Woo-hoo! You have a website. Unfortunately, so do over a billion other people and companies. The fact of the matter is, simply having a website isn’t enough to actually be found online, and if your site’s design is less than stellar, well, all the more difficult to keep visitors who do find you from venturing elsewhere. We’re not just talking about colors and fonts and images, we’re talking user-experience and functionality. If your site design doesn’t deliver on these, your website could actually be hurting you more than it’s helping. That’s why it’s important to steer clear of the following design faux pas found on many-a-manufacturing site:
Error #1: Thinking Non-responsive is a Non-issue
Guess what? If your website is non-responsive, your potential customers will be too! In today’s mobile society, if your website doesn’t automatically adjust to fit varying devices and their different screen sizes, user experience goes down the drain, and it takes your potential leads with it.
Error #2: Designing without Determining a Goal
What do you want from your website? Whether it’s generating leads, building your contact list, or making a sale, it’s important that your site is designed with your desired outcome in mind. After all, if you want to entice visitors to take action, you first need to establish what that action should be, then make it clear and simple to do. The clincher? Having a goal means you can measure your progress!
Error #3: Shying Away from Simplicity
Remember this: less is more. Sure, it’s tempting to put everything you can think of on your website but have you ever heard of information overload? Not only does a complicated design with too many features become distracting, and quite frankly repelling, but an elaborate structure can also make navigation difficult, which in turn makes it hard for visitors to find what they’re looking for, and that makes them frustrated. Spoiler: a frustrated visitor is not very likely to turn into a happy customer.
Error #4: Opting Not to Optimize
If your website went live and you immediately checked it off your to-do list, add this to your to-don’ts! Inactivity is the kiss of death for websites in general, and when you consider SEO trends are constantly changing, washing your hands of the design after you launch is like throwing in the towel and handing your competitors the keys! Your website design must adapt and change to stay optimized or you’ll be lost in a sea of other neglected sites popping up on page 7 of search results. Do you look on page 7? Didn’t think so.
The internet is a dog eat dog world, and in order for you to be top dog, we’re going to throw you a bone: never underestimate the effects web design can have on your ROI, customer experience, search engine results, and ultimately lead generation and sales. Keep your site design up-to-date with search engine standards, make sure it’s responsive (mobile friendly), define your goals and make clear calls to actions so you can reach them. And if you need help with all this, go fetch a phone and give us a call. We’re experts in manufacturing marketing and with our design help, your industrial website will go from getting lost to getting results. Now that deserves a woo-hoo!
