Here’s how many websites are developed. The decision-makers gather around the conference table and begin brainstorming. “Our website should include our mission statement so visitors know what guides us,” says one executive.
“It should look and sound professional, so let’s use stock photos and have Mary write the copy because she was an English major in college,” says another.
Someone from the sales department adds, “On the Contact Us page, let’s use a form with lots of questions that will help us make a sale. Have visitors tell us their budget and how soon they intend to make a purchase. And let’s be sure to get their full name, mailing address and phone number so we can have a salesperson pursue them.”
“We should have a page with all our products. But let’s not put too many details or prices because we want visitors to have to contact us,” says a third. Are you cringing as you read these website suggestions? If not, you should be. They’re off-base and sure to alienate visitors.
Customer-centric is everything
While all these ideas have merit for the company, they don’t make much sense for visitors. And that’s a big mistake. If you don’t put your visitors first, your website won’t be effective. Bottom line, it’s not about you!
The best websites are customer-centric. They’re designed to provide the information visitors seek and to present it in an interesting, organized fashion. They let the customer see the real you, which then builds trust.
Remove the Following From Your Website
Certain elements on your website are going to detract from the value and message you’re trying to convey. Complicated animations, content that’s too long, stocky website images are just a few factors on the list.
With an audience that only has an attention span of 8 seconds, you need to create a first impression that easily gets the main points across. This should be done with short, powerful sections of content and applicable photographs/icons that are sectioned off by clear and concise headers.
If you’ve got those right, then review it and make sure it doesn’t contain jargon or ambiguous terminology. It only serves to muddy your content and confuse your users.
Use the Right Images
Not every image is going to fit with the type of message you’re trying to show your audience.
Just because a stock website has the image, doesn’t mean it looks genuine and will evoke trust in your company. Ideally, you want to use photos that portray images of the real people that work at your company and the office itself.
Avoid industry jargon.
Don’t use words or phrases that your visitors may not recognize. Use familiar terminology.
Make your home page a to-the-point summary.
Since your home page is the most common entrance to your website, it should describe how customers will benefit from your content, products, or services. If visitors can’t quickly figure out what’s in it for them, they’ll click that back button. Poof, gone!
15 Tips to Create Killer Website Content
Let Your Visitors Scroll on Your Homepage
Above the fold is old. Don’t be wary of designing a slightly longer homepage. Including 3-5 sections that help direct new and recurring users to proper areas of your site can help create a seamless experience.
But what should these sections be?
This list could go on forever, but a quick hit-list of some of the more crucial elements includes:
- Value proposition
- Intro Video Overview of Services
- Product Features
- About Us
- Testimonials
- Case Studies/Success Stories
- Resources
Don’t be Afraid of White Space
Whitespace is an essential design element that helps you break up the page and increase readability.
Also called ‘negative space’, white space refers to the areas around elements on a page that are empty and lacking content or visual items.
Mobile Optimization
Don’t forget about optimizing your site for mobile. If you don’t already know, 80% of internet users own a smartphone, and “Google says 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site they had trouble accessing and 40% visit a competitor’s site instead”.
I’d be a little concerned if I were you.
Update Your Content To Appeal to Your Persona
When you’re writing copy that you want to impress your website visitors with, many of us tend to fall into a dangerous trap.
The content is ‘we’ and ‘our’ focused.
‘We will increase revenue by..”, “Our benefits include…” are just examples of the headers that many uses throughout web pages. Although you may be showcasing the ways your business might help because of how great you and your products are, it’s not going to get the point across.
Strip out the “we’s” and “our’s” and replace them with “you’s” and “your’s”. Your potential customers want you to meet them eye-to-eye, understand the pain points they have, and directly explain how they could be solved.
So rather than a header like ‘Our Case Studies’, try something like ‘Your Potential Success Story’. Or rather than a careers page that focuses how great the company is, filter in some content that explains how applicants futures are important and their ability to define their future working at your business.
This grammatical switch may seem insignificant, but subconsciously it will affect the way customers see your business.
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read more here https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/tips-for-improving-your-web-design
KCB Lions’ Den is a show that allows Kenyan start-ups to pitch their business ideas to top investors called, The Lions. The TV show is part of the KCB Group 2Jiajiri programme expected to benefit at least 500,000 youth in a period of 5 years.
With the advancements in information technology (IT), businesses are becoming increasingly dependent on the services it provides. Indeed, from instant communication and storing customer data on computer systems, to video conference calling and selling online, IT has become an integrated part of the business landscape.
