Hire a top web designer who can create a presentable website that suits your needs and knows the in’s and out’s of building a website. Their knowledge is crucial in creating a top website. The Web Designer understands the importance of visual impressions as the first aspect and while the second is a back-end that includes the technical end of Web Design.

The vision of a website comes from many inspirational outlets. The style of a website, colors, typography, and the layout are some important design elements to consider. Inspiration is collecting ideas and aesthetically arranging them guided by certain principles for a specific purpose. Make sure your site is easy on the eyes, clean, uncluttered layout, and is professional. If visitors have to work hard to find specific information, they will leave. Simple navigation menu needs to be clean, clear, and an easy to understand menu. Capture your visitor’s information such as their email address with an opt-in form where the visitors enters their information in exchange for a free item or something special from the site. If you don’t capture your visitor’s information on their first visit, you will loose them forever.

Your homepage itself needs to be thought out carefully. When people visit your site they will settle into a first impression and decide whether to stay or leave within 3-8 seconds. You must use that time effectively. The visitor is not actively reading your website but rather quickly scanning headlines, navigation items, and picking out the professionalism and branding of your site.

These days everyone uses a smartphone, tablet, or both to get information. Your website needs to be responsive to these devices, platforms, and browsers that needs to work with your site grows. You need to have one website that fits to any screen size (Small+Medium+Large), desktop, tablet, and mobile. Design time for responsive web design is more time due to the three different screen sizes. You want to be certain that the look and feel of your responsive website is consistent to your desktop website. If the two are not consistent, it undermines trust and looks unprofessional. Calls-to-action is just as important as on your desktop website. Include “Click to call” or “tap to call” on your site. Ease of navigation with large buttons is also important to have. Visitors prefer large buttons and demands easy navigation.

–       Reach your readers: Not everyone uses Social Media but everyone uses e-mails, so a newsletter-style e-mail that contains your latest news and updates and even promotions can help you reach your audience. Adding call-to-actions in the newsletter can allow readers to click to your website and allowing them to become “fans”,  “like”, or “share” your Social media accounts.

–       Update your readers: Your dedicated readers will be able to get your latest updates on your business. Targeted Email Marketing is a great way to reach your audience, assuming you know your audience. If not, get to know them.

–       Email Marketing Campaigns: promote giveaways, events, or products. Each campaign should alert your readers of these happenings at least once a month to keep them interested and to remind them you are alive.

–       Effective Emails: You’ll need a strong design, appealing graphics and images. Custom Email templates works best as it allows you to design a template from scratch to any layout or style to your liking. All Email Marketing software provides Email templates for those who may lack extensive design experience. Their provided Email template can be altered and arranged to your satisfaction. In general be certain to have appealing images.

–       “Email Marketing is spam.”: This is a false statement. We encourage businesses to send no more than two Email newsletters a month to avoid spam-like Emails. Readers have the option to opt out and unsubscribe to your e-mails. Rule of thumb, do not send more than two Email newsletters a month and be certain your Email content is straight to-the-point and is well-designed!

Email Marketing Tips:

–       Strong subject lines are what draw your readers to open the Email in the first place. Make sure the subject line is interesting and exciting yet to-the-point. For example: “Free”, “Discount”, “Sale” are automatically strong words to entice readers to open your Email.

–       Your readers are likely scanning your text to find something interesting to read to or to click through to your website. Make sure your headlines catch their attention.

–       As mentioned above, make sure to have your best images and graphics in your Emails.

–       Have the option for your readers to unsubscribe. We hate to see them jump ship but you also don’t want subscribers who are not interested in your products/services.