New businesses are creating an online presence for their company on a daily basis, collectively launching thousands of new business websites. These businesses are all vying for online attention, each using various marketing tools to draw traffic to their sites. According to an October 2014 web survey hosted by Netcraft, there were over 1 billion websites online, with new sites constantly being added daily. With so many businesses promoting and marketing their websites, it’s imperative for any new business to stand out from its competition. Before addressing the digital marketing needs of the company with issues such as fresh SEO content and fast page loads, the website first needs to fulfill its initial job of clearly communicating what the business is and how it is relevant or provides value to its target audience.
Create a Functional Design
The foundation for any thriving online business begins with a thorough, comprehensive website design. Of course, the site should be appealing and attract visitors, but it should also be functional and easy to navigate. And because all businesses grow and develop at different speeds, a business’ website needs the flexibility to do the same so as not to lose traffic or customers over time. This is why quality website design and setup should be a priority for any new business.
Research studies report that over 94 percent of online users cite poor website design as the main reason they distrust certain brands. The goal of any new business is to gain traffic and convert potential customers; therefore, it is imperative that the site is strategically developed, highly functional and customized to the intricacies of the individual business’ consumer needs.
Avoid Templates
Businesses that are just starting out often go the route of using website template designs in an attempt to offset startup expenses and accelerate the site’s launch. While this may seemingly work at the outset, this route could easily interrupt web sales, damage brand reputation and possibly increase the business’ future web design costs.
Website templates are generally cookie cutter programs designed as “one size fits all” and offer very little (if any) customization built into their programs. Website design is an integral part of a business and is not an area where using template themes or designs and generic plugins are advised. These non-customized tools are built for the masses and are more susceptible to viruses and targeted hacks that can harm network systems and interrupt business operations.
Existing templates, widgets, and plugins can also become more costly and cumbersome to work with because of the need to constantly keep them updated and current as continuing developments take place. Also, if your site uses plugins or widgets that become discontinued, your new business website can suffer from unpredictable downtime, links or pages that become inoperable, not to mention traffic loss to the site as a result.
Customize for Growth
Businesses should build their web presence based on their desired status rather than their current state. This means customizing the site, its pages and content using the business plan and projected growth figures as a guide. It should also allow you, the website owner, the ability to make minimal changes as required while your business grows and develops over time. To achieve these fine points, it’s important to define a strategic blueprint for your business’ web design and online strategy, employing customizable and scalable solutions in lieu of website templates and one-size-fits-all programs.
In conclusion, a custom built website for your new business is the most cost-effective solution, saving both time and money in the long run. Custom web design will enable the site to easily scale as the new business grows and expands its product and service offering. Creating a unique brand presence online over a template used by thousands, assists with differentiating your brand from competitors and gives your new business the appearance of big brand appeal and credibility.