Having a strong online presence has become a must for companies that want to remain competitive, and the foundation of a robust online presence is a functional website. However, when it comes to web design there are so many misconceptions out there and these misconceptions can have an adverse effect on your online outreach. To help ensure that you are making your web design decisions based on facts, here are 5 key misconceptions that you need to avoid.
Misconception #1: Anyone can build a good website.
This is probably one of the most prevalent misconceptions out there. The truth of the matter is anyone can build a website, but not just anyone can build a functional website that supports your company’s goals. There are so many factors involved with web design that people may not realize, including web security, accessibility, online shopping, and readability. Then there are issues such as whether the site can be viewed correctly on multiple devices, how fast the site loads, how good the user experience is, and the consistency of font, colors, and logos. If you want a high quality, reliable website, then you need to the services of a professional.
Misconception #2: My website is supposed to be all about my company.
If your website is all about your company, then you’re at a disadvantage. A successful website for a business is about the visitors — the potential customers that it is supposed to be drawing in. What kind of information do they need? What kind of questions do they have? What are their pain points? What can you present to them that will win them over? Leave the details about you and your company to the About page of your site and set your focus on the customers you want to help.
Misconception #3: My website is up, and the visitors are going to flood in.
People aren’t going to be visiting your website if they don’t know exists. While a website with good SEO will cause your site to start rising to the top of search engine results, that takes time. And there are other ways to promote your website besides depending wholly on SEO. Keep in mind that SEO is meant to complement your marketing, not take the place of it. You should be sharing links to your website on social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Don’t be disappointed if your website doesn’t have thousands of visitors in its first few months.
Misconception #4: We can just copy [insert name of competitor here]’s site.
Let’s say your competitor has a really nice website — its modern, it has all the features you want yours to have, and it seems to be working well for them. Why not just copy their site? Well, besides being unethical and illegal, you will fail to differentiate your business from that of your competitors. If your website, which represents your company online, does not stand out, then why should anyone use your services or purchase your products? It’s one thing to use other websites for inspiration and ideas, but simply trying to duplicate another website is bad business
Misconception #5: I can write my own copy for my website.
You can write your own copy, but there is an extremely high probability that someone who write website copy for a living can do it better. You may well be an expert in the services or products you offer, but that level of knowledge doesn’t always translate into a customer-friendly presentation. A professional copywriter can take your message and transform it into something that your customers will understand and enjoy reading without being distracted by typos, jargon, and awkward phrasing.
Call Gauge Digital Media for Your Web Design Needs
Web design done correctly requires the help of a professional both for the web design and the copy. An effective website is unique, which means it isn’t going to be a copy of your competitor’s site, no matter how much you may like it. In addition, it won’t be all about your company — the focus of a good website is the customers that you want to attract. Finally, it may take a while for you to start getting visits from prospective customers, there are several things you can do to promote your website online.
If you need help with your existing website or if you need one built from scratch, then contact Gauge Digital Media. We can assist you with all aspects of web design, including SEO, graphic design, and search marketing. Call us today at (410) 376-7709.
