Category: Websites

Most businesses need a website. We can create a website for you or even update your existing site for you.

Common Sense Isn’t Very Common When It Comes to Web Design

Posted on by Melissa Priest

It seems that when it comes to website design, common sense isn’t very common. I’m not saying ALWAYS, but far too often for my liking!!

Almost every day in my online journey, researching and surfing (do we still call it surfing??) the web, I come across a site that leaves me baffled as to what the owners / designers / anyone involved in creating the site, was thinking, when they decided to a) leave off critical information b) design the site in such a way that I am confused when using it, or c) create something of barely any use to anyone……..

I recently came across a relatively new bar / restaurant’s website that I was thinking of visiting. I was keen to find out as much as I could about their offering when trying to decide on a venue for an upcoming catch up. Was very disappointed to find that this modern, trendy, quite impressive establishment, had a website with no menu! Not happy. Not only did they not offer a food menu, but also no beverage menu (claiming to be a bar?). Maybe their menu changes every day? Maybe not? If that is the case then why not give us a ‘taste’ (pun intended), of what we can expect, such as a sample menu? Or else find a way to update your site or social media profiles with your daily menu?

Another thing not included was a map. Considering how easy it is to include a Google map with your exact location into a website, I find it quite unbelievable that a company relying on you finding their location would not include a map.

When it comes to planning your website, the first thing you should do is put yourself in your user’s (customer, potential customer, visitor, whatever you want to call them) shoes. Have a good long think about what they might need to know about your business and times it by ten.

You need to provide as much information about your products and services as possible.  People use the web to gather information and make informed choices. If you aren’t providing that information needed to make a decision, you are at risk of not being considered in those choices.

If you’re a restaurant, nine times out of ten people want to know where you’re located. So this means your address, but also a map, driving directions, parking information. They want to know what type of food you serve (a full and up to date menu preferably). Whether you cater to vegetarians, gluten-free or other dietary requirements. Prices, a wine list. Whether you’re restaurant is child-friendly, do you have high-chairs? What is the accessibility like for disabled or elderly patrons?

Put your thinking cap on and consider your customer. Take into consideration any question you have ever been asked by a customer? Is there repitition to the types of questions you are being asked? If so…sounds like information that needs to be on your website.

Having a website with hardly any information, yet having your staff answering 50 phone calls mostly answering the same questions, is a major waste of time and money.

Get planning and build your site for your customer, afterall they are the ones that are going to be using it!

5 Tips On Building Trust Via Your Website

Posted on by Melissa Priest

Whether you like it or not, each visitor to your website is subconsciously judging your company.

Visiting a new website is just like walking into a shop or an office for the first time. First impressions count, and can be the difference between winning or losing someones business.

If you think about the last time you walked into a place of business and it was messy, the staff were too busy talking to each other or on the phone to pay attention to you, you couldn’t find what you needed, so you became frustrated and left.

A similar thing can be said about a website.  If your first visit leaves you confused and irritated, why would you return?

A nice clean and clear website that is consistent and easy to use, can instantly make you feel at ease and help you trust the company.

Whereas a poorly designed, out of date website, with broken images, typos, lots of different fonts and font colours,  flashing graphics ……can instantly break your trust.

Here are some useful tips on how to ensure your website is in the best possible position to build a visitors trust.

  1. Identify your company – your website should include your company logo (preferably in the top left hand corner of every page), colours associated with your company, along with information about your company (About Us) page as well as how to contact you (a Contact Us page with information about your location, phone number etc). And please – be contactable. I have dealt with many websites that include a phone number but NEVER answer their phone. Next!
  2. Simple  –  People don’t want to have to work hard when trying to use your site. A well designed site that is consistent (headers and footers, navigation, logo etc) helps you actually find what you’re looking for, sounds simple doesn’t it!
  3. Personable – In most cases, someone will visit your site to find out more about your company, employees, products or work you have completed. So add a personal touch. Show images of you, your team. Include information about your experience and skills and those of your team. Show information and images of previous projects you have completed.
  4. Informative – A website is an easy way to provide information. Information about your company, products, location, projects you have worked on.  This information can be provided via pages of content on your site, or via blog posts, or both. Whilst erring on the side of more information than less, also keep in mind that people don’t like to read big chunks of information online, and they also don’t like sales pitches and lots of marketing speak. So keep information simple, to the point and in manageable chunks.For e-commerce or shopping websites you need to provide as much information as you possibly can about your products (sizing, dimensions, fabrics, quality, colours etc) as well as secure checkout, payment information, return policies, etc.
  5. Social media links  – if people can see you on different touch points or platforms, they are more likely to trust you. It makes you more transparent which is a good way to build trust through appearing to be open, honest, personable and contactable.  If you have a company facebook page and a potential customer can see that some of their friends have liked your company, they would be more likely to like you as well. If you have a twitter following and share information about your industry, expertise, and converse with others online, this is another plus for your company.  The more a potential customer can learn about you and your company the more they will trust you and use your company in the future.

If you have any other tips about building trust online please share them with us.

Does your company need a website? How to tell if your company needs a website….

Posted on by Melissa Priest
  • Do you want new customers?
  • Do your customers or potential customers use the internet?
  • Might they have questions about your business or the products and services you offer?
  • Do you have a street location that people need to find?
  • Do you or your employees have skills or expertise in your industry?
  • Do you have a product or service to sell?
  • Do you have competitors?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, your company needs a website.

It’s no longer enough just to be listed in the yellow pages or a business directory. These days most research is done online.

People use the internet to search for the products and services they need. They’re looking for as much information as they can when researching and making a decision.

If there are two companies offering the same or similar products or services, one has a listing in a business directory, and the other has a comprehensive website with information about its products and services, the second company will in most cases be chosen.

People want information. They want to build trust. They want to make an informed choice when parting with their hard-earned cash.

A website can bring new customers to your business. It can help showcase your products and services. It can help showcase you and your employees and your skills and expertise. It can display your previous work, or help you share what you know about your industry. It can help answer questions customers might have, therefore saving you time and money repeating the same information over the phone or email.

It can help people find your location, or where to park when they visit you.

A website has so many advantages for your business.

If you don’t have a website, or your website is old and outdated, contact us to chat about setting up a website for you.

5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Review Your Own Website

Posted on by Melissa Priest

As a business and website owner, you are possibly the worst person to perform a usability review, or audit of your own website, here’s why:

  1. It’s fair to say that you know your business and its processes, and potentially the industry you operate in, back to front. So you have a built-in knowledge that you may assume everyone else has. Which could lead you to include jargon, acronyms or information on your website written in a way that others might not understand. It’s often hard to separate yourself from this knowledge and look at things from a new perspective.
  2. As an expert in your field you might not be an expert in the web, so it’s best to defer to someone who is. Areas such as buyer behaviour, online merchandising, online marketing, user-centred design, are foreign to you and you don’t have the time or interest to learn them.
  3. You have looked at your site every day for the last x years and have lost the ability to look at your site from a fresh perspective.
  4. You love your website and think it’s perfect in every way, therefore potentiall not looking at it objectively.
  5. You are too busy! You have more than enough work to keep you going just keeping the business running.

They say a good website should have a redesign at least every two years, so where do you start when thinking about a redesign and what happens if you can’t afford a complete redesign?

Often there are small incremental changes you can make to improve the user-experience of your website, and the best way to discover these changes is via a website usability evaluation or audit.

By having a usability expert evaluate your site, and look at it with a fresh set of eyes, you can learn some simple changes you could make to your website that could make a difference to your business.

We can review your site and provide you with a ten minute video highlighting some key opportunities on your site. We can also provide you with a detailed report outlining these opportunities and showing you some great examples of sites doing things well. This can feed into  a whole website redesign, or show you some small changes that could make a big difference to your site.

Contact us to chat about an affordable review of your website.