If you’ve decided to have a website built for you, you probably already know the importance of having an online presence. In this day and age, having a site is the easiest way to reach a broad audience and can be a potent communication tool. Just like most things though, a website is only as good as it’s content, design, and functionality. There is no “one size fits all” for sites so, for me to create a successful website for you, there are a few critical pieces of information and steps to go through to make that happen.
Core Values
When thinking about what type of website you want for your brand or company, it’s vital to define your core values clearly. These values are things that you and your company will not compromise on. They are a “code of conduct” for you and your business. Think of 5-10 at the most by choosing ideas and actions that matter most to you.
Target Audience
As much as we would all like to have a brand, product or idea that everyone agrees with, that is not our reality, and the same goes for your target audience. If you’re trying to sell your website to those who don’t need it, can’t appreciate it or can’t afford it is not only a massive waste of energy, but it also won’t convert into success. A great way to narrow down from ‘everyone’ is to think of who your brand ISN’T for, and use those remaining as your target audience. If you’re having a hard time figuring out your target audience, we can run an audit report to see what types of people are visiting your websites and what actions they take when they do visit. This information can be used to attract more people like your typical customer.
Sitemaps
Part of designing a website is mapping out what pages you’ll want to include. It is vital to have a ‘sitemap’ in place before your website can be built. While there are online programs and guides to help with this, sometimes it’s easiest if you take out a pencil and paper and draw out flowsheets of what pages you want and what information will be included underneath those pages. Try and choose pages that are a necessity like a “Home” and “About” page and choose 2-3 more relevant topics to your brand or company to keep it simple.
Wireframes
Just like designing which pages you want on your website, you’ll also need to have a vision on how those pages will present the information you want to give. A wireframe is a graphical skeleton of a website on how your information will be displayed. Building out a wireframe can sometimes be a difficult step to envision, but keeping it simple with a “Header,” “Body Text” and “Footer” is always a good start. A wireframe is just another step that might be easiest to sketch out by hand to create a concise vision.
Content
The internet is a crowded space which means what you choose to have as your content needs to stand out from the crowd. Content requires more than just a few paragraphs strung together. In order to create good, readable content, consider the following tips:
Core Values
When thinking about what type of website you want for your brand or company, it’s vital to define your core values clearly. These values are things that you and your company will not compromise on. They are a “code of conduct” for you and your business. Think of 5-10 at the most by choosing ideas and actions that matter most to you.
Core Values
When thinking about what type of website you want for your brand or company, it’s vital to define your core values clearly. These values are things that you and your company will not compromise on. They are a “code of conduct” for you and your business. Think of 5-10 at the most by choosing ideas and actions that matter most to you.
Use Photographs
Everyone loves photographs and they can add to a reader’s experience by not only breaking up the length like with sections but also giving them context to your words.
Use an active voice
Using dynamic adjectives and verbs will help you get your point across and help you define the goal of the subject more clearly.
Effective Content
Put your most important information at the top of your article or post. It may seem ineffective to put the best parts first, but you not only want to engage your reader but also keep them reading. If a reader feels as though the content will “never get to the point” they may stop reading altogether.
Short & Simple Sentences
Most people aren’t going to want to read long drawn out sentences that may lose their interest. Forget the fluff and get to the point. Using bolded headings or lists will help break up the length and make your content “scannable”.
Wanna learn more on how we can help you here at HLDesign Studio? Contact us to get your complimentary consultation.
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