subject: Website Design - Strategies for Building Your Online Business [print this page] Website Design - Strategies for Building Your Online Business
People often ask how can website be a brand when there are so many present online? They have a reason. It might become impossible distinguish your website from the others. How can you prevent your website from being lost into the jungle of websites out there on the World Wide Web? Does website design have a solution for this?
Interesting as it may seem, it is the web design only which has a solution for this. That your site is lost into a number of others is because the website design has not been done effectively in a professional way. The problem and its solution lie in the design itself. It is precisely the design which can create the elements of distinction so that the website leaves a lasting impression on the people's mind. It is just the same as the product branding which bases itself on the product differentiation. Therefore, this is a key part of the overall strategy for building the online business. Unless the visitors see your business as separate from the others, there is less likelihood of your success, especially when there are many others providing the same.
Some of the activities that can be done for achieving these branding objectives are the following:
1. Study the competitor's web design: Why not to make a beginning with the competitor who has been doing well online? Check out the different elements which he uses to make effective website design. You can benchmark your site with the one of the competitor element to element.
2. Write content as per the brand image of the company: If you are making the site for a company which has got a very good reputation offline and has a brand name for itself, you can not ignore the quality of the written content. The writing style of the content shall be in accordance with the brand image that has been developed by the company.
3. Pay attention to Prominence and placement of the different website design elements: Do you think that the company philosophy and its brand image warrant a prominent display of its logo over the others? Or, is it the products or the services which are to be highlighted more? If the company comes out with certain offers, do these need to be displayed prominently? These are the examples of some of the features of the web design which shall be looked into by the company. Relative importance of each of the element over the others needs to be clearly established.
4. Do not ignore the other pages: Do not put all the money on the landing or the Home page only. It is equally important to have the other pages designed well. Overloading of the home page with content, images or graphics shall be avoided. Space has its own relevance and it shall be given the place that it deserves on the web page. A confused look shall not come out of the website design.
