When you look at Facebook, Twitter, CNN.com or any other popular site, what do you see in common?
The fact is that there is hardly anything in common other than popularity. They are all unique. They are visually identifiable as separate websites. They have a very unique branded design. Say you meet two people Jim and Larry online. They are excellent chefs as per their description. Both of them give you their personal website to refer to for cooking tips.
You head over to both the sites and find that Jim’s site is attractive with nice design, illustrations etc. At the same time, Larry’s website provides valuable tips. But the problem is his website isn’t visually appealing. I bet 7/10 people will remember Jim’s website more than Larry’s even though Larry might have better content.
Web design is one factor that most companies over look. Your site design is your brand. It is what tells people what you are. Unlike the normal brick and mortar business, you can’t spend millions to establish a brand. Why not spend the minimum to get a nice design which is your brand?
Each business will have different requirements. If you are a web designer, it’s expected that your website will be colorful and have a nice design. If you are a consultant selling services to other businesses, you are expected to have a professional design with not-so-fancy colors or illustrations.
Make sure the design is simple yet unique
Choose a color scheme that suits your business. If you have a health related website, green would be a good choice to include in your color scheme
Ensure that the site is easy to navigate. There is no point in making the site highly attractive, if customers can’t find their way through it
Choose a design and stick with it as long as possible
Don’t go for flash websites. Adopt web 2.0 style websites
Choose website based on your business. If you are a consultant, a blog would be beneficial for you. If you have a company website then normal HTML websites would be sufficient
Take care to see that you explain what your site is all about. Having an about me page helps a lot
Enable a contact form on your website. It makes it simple for people to communicate with you
If you need a content management system, put in research work to find which one is best for you. For blogs, WordPress is the best. For community websites, Joomla is the best and so on
Also Check :
Four Basics of Effective Web Design
5 Website Building Myths Debunked
One reason why people shy away from getting a unique design is because they don’t want to spend money for a unique design.
Web design pricing can go from 100 $-15000 $ or more depending on website complexity, coders experience and so on.
It’s normally seen that freelancer’s charge far less when compared to established web designers and design companies. You can pick out great designers from oDesk for fraction of the cost you would have to pay an established designer.
It is an investment that you must make for your business.
Your web design must strike a good balance between aesthetics and usability. Invest in a good web design for your business. You don’t want your website to look like 10000 other websites out there.
Tip: You can browse sites like ThemeForest to get some good designs for very low price. If you spend some time to customize them or pay someone else to customize them, you can get a unique design for under 100 $.
Theme from ThemeForest- 30 $
Price for unique logo or header- 30 $ (You can find good and cheap designers over at Digital Point forums contest section)
Price for Customization- 40 $ (Up to 10 hours of customization work if you hire a cheap coder from oDesk
I really don’t recommend DIY (Do It Yourself) approach for web design if you have no knowledge about it. The time you spend for learning design, coding and so on can be better used for building your online business. Besides, you get professional service and that too really fast.
The fact is that there is hardly anything in common other than popularity. They are all unique. They are visually identifiable as separate websites. They have a very unique branded design. Say you meet two people Jim and Larry online. They are excellent chefs as per their description. Both of them give you their personal website to refer to for cooking tips.
You head over to both the sites and find that Jim’s site is attractive with nice design, illustrations etc. At the same time, Larry’s website provides valuable tips. But the problem is his website isn’t visually appealing. I bet 7/10 people will remember Jim’s website more than Larry’s even though Larry might have better content.
Web design is one factor that most companies over look. Your site design is your brand. It is what tells people what you are. Unlike the normal brick and mortar business, you can’t spend millions to establish a brand. Why not spend the minimum to get a nice design which is your brand?
Each business will have different requirements. If you are a web designer, it’s expected that your website will be colorful and have a nice design. If you are a consultant selling services to other businesses, you are expected to have a professional design with not-so-fancy colors or illustrations.
Tips for Choosing a Web Design for Your Business
Also Check :
Four Basics of Effective Web Design
5 Website Building Myths Debunked
Website Design Pricing
One reason why people shy away from getting a unique design is because they don’t want to spend money for a unique design.
Web design pricing can go from 100 $-15000 $ or more depending on website complexity, coders experience and so on.
It’s normally seen that freelancer’s charge far less when compared to established web designers and design companies. You can pick out great designers from oDesk for fraction of the cost you would have to pay an established designer.
It is an investment that you must make for your business.
Final Thoughts on Web Design
Your web design must strike a good balance between aesthetics and usability. Invest in a good web design for your business. You don’t want your website to look like 10000 other websites out there.
Tip: You can browse sites like ThemeForest to get some good designs for very low price. If you spend some time to customize them or pay someone else to customize them, you can get a unique design for under 100 $.
I really don’t recommend DIY (Do It Yourself) approach for web design if you have no knowledge about it. The time you spend for learning design, coding and so on can be better used for building your online business. Besides, you get professional service and that too really fast.