subject: Web Design as a Marketing Tool [print this page] Hooking and keeping customers is the most important aspect of online marketing. Even if you have dazzling ads displayed across the Internet, it won't help your business gain customers if your website layout is poor. People looking for the products or services you offer want to feel like they can trust your business. A sloppy website or one that is hard to navigate doesn't send this message. In fact, it may communicate that you don't care enough about your customers to give them easy access to the information they seek. When designing your website, keep in mind that it's like an Internet storefront. The home page is the first impression an online customer will have of your business. Ask yourself what you want people to know about your products or services. Is your product line particularly unique? Are your prices the best in the business? Has your business won any awards or been recognized by any publications? These are all things to consider giving prime placement to.
Integrating your social media with your site is another great way to market. Having a Facebook page or Twitter feed can bring customers to your business through those platforms, but what about people who find your website first and want to share your great products with their friends? Consider making space on your website for a Facebook Page badge or a box containing your Twitter feed. Making your social media easily accessible gives new and returning customers the opportunity to follow your Twitter feed, "like" your Facebook Page, and share your website all from one place. Also give consideration to your company logo. An attention-grabbing logo can potentially make or break a website. Your logo is how customers identify you. Even when they can't remember a business name, people tend to remember the shapes and colours of its logo. If you don't have a logo, there are many design services that will create one for a fee.
Though the home page is what initially sells your business to visitors, don't neglect the rest of your site. If the home page is the storefront, the remainder of the site is the store. People don't like to have to wander aisle after aisle to find what they're looking for. The same goes for websites. Bringing the best elements of your business together doesn't mean a thing if potential customers can't find their way around. Make sure that even first-time visitors to your site can navigate with ease. Give them a direct, user-friendly way to find what they've come for. This shows that your business wants to be helpful to customers and can get you some of the best advertising of all: word of mouth from happy patrons. Standoutuk.com is an integrated Web Design and Online Marketing agency
