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In this blog, I want to discuss the process I go through when putting together plans for a client. This is more along the lines of getting to know the client and the business they represent and how to best produce a website that reflects their business. 

When it comes to building a website knowing a thing or two about good web design is really all that matters. Or is it?

People often ask why not use a site like wix.com or maybe just set up a WordPress site and customize it yourself. Absolutely! That is indeed one way to go about putting together a website. But there are levels of professionalism involved in building websites and most customers I’ve worked with hardly have the time to finish their coffee, let alone spend 12 – 16 hours battling the learning curve of a website builder whilst running a business. 

When we work with businesses that want a good looking website it’s important to take into consideration a number of factors such as : 

What is the nature of the business for which the website is to be built?

As basic as this point is, it is the first stepping stone to understand what business the client is in. Sometimes it’s a matter of understanding exactly what they do, some businesses are straightforward such as a photographer, lawyer or an accountant however sometimes there are retail businesses that have multiple channels of sales sometimes there are wholesale businesses which are very specific requirements and so on. this is where we stop thinking about the technology side of things and really get to know what the client does before we start building the website. 

How much competition there is

It’s always useful to understand if the client is in a very competitive space or not so much. It’s very useful to review competitor websites to make sure that the project you work on will stand out and not be just another brick in the wall.

Top 5 competitive websites and how to combat them.

One of the things that I like to do is check out the top five competitors that a customer usually shared with me. I take a look at their overall presence online and offline and do some back and research to understand what long-term goals they may have. 

Local online presence and how to strengthen it 

Start off by establishing a Google Maps and Bing listing presence for the client and develop a content strategy to keep it active for a few months well after the site is launched. Work with existing customers to get positive reviews and share timely updates. 

Best presentation of products and services

If the client is a service based company, I like to take the time, explain the services in clear, concise text which is uniquely written, sometimes it benefits to have a video explanation for the service to engage better with customers. If the client sells products, whether is is one or a thousand products, GOOD images, descriptions, stories, packaging details and customer reviews is what sells! 

A clear and concise (at least one) call to action

No site is complete without a clear call to action! A call to action (CTA) guides the website visitor to what they should do next after reviewing the content on the website. What the Call to action is varies and depends on the type of business. A mortgage website may have a Call to action asking people to apply for a mortgage, a vehicle lawyers website may ask users to book a “free consultation”, a transportation service website may ask users to sign up for discounts and promotions. With retail based websites there are various tactics, anything from free shipping, a % discount on the first order, updates and promotions from time to time. Whatever the business, the web design is never complete without a

Who they are and how much time they want to spend on it. 

Its very important to understand the customer get an idea for how much time they want to spend on the website. Some customers like to help with images and text and are hands on with the web design, however some customers like to give the big picture and leave the development to the experts. 

A website is crucial for any business a good website with excellent web design attracts customers keeps them on the website and engages them and also drives them towards making a booking online, contacting you, setting up appointments or even buying products online. 

A poorly thought out website with no web design can be disastrous sometimes it’s better not to have something that is so weak that users would be driven away from it. 

A good website with excellent web design is something that we excel at at top web design. Online. but we’ve been building websites since 2004 and after developing over 1,000 websites across Canada and the US we know a thing or two about putting together websites. 

When it comes to making a website for your business there are a ton of options, everything from no money down to paying an arm and a leg to get your business online. It’s so confusing and sometimes it feels like nobody really knows what they’re talking about. 

Well. We at Top Web Design DO know what we’re talking about. We’ve been making websites for over 15 years and have worked with a range of businesses – everything from those that want to set up a basic website to those businesses that really want to focus on make millions of dollars through their online stores

So as you prepare to make your website make sure that you have the 7 points covered. 

1. Good unique domain name that will help in your search engine ranking. 

Lets start off by saying it doesn’t have to be a.com! There are, at last count over 400 top level domains (TLD’s) such as .ca, .info, .biz, .site etc etc. – Don’t settle for something that doesn’t reflect your business brand or it doesn’t help you establish keyword presence on search engines. Do through research using keyword analysis tools for the keywords that people search for for your business find a domain name based on that. Make sure you own access to the domain name and hosting at all times!

2. A good Web design and striking original images.

A well thought out, eye-catching web design for your website is very crucial. That’s where you should leave it to the professionals and let the design team guide you. Visitors browse websites and lose interest in a few seconds so a good website design will help them engage and stay longer and will also help them quickly find what they’re looking for. Spend some time and money on making unique logos and artwork images that showcase your products and services as well as unique identifying images that would show up on image search for search engines. 

3. Unique text content

Take the time to write original copy and text that identifies your website and your brand. This is very important! Unique text is what sets you apart from your competitors. Write your content as you would speak to your customers be direct effective with a focus on delivering your product and related messages

4. An overall digital strategy

If you’re going to build a website that no one can find what’s the point? Have a complete strategy well beyond what happens after your website is live. Think about the keywords that you want to be found with and how you will go about achieving that goal. Think about what people will find when they search for you.

5. Analytics and measurement tools

The only way to track how many visitors come to your website, where are they coming from and what are they doing is by using tools like Google analytics. Installing and setting up Google analytics will help you with your overall marketing and digital strategy. Google’s webmaster tools now known as Google console also helps with analysis of which website’s link back to you and how search engines view your website.

6. Clear call to action

Once you build a website and put your message out it’s important to drive people to a “call to action” to engage them with your website. This can be done adding “learn more” or “contact us” buttons and links right after you describe your services. Make sure the email address and the phone numbers associated with your website are active and working! it’s hard to imagine but sometimes people spend thousands of dollars on websites and don’t pay any attention to insuring an active email or phone is at the other end of the process. 

7. Blog and social media

We are now almost entering 2020! you have to blog on your website so your knowledge and expertise is shared with your audience. Moreover, adding a social media campaign that will engage with all users will help you deliver your message. The most vital social media platforms to use for business are Facebook, Twitter & Instagram