The 5 Ultimate Tips For A Better & Successful Website in 2018, even on a budget!

#1: Make Sure Your Website Loads In 5 Seconds Or Less;

Have you ever tried to view a Website only to find that it takes 10 or 20 seconds to come up on your screen? Unless it has been recommended by a friend or you have some other burning desire to visit the site, you probably likely gave up and moved on. The first 5 seconds is very important in terms of the attention span of your visitor. During that period, you need your site to load and for the visitor to be able to “get” what your site is about. If it takes longer than this, your visitors will run out of patience and leave.

Tip: if you want to show off a long flash presentation, try featuring it on a page other than the home page.

#2: Limit The Menu Items To 5 Options;

Your Website needs to be singular in purpose and focused in appearance. If your website is trying to be all things to all people, it will end up being of value to almost nobody. The simplicity and focus of your website design is reflected in your navigation and symbolized on your home page by your menu options. If you believe your site requires more than five menu options, make some of them sub-menus that are available only after the user selects one of the five main options.

#3: Make Call To Actions Clearly Visible;

Ever shopped at an IKEA? Their stores have a non-traditional layout that allows you to look around freely and yet literally leads you from one section to another, right on through to the multiple cash registers and food goodies waiting for you at the end of your path. Let this serve as a model for how to set up your Website: on every page, you need to make it abundantly clear to your website visitors just exactly what it is you want them to do. Do you want them to contact you? Order your product or service? Add a comment to your blog? Whatever it is, make this call to action very easy to spot both textually and graphically from anywhere on the website.

 #4: Provide Free and Clear Access To Additional Help Options;

You do not want to lose sales (or visits, or whatever your goal for your visitors maybe be) just because you failed to give someone the chance to ask a question. Just as with your call to action, make it clear to visitors that no matter where they are on your website they can easily locate help via phone, e-mail, live chat, call back, user forum, or a knowledgebase.

Hint: present the various options in a prioritized manner depending upon anticipated user needs.

#5: Show Consistency Among Other Design Elements;

The look-and-feel of your website as a whole is really just a combination of all of its individual components. Pay close attention to every detailed component of your new website. Use appropriate colors and graphics, pay attention to font size, make sure your messaging is readable and makes sense, and make sure images look crisp and appealing. Items that you think are minor might form the basis for whether someone chooses to stay on your site or find that of a competitor.

Whether you are designing your own site or hiring a professional designer, pay attention to these items and you will have a winning site for your small business, even on a budget.

Do you currently have a website, looking for a re-design done or maybe you just need someone to have a look at it to give you some advice? We would love to work with you, contact Presidential Ideas today for a FREE-NO-OBLIGATION discussion about your business’s online presence!

This may be an exaggeration, but we’ve all seen bad web site designs. They infect the Web like a bad head cold that won’t let go. You can’t help but wonder what the business owner was thinking. After all, why have a website if it reflects poorly on your company or actually drives customers away?

Often, small- and medium-sized business owners aren’t aware of the impact that their websites have on customers and potential customers. They may know that having a web site is important, but think that professional website design is cost prohibitive. So, they conclude that their child, neighbor, or spouse can put something together and that it will be “good enough.” Or, ten years ago they may have actually paid a professional website designer  to craft them one and haven’t done any modifications for years.

In today’s business world, there’s no getting around the fact that your business’s website design is a reflection of your business. Whether yours is an e-commerce site, a lead generation site, or simply a small informational website, you need to put your best (virtual) foot forward and project an image that puts your business in the best possible light. Keep in mind that, if you don’t have a good website, your competition probably does and is dragging customers away from you.

If you’ve hesitated hiring a professional website designer because of cost considerations, it’s time to think again. Unless you need a highly customized, programming intensive site, a web designer isn’t going to break the bank of your business. In fact, there are website design  firms that specialize in helping small- to medium-sized businesses succeed in their online endeavors like Presidential Ideas.

Today, a website designer can economically provide you with hundreds of templates from which to choose. These templates come in a variety of styles that are appropriate for a wide range of businesses. A professional website designer can easily customize templates, giving them images and graphics that will make your website unique.

In addition, a webdesign design company can provide you with a suite of options that will help you develop your online business. These tools might include a shopping cart, an SSL certificate, free hosting, email accounts, domain registration, and even marketing strategies.

If you don’t already have a website, your business needs an online presence. If you haven’t updated the design of your company website in two years or more, it’s time to consult with a webdesign company. And, if you happen to have one of the nightmarish sites that turn potential customers away, it’s time to look forward, turn over a new leaf, and hire a professional website designer.

At Presidential Ideas, we have helped 100s of Small to Medium sized businesses make a statement on the web. You can checkout our portfolio or send us a message today for a free consultation.