Even if you have a brick-and-mortar establishment, your company website is one of your most important business assets and advertising tools. But when it’s time for a new website, it can be overwhelming to try to choose between all the web design and development companies clamoring for attention, each claiming to be able to build you a site that’s better — or cheaper — than their competitors’. To cut through the din, here are the things a web design company absolutely must do in order to build you a successful business website:
- Know the Most Popular Options
Some design choices that you personally like may not be the best choice for a company site, either because of your target audience’s preferences or because of technical issues. For example, you might run into problems with a Flash web design company because an ongoing spat between Apple and Adobe means that using Flash on iPhones is complicated. The best thing you can do is communicate with your web designers and listen to their recommendations on what will appeal to the audience you’re trying to reach.
- Optimize for Mobile
Having a responsive or mobile optimized website (one that recognizes the kind of device the user is on and automatically reconfigures for easy readability) is non-negotiable. Mobile usage is expect to overtake desktop web browsing by next year, so there’s potential to either gain or lose a big clientele there.
- Work on Content
Too often, a web design company will focus on visual elements alone, leaving you to copy and paste the text from your old website. But a full-service web development company will work with you to craft accurate and readable content that will draw visitors in.
- Care About Security
One of the biggest pitfalls of low-cost options like WordPress is that they have serious security flaws. Even when you hire someone to alter how these sites look, those weak spots are rarely fixed. It’s particularly important that you get a fully customized and secure website if you’ll be processing financial information or storing customer data.
- Look Toward SEO
Search engine optimization is an ongoing process, but the initial construction of your website can either help or hinder SEO efforts. Make sure your website will do the former.
What else comprise the essentials of good web design in the current online climate? Share your thoughts in the comments.
