-designed website can be the difference between getting a sale, and having the sale go to one of your competitors. Let’s examine why.
First Impressions Matter… A Lot!
If you’ve ever been considering working with a company or buying a product, but when you visited their website you thought, “Wow, this looks terrible”, there’s a good chance that you reconsidered the whole thing. Websites don’t look the same as they did in the 90s – they’re much more elegant, user-friendly, and informative. Well, the good ones are anyway.
The fact of the matter is, first impressions matter online. Did you know that over eighty percent of people now use the internet to research a company or a product before deciding to do business?
The way your website looks and how easy it is to use is a direct reflection of your company, even if you’re in an industry that has nothing to do with the internet. It shows that you want to provide your clients with the best possible experience, and that you care about their experience while working with you. If your site looks terrible or isn’t easy to use, you’re essentially saying the opposite.
You Can Clearly Describe Your Services or Products
A well-designed website should be seen as a great opportunity to explain to your potential customers exactly who you are and what you do. At a glance, a visitor should know if you’re the answer to the problem they’ve been trying to solve, or if they need to keep looking.
Having well defined services or products outlined on your website in a clear, concise manner will ultimately end up saving you and your customers time. Your staff will spend less time answering questions, since your customers have already had easy access to the information they needed – in the long run, this can save you quite a bit of money.
Your Contact Information Will be Readily Available
Have you ever wanted to work with a particular company, but had a very difficult time tracking down their contact information? Being able to reach you is perhaps one the most important stage of making a sale. A well designed website can completely eliminate this problem.
Beyond Appearances
The best site layout on the web cannot hold your customers’ loyalty if your internal processes are disjointed and yield less-than-satisfactory results. To avoid this, make sure the software you use behind the scenes is well-suited to your and your customers’ needs. Custom software solutions, like those designed by Cogitech (see more at cogitechsolutions.com), can be built to accommodate your business’ needs–enabling you to meet your customers’ needs more efficiently. Having a great site is important, but appearances aren’t everything. Make sure the promises made by your site design are met by a seamless and effective internal process.
These are just a handful of reasons why having a great site design isn’t just important, it’s practically mandatory for operating a modern business. Don’t sell yourself short and miss out on potential sales – get a well-designed site as soon as you can.