When starting the website design and development process it’s extremely important to establish goals for the project. The things you need to know and goals that you’ll need to establish will be:
- What is the message of the brand?
- What will the user need, and will it be easy for them to find it?
- Will the website leave a memorable impression on the user?
1. Your Design Should Speak “The Brand”
It’s extremely important to understand the brand you’re working for. Ask yourself: what’s your client’s tone, and what services do they offer?
Is the message building excitement for an event, or is it trying to bring them in for a soothing massage therapy session? Understanding the brand helps you better identify fonts, colors, and imagery (that speaks as loudly or softly) as the client themselves.
2. The User Wants Something; Make Sure They Get It
Clients are paying you to give them a service, but sometimes that service isn’t necessarily what they think they want. Rather, what their users want.
Make sure you can get this point across to your client early on in your marketing ventures by starting the conversion during the web design process.
Think of it this way: a client thinks their most important feature at the start of the project is this brand new video they created to advertise their new reception area, and they want it highlighted everywhere.
Even though their clients or users are going to be happy to be sitting in new comfy leather chairs while waiting for their appointment, they are probably more interested in learning the services your client offers (and how to schedule their services). Make sure you lead them in the direction of doing just that.
Setting a simple path for the users to follow isn’t always a complex process. Including easy to access contact information in the header of the design, as well as a call to action button promoting the step that leads to conversion in the navigation has normally done the trick for us, and led to higher conversion rates.
3. What’s The Point If No One Will Remember The Message?
Sometimes when a user comes to a site, they are “shopping around” and not immediately ready to make a purchase. This is fine, just make sure your user turns into a returning user. The easiest way to create a returning user is to make sure you’re speaking the brand’s message, making sure the user was capable of finding the information they wanted easily, and leaving them just hungry enough for more information without leaving them starving.
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